Oklahoma State heads to West Virginia for Big 12 opener

Saturday, September 26

Morgantown, WV

6 p.m. CT

Oklahoma State University

West Virginia

Image Taken at the Oklahoma State Cowboys vs Murray State Racers Football Game, Saturday, September 19, 2026, Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK.

September 22, 2026 | Cowboy Football

Complete notes available here

The Basics
The Oklahoma State football team (2-1 overall; 0-0 Big 12) opens Big 12 play this week, traveling to West Virginia (3-0 overall; 0-0 Big 12) for the first time since 2023. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia.

On the Air
The game will be streamed live on FS1 with Eric Collins and Spencer Tillman on the call. It will also be carried live on the Cowboy Radio Network, with Dave Hunziker handling play-by-play, John Holcomb providing analysis and Deion Imade reporting from the sideline. Fans outside of the Cowboy Radio Network can listen to the OSU broadcast for free through The Varsity Network app.

The Series
Saturday's game marks the 17th game between Oklahoma State and West Virginia in a series that began in 1928. The majority of those contests have taken place since West Virginia joined the Big 12 in 2012, as the teams faced each other just three times prior to then. This year's matchup marks the first time the teams have played since 2024 and the first time the Cowboys have traveled to Morgantown since 2023. Oklahoma State holds a 10-6 advantage in the series, including a 5-2 advantage in games played at West Virginia. The Cowboys have won eight of the 10 games played since 2015, and that stretch includes five consecutive wins in Morgantown. Eric Morris has never faced West Virginia as a head coach and WVU's Rich Rodriguez is 1-0 in his head coaching career against Oklahoma State, facing the Cowboys when he was at Arizona in 2012.

The Cowboys' Winning Streak in Morgantown
Oklahoma State's five-game winning streak in Morgantown is tied with Miami (FL) for the longest active streak, but the Hurricanes haven't played at West Virginia since 2002. Outside of that, Penn State (12 straight from 1959-1982) and Pitt (eight straight from 1917-1956) are the only other teams who have had that level of sustained success in Morgantown. Here are the wins included in OSU's five-game winning streak:

Date	Opponent	Result	Score	OSU Rank	Oppt. Rank
10/10/2015	at West Virginia	W ot	33-26	21	RV
10/28/2017	at West Virginia	W	50-39	11	22
11/23/2019	at West Virginia	W	20-13	22	NR
11/6/2021	at West Virginia	W	24-3	11	NR
10/21/2023	at West Virginia	W	48-34	RV	RV

In the Rankings
The Oklahoma State football team is receiving votes in the AP Top 25 and US LBM Coaches Poll, reaching the equivalent of Nos. 30 and 31, respectively. With the exception of last year, the Cowboys have been ranked at some point in every season since 2008. Through the 2025 season, Oklahoma State has been ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press poll in 15 of the past 18 seasons and has reached the top 10 in 11 of those 18 years. Although the first College Football Playoff rankings won't be released until November, it's worth noting that OSU has been part of the CFP rankings in eight of the past 11 seasons entering 2026. The Cowboys have also been included in 43 of the all-time CFP Rankings, which ranks among the most appearances in the country. West Virginia is also receiving voted in both the AP and coaches polls, reaching the equivalent of Nos. 28 and 29, respectively.

Oklahoma State from a Distance
After not winning a conference game in 2024 or 2025, Oklahoma State essentially pushed the reset button for the 2026 season. OSU brought in head coach Eric Morris to take the reins of the Cowboy program, and he then brought in more than 40 new staff members and 91 new players to build a fresh foundation for the future. The 91 newcomers are strongly believed to be the most on one team in the history of major college football, surpassing Colorado's 87 in 2023. They came with experience, too, as the Cowboys added more than 45,000 Division I snaps of experience to bring their team total to nearly 55,000.

Tt didn't take long for the new group to make a big impact - in game two Oklahoma State became the first team in college football history to end a double-digit losing streak against an AP top-10 team. OSU's win over No. 6 Oregon earned a long list of accolades, including OSU being named the FWAA's Pop Tarts Bowl Crazy Good Team of the Week and many national honors for quarterback Drew Mestemaker. The Cowboys built on that with a solid 59-0 win over Murray State, and could get back into the rankings for the first time in just over two years with a win this weekend.

