Fall from the rankings: OSU is unranked for the first time since 2010
BY KELLY HINES World Sports Writer
Thursday, September 13, 2012
9/13/12 at 5:18 AM
Related Story: OSU football notebook: Turning the tide
STILLWATER - The last time Oklahoma State played a football game as an unranked team, the Cowboys were facing Louisiana-Lafayette.
That was Oct. 8, 2010, and OSU recorded a 54-28 road victory to find its way back into the Associated Press poll.
What followed was a school-record 24 straight games as a member of the Top 25.
As the Cowboys prepare to face Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday, they look to bounce back from last week's 59-38 defeat at Arizona that caused the team to drop out of the rankings.
"You hate when you're not there because you lose that free marketing, not only for your university but also for your recruiting," coach Mike Gundy said.
Last season, OSU reached its highest ranking in program history, peaking at No. 2 in the Nov. 6 and Nov. 13 polls.
"When things are going really good, your logo's on ESPN and your logo runs across the bottom on other channels and people see," Gundy said. "When that happens, you get free marketing.
"You look at the enrollment numbers at this university when we've done well in football and when Eddie Sutton went to the Final Four, it goes way up. It's all because of marketing."
While a win against the Ragin' Cajuns in 2010 vaulted OSU to No. 22, the Cowboys may need more than that to reappear this time. After a bye week, the team could ensure a ranking with an upset of 14th-ranked Texas.
SEVEN FACTS ABOUT OSU IN THE POLLS
1. OSU has been in the AP poll in 46 of its last 51 games. In 29 of those games, the Cowboys have been in the top 15.
2. Under Gundy, OSU is 34-12 as a member of the Top 25 and has reached the top 10 for a school-best four straight seasons.
3. In 2011, OSU finished the season with a No. 3 ranking in the final AP poll. Before that, the team had not closed a season in the top 10 since 1984 (seventh).
4. OSU has been in the preseason AP poll five times, including three times in the past four seasons. The team's highest preseason ranking was at No. 9 in 2009 and 2011.
5. Under Gundy, the Cowboys have been in the top 10 for 24 weeks. Before Gundy, OSU had been in the top 10 for only 25 weeks in its history.
6. The previous time OSU fell out of the rankings midseason was 2004, when a loss to Texas Tech to end the regular season dropped the Cowboys from No. 23. In 2003, the team twice fell out before climbing back in.
7. OSU wasn't ranked under Gundy until after his 41st game as head coach. A 55-24 win against Troy in 2008 put the Cowboys in the AP poll for the next 23 games.
OSU up next
Vs. La.-Lafayette 11 a.m. Saturday
TV: FSOK-27
Radio: KFAQ am1170
Original Print Headline: Fall from the rankings
Kelly Hines 918-581-8452
kelly.hines@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
OSU's Joseph Randle slips past Louisiana-Lafayette's Justin Anderson in the third quarter of their game on Oct. 8, 2010. The 54-28 victory lifted the Cowboys into the Associated Press Top 25 to begin a 24-game streak in the rankings that ended this week. MICHAEL WYKE / Tulsa World file
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