This is a man. He's over 40. He's a man.

[kopp0e 1,135]

Originally started as Oklahoma A&M and a former member of the Southwest Conference, the little ag school located in the prairies of Stillwater, Ok... 

The program has evolved from an annual doormat in the XII; to a quite reputable program of the southwest region... I'm not sure who fans root for or against during any UT/OU contest...

 

[TwiceHorn 31,541]

Cowboys loathe sooners about as much as we do.

 

The OSU posters here, imo, are great folks.  I have also had positive interactions with OSU fans in other contexts.

[kopp0e 1,135]

2 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Cowboys loathe sooners about as much as we do.

 

The OSU posters here, imo, are great folks.  I have also had positive interactions with OSU fans in other contexts.

Quote

 

OSU was founded in 1890 under the Morrill Act. Originally known as Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College (Oklahoma A&M), it is the flagship institution of theOklahoma State University System. Official enrollment for the fall 2010 semester system-wide was 35,073, with 23,459 students enrolled at OSU-Stillwater.

I have a bit of family that has attended OSU- Stillwater, and even had a trade studied while living near Oklahoma State at Oklahoma City campus...

So I have taken a liking for the program, and as I've said before actually root for the smaller schools in most non conference games of the old Big8 & SWC... 

Here is a short clip of some of the traditions of the school:

 

Edited June 24, 2018 by kopp0e

[Longboard Horn 40,543]

Osu fans are good people. Humble and not obnoxious assholes like the ousucks crowd

[Machinator 32,099]

Bill Connelly likes them quite a bit this year: https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/6/14/17437602/oklahoma-state-football-2018-preview-schedule-roster

Quote

Because I point out when the S&P+ projections or my own opinions are wrong, I reserve the right to point out when they’re bang-on. 2017’s preseason S&P+ projections had the Pokes at third in Off. S&P+ and 69th in Def. S&P+; they finished third and 70th, respectively. Nailed it.

If S&P+ is going to be right again in 2018, however, a new QB must catch fire. OSU is projected sixth on offense and 71st on defense. That’s good for 19th overall with a win projection a little better than 8-4.

I would be surprised if S&P+ is right this time on both sides of the ball. I think the offense will fall more than that, and some new blood on the coaching staff could lead to some upgrades on defense.

OSU’s got a great and terrible schedule. On one hand, the Cowboys are, per S&P+, double-digit favorites in four of their first five games and favorites in 10 of 12 overall. Build confidence early, and you could be in conference contention well into November.

On the other hand, the Cowboys have to play at both TCU and Oklahoma. That’s probably going to keep them from the conference title game.

Still, I think people have written OSU off a bit too much this offseason. In terms of playing at a top-25 level, Gundy’s team is one of the most proven in the country.

 

[Al_4_ISU 12,498]

I like them a lot.  Went to our game there in 2014 and had a blast.  Stillwater is remarkably similar to Ames.  Their fanbase is a lot like us too.

[kopp0e 1,135]

6 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I like them a lot.  Went to our game there in 2014 and had a blast.  Stillwater is remarkably similar to Ames.  Their fanbase is a lot like us too.

I have always enjoyed both fanbases, as real salt of the Earth people that are very easy to get along with and more than friendly during most tailgating...

[Surly Bevo 25,169]

Reasonable fans, women are pretty hot and friendly, T Boone gives them lots of money, you're not a man there until you are 40.

[Aqua Buddha 14,623]

Unlike OU, most of their fans have some sort of tie to the school.  They're also convinced OU is the most cheatery program in history (possibly true) while Okie State has never cheated or broken the rules (most definitely not true).  They're just as bad as OU and maybe worse but hey, who doesn't have a blind eye for their own team or political party?

One of the worst college towns of any P5 school, though.  

[kopp0e 1,135]

6 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Unlike OU, most of their fans have some sort of tie to the school.  They're also convinced OU is the most cheatery program in history (possibly true) while Okie State has never cheated or broken the rules (most definitely not true).  They're just as bad as OU and maybe worse but hey, who doesn't have a blind eye for their own team or political party?

One of the worst college towns of any P5 school, though.  