OSU's best offensive bragging points so far include being ranked No. 4 in the FBS in first downs (85), No. 6 in total offense (528.0), No. 6 in tackles for loss allowed (2.33) and No. 18 in passing offense (306.3). On defense, the Cowboys rank No. 1 in the nation in third down defense (16.2%), No. 3 in red zone defense (.500), No. 4 in fewest first downs allowed (32) and No. 26 in total defense (267.3).

The Eric Morris Era is Underway
Eric Morris is in his inaugural season as Oklahoma State's head coach in 2026. He was named the 25th head coach in program history on November 25, 2025. An elite offensive mind and talent developer, Morris had been the head coach at North Texas since 2023. His hire marked the first time since 1969 that Oklahoma State hired a sitting head coach and the first time in school history OSU hired a sitting head coach from a school that is in the FBS. In three seasons at UNT, Morris built the Mean Green from a 5-7 record in his first season to a team that won 12 games in year three and reached a conference championship game with a College Football Playoff berth on the line. Those three seasons produced three of the top four seasons for total offense per game in North Texas history.

91 Newcomers Mark the Most in College Football History
The 2026 Oklahoma State roster features 91 newcomers, which is strongly believed to be the most on one team in the history of major college football, breaking the mark of 87 set by Colorado in 2023. Newcomers make up 79% of the 115-man roster. The team includes 66 new transfers, 24 returning players, 13 returning letterwinners, five players who had at least four OSU starts last season and 18 total players who had played in a game for Oklahoma State prior to 2026. The transfers arrived with a combined total of 45,088 total snaps of Division I experience.

A Top-10 Transfer Portal Class
Of those 91 newcomers, 66 are new transfers (57% of the team). That group makes up a transfer portal class that ranks No. 7 in the nation according to both The Athletic and 247Sports.

An Oklahoma State Win Would ...
• Give it six straight wins at West Virginia.
• Mark its first conference win since November 25, 2023, ending an 18-game Big 12 losing streak.
• Improve Eric Morris to 3-1 as Oklahoma State's head coach.
• Improve Eric Morris to 1-1 in road games as OSU's head coach.
• Improve Eric Morris to 49-35 in his head coaching career.
• Improve Eric Morris to 16-13 in nonconference games.
• Improve Eric Morris to 1-0 against West Virginia.
• Improve its all-time record against West Virginia to 11-6.
• Give it wins in nine of its past 11 meetings with WVU.
• Improve its record against WVU in Morgantown to 6-2.
• Mark its 137th win since the beginning of the 2010 season, ranking among the top 15 in the FBS.

Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Game
• Dating back to 2008, OSU is 83-14 when winning the turnover battle.
• Dating back to 2005, OSU is 50-7 when not committing a turnover.
• OSU has won 88 of its past 91 games when holding its opponent to fewer than 20 points, dating back to Sept. 13, 2003. Including games when opponents have scored 20 points or fewer, OSU has won 96 of its past 100.
• OSU is 41-23 in its past 64 games decided by fewer than 10 points.
• OSU is 54-10 in its past 64 games when leading at halftime, dating back to Sept. 17, 2016.
• OSU has won five of its past seven overtime games.
• Drew Mestemaker has passed for at least 200 yards in 18-straight games - the longest active streak in the FBS. He's passed for at least 250 yards in seven of his past eight games.
• Mestemaker has thrown at least one touchdown in 17 of his past 18 games.
• Caleb Hawkins has scored multiple touchdowns in six of his past 10 games. He's scored at least three touchdowns in five of his past nine.
• Hawkins has rushed for at least 100 yards in five of his past nine games.
• Wyatt Young has had more than 100 receiving yards in six of his past 11 games.
• Israel Polk has at least one catch in each of his past 25 games played.
• Miles Coleman has at least one catch in each of his past 22 games played.
• Wyatt Young has at least one catch in each of his past 18 games played.
• Caleb Hawkins has at least one catch in each of his past 16 games played.
• Chris Barnes has at least one catch in each of his past 14 games played.
• Ethan Wesloski has made at least one tackle in 42 consecutive games, including every game he's played since the beginning of the 2023 season. He's had at least three tackles in 14 straight games.
• Jack Puckett has made at least one tackle in 34 of the 37 games of his career and at least three tackles in 30 games. He played at the Div. II level until 2026.
• Isaiah Chisom has made at least two tackles in 29 straight games.
• Quinton Hammonds has made at least two tackles in 14 straight games.
• Jaleel Johnson has made at least two tackles in 10 of his past 12 games.
• Christian Bodnar has made at least three tackles in eight of his past nine games.
• LaDainian Fields has started nine straight games for OSU, the longest streak of any player on the roster.