Oklahoma State Emerges from Tragedy to Become Serious Threat to Make Playoff

Two weeks ago in the middle of another bucolic homecoming celebration in Stillwater, tragedy struck again for an Oklahoma State fanbase that has sadly become all too familiar with the pain of devastating loss.

Another senseless act of violence at the university—four people killed in a parade allegedly at the hands of a potentially mentally ill woman who was suspected of driving under the influence—turned an otherwise uplifting weekend celebration of being a Cowboy into an incomprehensible Saturday of guilt.

A few hours after the accident not too far from Boone Pickens Stadium, after OSU wound up beating Kansas 58-10, the community that had drawn so close through dark times rallied again to move forward.

So too did their beloved football team. After squeaking out wins against Texas (thanks to a botched punt snap), Kansas State (by two) and West Virginia (in overtime), Oklahoma State has turned into a team consumed with energy and a relentless attack on both sides of the ball.

In doing so, the team has not just served as a feel-good story in the wake of that tragedy. No, the Cowboys have moved from an underrated and skeptical squad into a legitimate College Football Playoff contender.

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That could not have been more evident as they swarmed and overwhelmed previously undefeated TCU 49-29 in a game that was not quite as close as the score made it appear Saturday in Stillwater.

They were fast and physical along the defensive line, led by All-American candidate Emmanuel Ogbah’s continuous pressure. Linebacker Chad Whitener was everywhere on his way to a 12-tackle night, including two interceptions (one for a score) and a thunderous goal-line stuff of TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin to salt the game away late in the fourth quarter.

Then there was the big-play offense that continued to look like one of the most explosive in the Big 12— and that’s saying something.

Wideout James Washington had five catches and scored on three of them—each time running over 48 yards to the house. The two-headed attack at quarterback with Mason Rudolph and J.W. Walsh wasn’t quite as effective on the ground, but they didn’t need to be with Rudolph launching bombs over the Horned Frogs pass defense with regularity.

After a half-dozen weeks of wondering just how good the Cowboys were, the nation found out in a big way Saturday—a very big way.

It is not quite time to call Mike Gundy’s team the favorite in the Big 12 just yet with Baylor still undefeated and Oklahoma looking promising, but after putting up 70 on Texas Tech last week and 49 on a TCU squad that was starting to get healthy, it is certainly time to start taking them seriously as a threat to make the College Football Playoff. The Pokes' path is clear, and they're following it.

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On the other sideline, Gary Patterson’s Horned Frogs likely saw their thin hopes of making the final four slip away as easily as the ball seemed to out of their hands. Boykin wound up throwing four interceptions to see his Heisman campaign abruptly end, and he lost his favorite target (and a Biletnikoff Award front-runner) Josh Doctson to a wrist injury.

The dynamic receiver did not return for the second half and could be lost for the rest of the year just as the team’s schedule starts to get difficult. And after Patterson boasted about his defense earlier in the week, that unit was the primary culprit in a loss that saw the team lose by 20 despite running 110 plays for 663 yards.

The Cowboys, meanwhile, sat at No. 14 in the selection committee's rankings from earlier this week and figure to see a big boost in their position Tuesday after one of the team's most impressive wins of the year.

And in the middle of announcing to the nation that they were for real on the national scene this season, Oklahoma State also reminded everybody that it’ll close the Big 12’s back-loaded month of November in Stillwater with its raucous crowd cheering it on.

After a trip to lowly Iowa State next week, both Baylor and Oklahoma will travel to the unfriendly confines of the Orange and Black.

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

On Fox, in a postgame press conference, following the win against TCU, Gundy got a little emotional when talking about his team’s effort. He brought up the great fan support the team had received and noted just how sweet this success was in the wake of what happened just two short weeks ago.

As a school alum, the Cowboys head coach has sadly become a veteran at leading his team through difficult times on and off the field, but 2015 might be his greatest accomplishment yet.

Who knows, it might even be his best team yet given how much it's grown recently.

College football is a season filled with emotional swings from the bottom to the top. Few know that better than Oklahoma State, which has turned into a nearly unstoppable force since learning of an unspeakable tragedy and has given the team’s fans something to believe in between the lines.

The university community—especially the families affected by an unfathomable tragedy—still have a long road to recovery off the field. But for a few hours each Saturday at least, the Cowboys have come together and looked like a team that makes it easy to be proud of its effort.

Such a strong team, in fact, that anything is possible. Even a trip to the playoff isn’t out of the cards for a fanbase that has been through so much.

You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.