Since I grew up in the state, I know just what you mean, as I actually remember I was 18 the 1st time OSU beat OU and so many people had no idea how to handle the outcome...

I remember when Kevin Durant was living in Oklahoma City, he caught a ride up to Stillwater to play a game of flag football, it has to be 1 of the best memories for the whole town... 

[Longboard Horn 40,543]

13 hours ago, Surly Bevo said:

Reasonable fans, women are pretty hot and friendly, T Boone gives them lots of money, you're not a man there until you are 40.

 

[bluto 4,942]

Damn solid talent there and everybody we met were incredibly friendly. I have never met an asshole osu fan 

[Okie State 3,848]

Unlike OU, most of their fans have some sort of tie to the school.  They're also convinced OU is the most cheatery program in history (possibly true) while Okie State has never cheated or broken the rules (most definitely not true).  They're just as bad as OU and maybe worse but hey, who doesn't have a blind eye for their own team or political party?
One of the worst college towns of any P5 school, though.  

Your last sentence is false. It's a fantastic college town...but I would never want to live there after graduating.

[Monster 219]

Don't know if this is where this goes...but OrangePower.com deletes/censors anything you post about Mike Holder that doesn't paint him as 'our glorious leader.'

OSU just renewed AD Mike Holder's contract though 2021...a few days after Holder got his name on the ESPN news ticker telling the public that he would recruit better if he had Gundy's job.  And one year after hiring a guy to hire a basketball coach after he'd run off our existing, high profile coach.   Could Gundy recruit better?  Sure he could.  So could everybody.   Does your boss need to show up on the CBS/ESPN news ticker telling everyone he could do your job better than you?  Uh...no.  That's how you run another coach off.

Would not be surprised if Holder's renewal sends Gundy to another school in the next year or two.  At which point, I'll just start rooting for that school instead of OSU.  Gundy has his flaws, but he's the best coach OSU has ever had.  While Holder is an absolute narcissist that has destroyed the once proud basketball program and appears dead set on running off the most successful coach in OSU football history.

If that happens, OSU is going to get what it deserves and I'm going to find another school to root for.  

[Big Frog II 511]

Gundy is a great coach.  Why the AD wants to run him off is bizarre.  Holder needs to be careful  what he wishes for.  See Kansas, see Nebraska, see the Dallas Cowboys, see Texas Tech, etc.

Edited June 25, 2018 by Big Frog II

[Monster 219]

14 hours ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Unlike OU, most of their fans have some sort of tie to the school.  They're also convinced OU is the most cheatery program in history (possibly true) while Okie State has never cheated or broken the rules (most definitely not true).  They're just as bad as OU and maybe worse but hey, who doesn't have a blind eye for their own team or political party?

One of the worst college towns of any P5 school, though.  

This is an objectively ignorant statement that smells of personal bitterness.  I'm guessing you have a grudge, had a bad experience, or just haven't traveled much.  Most university towns (in the south) are smallish towns with a school in the middle.   They're pretty fun on gamedays, but the rest of the year, its like every other smallish town in America....you need to know how to entertain yourself.

That said, agree with 'Okie State'.   After you graduate, there's really no reason to stay, unless you want to raise your family in the lifestyle provided by a smallish (50k population) southern town.  

Edited June 25, 2018 by Monster

[Guest Lobo]

Only been one time.  Fans were great to us.  They opened up a bar across the street from Eskimo Joe's for us so we had a place to drink for an hour before EJ's opened up at 9:00a for an 11:00a kickoff.  They really do hate OU as much as we do. Campus isn't so much ugly, as just kind of sterile looking.  little strip of downtown we saw had a good college town vibe, course we weren't there at nightfall to see what is blossomed into.  

Only complaint about the town is we landed a Southwest flight there, but we couldn't take off from there because the runway was too short for a 737.  So we had to take buses down to OKC to meet our bird.  But damn if those people weren't hanging out by our bus as we left thanking us for coming and handing out beers for the ride. 

[South Austin 52,628]

Seems like the AD and Pickens like to fuck with Mike Gundy every few years. If they’re not careful, they’ll lose the best coach in that program’s history.

