College football 2018 preview: Predicting the first loss for every Top 25 team
Boise State could very easily end the regular season with a 12-0 record. I’m predicting 11-1 since they go to Stillwater to play Oklahoma State early in the season.
Even though the Cowboys lost two of the best players in program history in quarterback Mason Rudolph and James Washington, they still have other talented receivers and Justice Hill at running back. Hill is coming off back to back 1,000-yard rushing seasons and will be able to absorb a lot of the load on offense as Oklahoma State breaks in a new quarterback.
The defense is going to look different in 2018 too and probably for the best. Former Duke defensive coordinator Jim Knowles will be joining Gundy’s staff in hopes of improving on the 85th ranked scoring defense the Cowboys had last season. Knowles will be installing a 4-2-5 system and an aggressive style that Mike Gundy hopes will be a better compliment to his offense. It relies on speed and versatility rather than size and power and the defense will be focusing on turnovers to create an advantage. It should suit a school like Oklahoma State not typically loaded with four and five-star talent on defense.
Last but not least, I have to mention Oklahoma State also benefiting from the return of the most dynamic hair in college football. Mike Gundy’s mullet has looked unstoppable so far in preseason camp; feathered, lethal, you can’t stop it, you can only hope to contain it.