College football preview 2018: 10 unranked teams most likely to surprise

Mason Rudolph and James Washington were big losses. The three-year run they put together would probably translate as something in between Peyton Manning to Reggie Wayne and Tony Romo to Jason Witten if you asked for an NFL equal.

Justice Hill had 1,500 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns last season (his second 1,000-yard season). Hill returning takes a lot of pressure off the passing game no matter who Oklahoma State has under center. Mike Gundy named senior Taylor Cornelius as his starting quarterback earlier this summer so Oklahoma State is better off than a lot of teams facing similar questions. Cornelius will have Justice Hill in the backfield and two proven receivers in Dillon Stoner and Jalen McCleskey on the outside as he takes over the offense in 2018.

2017 was an awful defensive season so it wouldn’t take much to equal an improvement in 2018. That said, there’s also a new reason for optimism with first-year defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and his 4-2-5. I am a huge fan of the system for a couple of reasons. It’s a relatively simple defense to install and it can do a lot to make up for a team not having a roster loaded with blue-chip future pros.

Oklahoma State doesn’t have a history of landing top defensive prospects so the program should benefit not just in 2018 but moving forward. The 4-2-5 does a lot to disguise the pass rushes and coverages. Players who might fall in between linebacker and defensive back to most programs fit perfectly into this system, creating a serious advantage in recruiting atypical athletes.

Oklahoma State will need to find a couple safeties who can step in on the back-end but linebackers Justin Phillips and Calvin Bundage both bring speed and versatility perfect for the new defense. The Cowboys have a Week 3 date with Boise State then close the season with three straight games against Oklahoma, West Virginia and TCU. They should win every other game on their schedule, could easily beat Boise and in a situation having to replace several key pieces, a back-heavy schedule gives them an entire season to improve before their most challenging games.