[Al_4_ISU 12,498]

Stillwater is a classic college town.  The Big 12 has plenty of these.  People who can’t see the beauty in that tend to suck.

Edited June 25, 2018 by Al_4_ISU

['stache 21,887]

Unlike OU, most of their fans have some sort of tie to the school.  They're also convinced OU is the most cheatery program in history (possibly true) while Okie State has never cheated or broken the rules (most definitely not true).  They're just as bad as OU and maybe worse but hey, who doesn't have a blind eye for their own team or political party?
One of the worst college towns of any P5 school, though.  

We jumped on the 80s cheat train and paid a tremendous price. Nobody around here denies it, and I’m not sure who you think pretends it didn’t happen. Meanwhile, OU is in fact and always has been dirty as fuck. Probably the dirtiest all time.

I second what’s been said about Stillwater. Fine college town. Typical rural southern/midwest small town otherwise. An hour drive to two bigger cities.

[BigHorn'13 3,387]

1 hour ago, bluto said:

Damn solid talent there and everybody we met were incredibly friendly. I have never met an asshole osu fan 

I agree with this and would say the same about corn. 

[Al_4_ISU 12,498]

1 minute ago, BigHorn'13 said:

I agree with this and would say the same about corn. 

They’re fake nice.

Corn that is.  OK State are great folks.

Edited June 25, 2018 by Al_4_ISU

[Hurtlocker 2,213]

11 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Seems like the AD and Pickens like to fuck with Mike Gundy every few years. If they’re not careful, they’ll lose the best coach in that program’s history.

I"m wondering if they create that chaos for a reason and just say, "Yo Mike, go flirt with everyone, then we'll pay you more to stay...deal?"

[Aqua Buddha 14,623]

Meh on the town.  It's one of the smallest towns of any P5 school.  (On a quick search, it's smaller than any Big 12 school except Morgantown.)  Town of similar size are Pullman, Starkville, and Oxford.  Also not close to anything.  We had to meet an a lawyer's office in Stillwater a few years ago to handle my grandmother's estate.  Driving into town, the wife said "Who put a major university here?"  Granted, it's an ag school but the town is mostly strip malls and chain stores and it's only 45,000 people so basically, if you're not affiliated with the school, there's absolutely nothing going on. 

Do agree on Mike Gundy, though.  He's the best they'll ever get there and he'll likely stay due to the Friends & Family Plan.  Could never figure out why Holder and T Boone fuck with him.  He recruits well there, considering the limitations of the town.  (See above.)  He's also donated money recently to help secure the schools in Stillwater.  Good luck if he ever leaves.  The football program will turn into what the basketball program is, that being a stepping stone to anywhere else and it'll be difficult to get anyone with options.  (Sorry, true.)

    

[GhostofDanJones 336]

['stache 21,887]

[Okie State 3,848]

The fact that there is nothing else there is what makes it a great college town. It's a huge reason why OSU alums love it and their school so much. It becomes part of you in a way you wouldn't understand if you didn't go there. There's a reason visiting fans consistently give positive feedback about their game day experience in Stillwater.

Anyway, on the Gundy/Holder/Boone topic...I think everyone with a brain is in agreement that we'd be screwed if we lost Gundy. It's also tough because Holder and Boone have both played a significant role in getting the athletic department where it's at today. I tend to think some of it is for show...at least I hope so. If Holder ever does end up running Gundy off, I'll likely be done with college football for good.

['stache 21,887]

I think the latest Holder-Gundy drama is overblown.  They have their beefs, they've managed to get by, and Gundy isn't leaving.  If he wanted to start over somewhere else he would have done so already.  We hired Chad Weiburg a few years ago as basically Holder's replacement, so its that relationship I'm more concerned with.  Holder just resigned for a few more years, but I suspect he's just holding on to the job as long as Boone's still alive.  Once Boone is gone (and he admits he's pretty close to the end) and we get us some of that estate money, I can see Holder officially winding down and retiring.

