Big 12 Championship Preview: No. 18 Oklahoma State vs. No. 7 Texas

In a matchup that was not decided until week 13 of college football action, the 9-3 Pokes are now set to face off against the 11-1 Longhorns on Saturday, Dec. 2 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

How They Got Here

With the Big 12 seeming to have no real star-strutted team this year within their conference there was no surprise when the conference championship matchup was going to come down to the last whistle of the in-season games.

This was most notable in Oklahoma State University's matchup versus Brigham Young University in week 13, which was forced into double overtime after already a roller coaster of in-game play.

OSU ultimately got the 40-34 win with a touchdown by Ollie Gordon ll solidifying their championship spot knocking their in-state rivals, Oklahoma, out for the second spot in the Big 12 championship.

Texas comes in ranked at No. 7 while Oklahoma State University comes in ranked No. 18 as the two teams face off for the first time in over a year.

Texas comes in with the better record of 11-1 having notable wins this season over teams such as Alabama, Kansas State and TCU who were the 2022 National Runner-Ups.

Oklahoma State has not disappointed either though, after receiving massive recognition through their 27-24 upset over Oklahoma in this year's Bedlam.

Oklahoma State trails Texas, 26-11, in all-time meetings. However, in recent history, the Cowboys have won their last nine-of-13 faceoffs against the Longhorns, including placing their school in the win category for six of the last eight games.

Texas is looking to go out on a Big 12 bang as they prepare for their last game in the Big 12 before they transfer into the SEC for the 2024-25 season.

The Longhorns are also seeking redemption after having lost the Big 12 Championship back in 2018 where they lost to the other notable Oklahoma, Oklahoma, school with the scoreboard reading 39-27.

The Game

They might as well go ahead and replace the Orange Bowl with what's to come this weekend as the stands will be bleeding orange as both fan bases represent their shading of the color, but ultimately Texas will be wearing their ‘Icy Whites’ down on the field as they are the home team.

Texas’s quarterback, Quinn Ewers, has a personal side with the game after a poor performance against the Pokes last year after storming out to an early lead. Unfortunately, for the Longhorns- Texas watched Oklahoma State score the final 17 points of the game to come out on top 41-34.

The Pokes will look to rely on Ollie Gordon ll just as they did this previous weekend when he had a personal record of 5 rushing touchdowns against BYU ultimately winning them the game.

Texas’s 27th nationally ranked defense will have their work cut out for them, but after a dominating 57-7 win over Texas Tech they are riding in full strength into this weekend.

What the After will Entail

If Texas takes the title for the first time since 2009 they will move to 12-1, and depending on the outcome of the other current 12-0 and 11-1 team games while unlikely they could also potentially sneak into the top four.

While not as much is on the line for Oklahoma State, they still have the potential to make a New Year's Six bowl game with a Big 12 Championship added to their accolades on the season. This will also come down to the outcomes of the other championship games taking place this weekend in the football world.

Regardless of the outcome, the neighboring states will certainly be in high rivalry status entering the game, and in the end, only one will walk away with this year's 2023 Big 12 Championship.

Bronwyn Liber is a first-year student majoring in Broadcast Journalism. To contact her, email brl5354@psu.edu