Mike Gundy's Seat Has Never Looked Hotter As Oklahoma State Trails Oregon by 38 at Half

The clock is ticking on one of the longest and most successful coaching tenures in college football: Mike Gundy's at Oklahoma State.

The Cowboys entered the 2024 season expecting to compete for a College Football Playoff bid out of the Big 12, with running back Ollie Gordon in the preseason mix as one of the favorites for the Heisman Trophy.

What transpired instead was an utter disaster in Stillwater.

Oklahoma State went just 3–9, snapping a streak of bowl eligibility that dated back to 2006, Gundy's second year with the program. It was the first losing season that Oklahoma State had experienced since his first year in '05, and the program's lowest win total since the 3–8 2000 season, and its first without a conference win since 1994, when the Cowboys still played in the Big Eight.

Gundy has flirted with a number of other jobs during some of his strong runs with Oklahoma State, and he's had enough indescretions during his time in Stillwater to warrant a "controversies" section on his Wikipedia page—and a full feature documenting them in The O'Colly, Oklahoma State's student-run newspaper.

Gundy entered the year on one of the hottest seats in college football, after the school renegotiated his deal to reduce both his salary and buyout. We've seen some top coaches work there way out of similar circumstances, see: Jim Harbaugh at Michigan. So far, it looks very unlikely that Gundy's 2025 will resemble Harbaugh's 2021. Oklahoma State was less-than-dominant in Week 1 against FCS foe UT Martin, winning 27–7 but compiling just 359 total yards and averaging just three yards per carry.

Oregon is up 13-0 in the first 90 seconds on Oklahoma State. Lanning might beat Gundy by as many points as there are dollars difference in their NIL budgets.
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) September 6, 2025

The Cowboys entered the game around 28.5-point underdogs at Oregon in Week 2, so a blowout loss was the expected result. However, the Ducks are making the Cowboys look like a mid-tier Big Sky program.

Oregon took a 41–3 lead into halftime at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks have gotten whatever they wanted, with over 250 yards through the air and on the ground in the early third quarter. Dante Moore has a pair of touchdown passes, while four different Oregon players have rushed for touchdowns. And on the other side, the Cowboys have no answers for Dan Lanning's defense, with 128 yards of offense and a single field goal to show for it.

✅ https://t.co/VL3zpHrkuI
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) September 6, 2025

Gundy entered 2025 on a restructured, prove-it contract. And yet, Oklahoma State looks even worse than the '24 team that finished in the Big 12 basement.

A September firing of a Cowboys alumnus with a 170–88 career record feels very unlikely, but the clock could strike midnight very early for Gundy barring a drastic turnaround in the next few weeks. The Cowboys host Tulsa next week before the meat grinder that is the Big 12 schedule begins, with a high-powered Baylor offense traveling to Boone Pickens Stadium on Sept. 27.

Without some immediate improvements, and likely a trip to a bowl game at minimum, it is hard to see Gundy making it to year No. 22 as the Cowboys coach.