[Aqua Buddha 14,623]

7 minutes ago, 'stache said:

I think the latest Holder-Gundy drama is overblown.  They have their beefs, they've managed to get by, and Gundy isn't leaving.  If he wanted to start over somewhere else he would have done so already.  We hired Chad Weiburg a few years ago as basically Holder's replacement, so its that relationship I'm more concerned with.  Holder just resigned for a few more years, but I suspect he's just holding on to the job as long as Boone's still alive.  Once Boone is gone (and he admits he's pretty close to the end) and we get us some of that estate money, I can see Holder officially winding down and retiring.

When he dies, will that be the first and only money they ever got from that "Gift of a Lifetime" or whatever it was called?  Between that and making OSU borrowing money using shares in his hedge fund as collateral, those were two most lulziest moves in the history of college athletics.

[Valmy77 13,273]

OSU is located in the least ugly part of Oklahoma and their fans are great. My uncle and cousin are both grads. They hate the Sooners. They are my favorite non-Texas Big 12 school.

Also somehow Dexter Manly attended classes at OSU for four years while being functionally illiterate so they clearly have excellent support structures for special needs students.

['stache 21,887]

21 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

When he dies, will that be the first and only money they ever got from that "Gift of a Lifetime" or whatever it was called?  Between that and making OSU borrowing money using shares in his hedge fund as collateral, those were two most lulziest moves in the history of college athletics.

"Gift of a lifetime" was a disaster, but I think it's finally been put to bed.  I don't know exactly how the hedge fund worked, but at its peak it could have paid to build new stadiums for all of our sports.  The drop made it much more difficult and delayed the "Athletic Village" that is being developed, but we're still monumentally better off financially because of those investments and because of Boone.  

['stache 21,887]

13 minutes ago, Valmy77 said:

OSU is located in the least ugly part of Oklahoma and their fans are great. My uncle and cousin are both grads. They hate the Sooners. They are my favorite non-Texas Big 12 school.

Also somehow Dexter Manly attended classes at OSU for four years while being functionally illiterate so they clearly have excellent support structures for special needs students.

Stillwater is far from the least ugly part of the state.  The eastern part of the state, including Tulsa, and moreso in the southeast, there are plenty of trees, hills, lakes, streams, etc.  It transitions into the Ozarks, which are very pretty.  Most of Oklahoma to the west of Stillwater (or I-35 in particular) is pretty flat and ugly.  There are some nice spots, but they are few and far between.  Oklahoma City is pretty flat and boring.

[Al_4_ISU 12,498]

Eastern OK is really pretty, in the Ozarks.

I don't mind the Stillwater area though, scenery wise.  Coming in from Wichita it was all farmland, which obviously hits me close to home.

49 minutes ago, Okie State said:

The fact that there is nothing else there is what makes it a great college town. It's a huge reason why OSU alums love it and their school so much. It becomes part of you in a way you wouldn't understand if you didn't go there. There's a reason visiting fans consistently give positive feedback about their game day experience in Stillwater.

Anyway, on the Gundy/Holder/Boone topic...I think everyone with a brain is in agreement that we'd be screwed if we lost Gundy. It's also tough because Holder and Boone have both played a significant role in getting the athletic department where it's at today. I tend to think some of it is for show...at least I hope so. If Holder ever does end up running Gundy off, I'll likely be done with college football for good.

The first paragraph is a really good summation of why people who attend big colleges in small towns get really attached and sentimental to those places.  You could replace "OSU" and "Stillwater" with "ISU" and "Ames" it would be just as true.  Probably "KSU" and "Manhattan" as well, or "KU" and "Lawrence", or "WVU" and "Morgantown"....  You get the drift.

[Godzillatron 292]

Don't know if this is where this goes...but OrangePower.com deletes/censors anything you post about Mike Holder that doesn't paint him as 'our glorious leader.'
OSU just renewed AD Mike Holder's contract though 2021...a few days after Holder got his name on the ESPN news ticker telling the public that he would recruit better if he had Gundy's job.  And one year after hiring a guy to hire a basketball coach after he'd run off our existing, high profile coach.   Could Gundy recruit better?  Sure he could.  So could everybody.   Does your boss need to show up on the CBS/ESPN news ticker telling everyone he could do your job better than you?  Uh...no.  That's how you run another coach off.
Would not be surprised if Holder's renewal sends Gundy to another school in the next year or two.  At which point, I'll just start rooting for that school instead of OSU.  Gundy has his flaws, but he's the best coach OSU has ever had.  While Holder is an absolute narcissist that has destroyed the once proud basketball program and appears dead set on running off the most successful coach in OSU football history.
If that happens, OSU is going to get what it deserves and I'm going to find another school to root for.  

