Oklahoma State went from unproven to a contender real quick with a win over TCU

Everyone expected TCU-Baylor to be the Big 12’s big moment, in which one team would distinguish itself in front of the Playoff committee. Oklahoma State had to go and ruin the party.

We knew Okie State was good. We just didn’t know how good. Despite being 8-0 and ranked No. 14 entering last week, the Cowboys had yet to play any team that currently has a winning record, and played the weakest non-conference schedule of any Playoff contender.

But after Oklahoma State dominated TCU, 49-29, on Saturday, we finally know what we need to know about this team: it’s really, really good.

To be fair, we had reason to be skeptical before. Not only had OSU played absolutely nobody leading up to this game, and not really won in impressive fashion, the Cowboys were mediocre last season. They finished 6-6, losing to most of the good teams they played, and barely saved bowl eligibility with an improbable win over Oklahoma to end the season.

OSU fell from 18th to 75th in S&P+ over the course of last season, but those kinds of falls don’t usually happen without a bounceback. And that rebound began last season, which caused Bill Connelly to call Oklahoma State a dark horse before the season.

Instead of a limp 5-7, OSU ended up 7-6 and found its quarterback of the future. Instead of simply surviving, Oklahoma State got gangrene, spent six weeks in the hospital, THEN survived. The depth of the fall was disturbing, but we already saw signs of recovery, and now youth becomes experience. How far is the bounceback?

This wasn’t an escape against Texas or Kansas State, thanks in part to the refs. This wasn’t an offensive explosion against a team like Texas Tech, which seemingly refuses to play defense. This was a complete performance against another very good team.

It’s not as if Oklahoma State lucked its way into this game, or even that the Cowboys just won because of turnovers (even though that’s a perfectly legitimated way to win a game). TCU racked up a lot of yards on 110 plays, but the Horned Frogs were the ones who looked like the stereotype of a fraudulent Big 12 team, putting up gaudy stats without enough efficiency to get the job done.

The stats are starting to believe, too. Oklahoma State jumped all the way from 35th to 16th in the S&P+ ratings after the win.

OSU doesn’t have the best defense in the country, but it’s a respectable 42nd, according to S&P+, which is just fine for the offensive-minded Big 12. The unit put together an outstanding performance against a TCU offense that is as good as any in the country. The offense, which ranks 16th in S&P+, has been outstanding, and the passing game ranks eighth nationally with 9.4 yards per attempt.

Mason Rudolph is quietly one of the best quarterbacks in college football -- he ranks seventh nationally with 9.3 yards per attempt -- and he’s getting more in sync with his receivers by the week. The rest of his offense, from contributing backup QB J.W. Walsh to sophomore receiver James Washington, can strike about as quickly as Baylor’s.

There’s still a long way to go, and Oklahoma State still needs to beat both Oklahoma and Baylor. But a week after debuting at No. 14, the Cowboys are about to move a lot higher. Given their weapons and constant improvement, why not the Playoff?