Fansided

10 Power 5 National Championship dark horse contenders

By John Buhler

Nov 27, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Jake Browning (3) throws out a pass during the first quarter against the Washington State Cougars at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 27, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Jake Browning (3) throws out a pass during the first quarter against the Washington State Cougars at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 1, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys quarterback Mason Rudolph (2) looks to pass the ball against the Mississippi Rebels during the first half in the 2016 Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys quarterback Mason Rudolph (2) looks to pass the ball against the Mississippi Rebels during the first half in the 2016 Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports /

This may sound a little strange, but if any team is going to get the benefit of the doubt for a College Football Playoff berth coming out of the Big 12, it has to be the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Mike Gundy has done a phenomenal job turning his alma mater’s program into a top-25 staple, and there’s every chance the Cowboys will be one of the four teams in the mix to win the Big 12 this season.

Why would the Voting Committee side with Oklahoma State over other teams in the Big 12? Simple: The Cowboys have the toughest schedule in the conference. Oklahoma State made a wise choice in including what should be a fairly good Pittsburgh Panthers team into their non-conference schedule. As if that weren’t daunting enough, OSU’s four toughest Big 12 games will all be on the road.

The Cowboys open their Big 12 slate at Baylor on Sept. 14. Despite the tough early test, OSU should be able to get through September and October rather easily, if quarterback Mason Rudolph plays well in Waco.

What will really help the Cowboys down the stretch is if they can rattle off a pair of wins either at Kansas State on Nov. 5, at TCU on Nov. 19, or in Norman on Dec. 3, when OSU squares off against archrival Oklahoma in the latest installment of the Bedlam Series.

Given that TCU and Oklahoma are probably the two favorites to come out of the Big 12, beating them on the road at the end of the year would absolutely put Oklahoma State in the top four in the eyes of the Voting Committee.

It’s worth bearing in mind that the 2011 Cowboys were, along with the 2004 Auburn Tigers, one of the teams that were instrumental in the creation of the College Football Playoff. Recall that Oklahoma State was undefeated before dropping a late-season game to the Iowa State Cyclones, allowing the Alabama Crimson Tide to leapfrog them into the top two to play the LSU Tigers in an all-SEC National Championship.

Oklahoma State doesn’t have the depth of an Oklahoma, TCU, or Baylor. What the Cowboys do have, however, is a schedule and a quarterback that — should both break the right way — could easily put them in the National Championship conversation.

Next: 3. Ole Miss Rebels.

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