Agree with all of this. I grew up in Oklahoma, went to State while Gundy was QB, then came to the University for graduate school and never went back. OSU’s success under Gundy made Texas’ recent dark years bearable. Without him they become another middle of the pack team.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Godzillatron 292]

We jumped on the 80s cheat train and paid a tremendous price. Nobody around here denies it, and I’m not sure who you think pretends it didn’t happen. Meanwhile, OU is in fact and always has been dirty as fuck. Probably the dirtiest all time.

I second what’s been said about Stillwater. Fine college town. Typical rural southern/midwest small town otherwise. An hour drive to two bigger cities.

The story I always heard was that the Gaylord family (The Oklahoman) wanted a sports powerhouse. At the time Oklahoma A&M under AD Henry Iba was the better sports school. They offered to bankroll and Iba said no, he wanted a clean program. So they went to the Sooners who welcomed the money with open arms.

Years later after Iba was gone State tried to cheat their way back and just weren’t very good at it, being on the list of schools that missed the death penalty only because SMU got there first.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

['stache 21,887]

5 minutes ago, Godzillatron said:

 

The story I always heard was that the Gaylord family (The Oklahoman) wanted a sports powerhouse. At the time Oklahoma A&M under AD Henry Iba was the better sports school. They offered to bankroll and Iba said no, he wanted a clean program. So they went to the Sooners who welcomed the money with open arms.

Years later after Iba was gone State tried to cheat their way back and just weren’t very good at it, being on the list of schools that missed the death penalty only because SMU got there first.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I don't think it was any particular family, but a bunch of business men looking to improve the state's reputation.  The story I heard was that Iba turned them down because they were focused and football and Iba thought that it would always be a club sport (he obviously was biased towards basketball which I think was much more popular at the time).

[South Austin 52,628]

Not sure there's another school as well represented on Surley (and before, on Shaggy) as Oklahoma State.  Solid posters on football and nonfootball topics.

[Glenn Quagmire 144]

Will be lucky to  take 3rd in the BIG 12 this year

[Guest Lobo]

Also want to give them props as their Athletic Dept. picked up our bar tab at Eskimo Joe's the morning of the 2016 game.  So they're aces in my book.  

['stache 21,887]

1 hour ago, Glenn Quagmire said:

Will be lucky to  take 3rd in the BIG 12 this year

Probably, unless Spencer Sanders turns into a freshman phenom.  We will have a solid rushing attack, a good but young receiving corp, but QB is a big question mark.  Defense is also a question mark, but when is it not?  I'm hopeful we can improve slightly on defense if for no other reason that we should have higher time of possession due to more rushes and longer drives than recent years.

[camel at sea 589]

The recruiting criticism of Gundy is fair.  In an alternative timeline where Stoops doesn't re-punt to Tyreek Hill in 2014, Gundy probably gets fired.  If the Pokes then hire Tom Herman/Lincoln Riley/Larry Fedora/etc., they're probably recruiting better and elevating the program's ceiling.  Top 10 recruiting isn't realistic in Stillwater but Top 25 classes are.  Gundy had a window in the Big 12 where Texas was way down, OU was down, and Oklahoma State had the best facilities in the conference.  It's not hard to understand why Boone would be frustrated that he didn't do more with that.  

That's not an argument that they'd be winning more with a different coach.  It's hard to beat what Gundy is doing in the win/loss column.  But better recruiting is how you turn the corner and Gundy isn't going to do that there. 

[millhouse 2,617]

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. I have never not had a good time Stillwater and it is a great college town. The people a fun, the bars know how to pour a drink, the tailgating on campus is great, and it is always good to be on the positive side of a poke-choke

[ChiTownDoc 21,173]

I’m 39 and cheered for Okie State as my second favorite team, while growing up a Sooner fan. I think by the time I started at OU we were 18-1 in my lifetime.  Also, you couldn’t hate Barry Sanders as a kid growing up in OK, no matter your team   

I kind of hate them now because they’re actually good.  So, props to Gundy.  If they get any better (or keep paying refs) you assholes may hate ‘em too.  

