Oklahoma State football schedule is out for 2023. Meet OSU Cowboys' new Big 12 opponents.

Scott Wright, Oklahoman

January 31, 2023 at 6:03 PM·5 min read

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STILLWATER — The Big 12 football schedule dropped on Tuesday, and it’s sending Oklahoma State everywhere but south.

Almost.

The Cowboys play at Big 12 newcomer Houston in November, but will not play games against Texas, TCU, Texas Tech or Baylor. That could signal the end of the OSU-Texas football series, if the Horns end up leaving the Big 12 for the SEC for the 2024 season. The Cowboys have won nine of the last 13 games against Texas.

In addition to Houston, OSU also gets a November trip to face newcomer Central Florida in Orlando, while both Cincinnati and BYU come to Stillwater.

The Cowboys open conference play with a trip to Iowa State, followed by an open week to set the stage for rematches against the Kansas schools — which walloped OSU by a combined 85-16 in consecutive weeks last year.

With a non-conference trip to the desert to play Arizona State, the 2023 season is set to be a long year of travel for the Pokes. Their shortest trip will be to Houston, which is just over 500 miles from Stillwater.

Here’s a look at the Cowboys’ 2023 schedule (times and TV will be released later):

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Sept. 2: Central Arkansas at Oklahoma State

As of now, this game is still scheduled for a Saturday, though OSU coach Mike Gundy has become a fan of moving the season opener to a Thursday or Friday when possible. OSU has only faced Central Arkansas once, winning a 2015 meeting 32-8.

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Sept. 9: Oklahoma State at Arizona State

The return visit for last year’s game at Boone Pickens Stadium, the Cowboys will take on a different looking Sun Devil squad, having gone through a coaching change in the offseason. It’ll be the fifth meeting all-time, each team having won twice previously.

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Sept. 16: South Alabama at Oklahoma State

The final piece of a two-for-one contract, this will conclude the current series with OSU and South Alabama. The Cowboys won the previous two games in the series by a combined total of 99-20.

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Sept. 23: Oklahoma State at Iowa State

This has become a series of tough, physical, close games, with the last eight meetings decided by a touchdown or less. And Ames, Iowa, is always a difficult place to play.

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OSU coach Mike Gundy talks with Iowa State coach Matt Campbell before the Cowboys-Cyclones game in Stillwater on Nov. 12, 2022.

Oct. 6: Kansas State at Oklahoma State

Don’t expect that 48-0 loss in Manhattan to be forgotten in Cowboy country. And the Big 12 is setting this one for a Friday night this fall. OSU will be coming off an open week, however.

More:What did Oklahoma State learn from rout of Ole Miss? Cowboys 'starting to find our juice'

Oct. 14: Kansas at Oklahoma State

The Jayhawks are on the rise and dealt OSU a painful loss in Lawrence last season. OSU will be looking for a bounce-back performance against the team that had long been the basement-dwellers of the Big 12.

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Oct. 21: Oklahoma State at West Virginia

The Mountaineers took full advantage of OSU’s late-season crumble with the 24-19 win at Boone Pickens Stadium last Thanksgiving weekend, snapping the Cowboys’ 15-game home win streak.

More:National Signing Day tracker: Oklahoma State football signees, 2023 recruiting rankings

Oct. 28: Cincinnati at Oklahoma State

OSU gets a new Big 12 opponent for homecoming. The Pokes are 2-1 against Cincy all-time, but they haven’t met since 1983. And the first two meetings came as a home-and-home series in 1958-59. So for most OSU fans, this will be a new experience.

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Nov. 4: Oklahoma at Oklahoma State

Is this the last Bedlam? It’s starting to feel that way for now. And if so, the Cowboys are happy to have it on the home field of Boone Pickens Stadium, where they defeated the Sooners in 2021.

More:Why new Oklahoma State football DC Bryan Nardo is 'a coach you want in your program'

Nov. 11: Oklahoma State at Central Florida

Of the new Big 12 teams, Central Florida is the only one OSU has never played. And this is the first road trip to visit a new Big 12 team. But playing in Orlando is nothing new for the Pokes. They’ve been there for bowl games twice in the last six seasons.

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Nov. 18: Oklahoma State at Houston

The Cowboys and Cougars have met 20 times, the last in 2009. But this series is much more intriguing now, with former Gundy coordinator Dana Holgorsen running things at Houston. Gundy was 5-2 against Holgorsen when he was at West Virginia.

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Nov. 25: BYU at Oklahoma State

Could this be the start of a new Thanksgiving weekend tradition? OSU and BYU have met twice, both in bowl games. OSU won the 1974 Fiesta Bowl 16-6 and the 1976 Tangerine Bowl 49-21. So this will be the first meeting between the teams on a campus site.