Oh and it’s a fine college town with good eye candy.  If you had to live there after graduating it’s probably time to Tony Bourdain yourself.  

[Fudge Nuggets 19,227]

Oklahoma State:  Wins a lot of football games, but never the "big" one.  Gives coach $700K raise every year for never winning anything of significance.

[Okie State 3,848]

Oklahoma State:  Wins a lot of football games, but never the "big" one.  Gives coach $700K raise every year for never winning anything of significance.

Unfortunately that's the way it goes these days. Other schools have shown they're willing to pay Gundy big bucks. As has already been mentioned, we'd likely be screwed if he left so we're kind of stuck paying the man it seems.

[Aqua Buddha 14,623]

8 hours ago, ChiTownDoc said:

I’m 39 and cheered for Okie State as my second favorite team, while growing up a Sooner fan. I think by the time I started at OU we were 18-1 in my lifetime.  Also, you couldn’t hate Barry Sanders as a kid growing up in OK, no matter your team   

I kind of hate them now because they’re actually good.  So, props to Gundy.  If they get any better (or keep paying refs) you assholes may hate ‘em too.  

Oh and it’s a fine college town with good eye candy.  If you had to live there after graduating it’s probably time to Tony Bourdain yourself.  

Also, most of their student body is from smaller towns rather than big cities and we all know small town girls are easy so there's that.

[Al_4_ISU 12,498]

11 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Also, most of their student body is from smaller towns rather than big cities and we all know small town girls are easy so there's that.

There was no better part of post-freshman years at college than the first couple weekends of the school year when the small town girls rolled in as freshmen and were looking for the true collegiate experience.

[Guest]

20 hours ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Meh on the town.  It's one of the smallest towns of any P5 school.  (On a quick search, it's smaller than any Big 12 school except Morgantown.)  Town of similar size are Pullman, Starkville, and Oxford.  Also not close to anything.  We had to meet an a lawyer's office in Stillwater a few years ago to handle my grandmother's estate.  Driving into town, the wife said "Who put a major university here?"  Granted, it's an ag school but the town is mostly strip malls and chain stores and it's only 45,000 people so basically, if you're not affiliated with the school, there's absolutely nothing going on. 

Do agree on Mike Gundy, though.  He's the best they'll ever get there and he'll likely stay due to the Friends & Family Plan.  Could never figure out why Holder and T Boone fuck with him.  He recruits well there, considering the limitations of the town.  (See above.)  He's also donated money recently to help secure the schools in Stillwater.  Good luck if he ever leaves.  The football program will turn into what the basketball program is, that being a stepping stone to anywhere else and it'll be difficult to get anyone with options.  (Sorry, true.)

    

Seems like you have no fucking idea what a college town is...

[kopp0e 1,135]

Some of Barry Sanders old highlights from the ol' Big8:

 

[Hurtlocker 2,213]

2 hours ago, Okie State said:

4 hours ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

Oklahoma State:  Wins a lot of football games, but never the "big" one.  Gives coach $700K raise every year for never winning anything of significance.

Unfortunately that's the way it goes these days. Other schools have shown they're willing to pay Gundy big bucks. As has already been mentioned, we'd likely be screwed if he left so we're kind of stuck paying the man it seems.

Well you didn't do too bad after Miles left, so maybe there is guy out there to take it the next step, because the big games are needed.  He just better have a mullet.

As for recruiting, from a previous conversation - not yours, I'm sure in the weeds it may look that way, but the pokes always have some talent.  Granted, until some natties are won you're not going to recruit like OU, but there are like 25 currently in the NFL, three Biletnikoffs in the past decade, and they went and stole Rudolph out from under the noses of the Cocks and Clemson.  Considering that's all done under the shadow of Texas and OU, while your coach is constantly courted, and they haven't won the big games yet, I'd say they're recruiting pretty well.