Oklahoma State vs. Texas 2017 live stream: Start time and how to watch online

The No. 10 Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-1) are still alive in the Big 12 title race, but they won’t have any room for error when they travel on the road to face the Texas Longhorns (3-3) at noon ET on ABC (WatchESPN).

The Cowboys have been enjoying a good season and are a worthy top-10 team, with Mason Rudolph leading an explosive offense and James Washington emerging as one of the best wide receivers in the country. However, a 44-31 loss to TCU put a severe damper on their College Football Playoff hopes, and they likely have to win out to get into the Big 12 Championship.

Oklahoma State has a tough road trip coming up against Texas and West Virginia before the Bedlam encounter with Oklahoma on Nov. 4, which could end up defining the season. Mike Gundy and his players won’t have an easy time ahead of them.

The Longhorns have been playing much better in Tom Herman’s first year, but it hasn’t quite translated to consistent results yet. Still, two of their three losses are to legitimate contenders (USC, Oklahoma) and the Week 1 upset to Maryland looks more like an anomaly right now. Texas might not be a threat to the conference title this year, but it looks like Herman has the program heading in the right direction after years of stagnation.

Over the seven years from 2010-16, OSU boasted four 1,000-yard rushers, five 1,000-yard receivers, and another 14 500-yard receivers. The Cowboys ranked in the Offensive S&P+ top 10 four times in that span and won at least 10 games five times. They damn near won the national title in 2011.

Holgorsen left, and Gundy replaced him with old friend and former OSU receivers coach Todd Monken. When success earned Monken the Southern Miss job in 2013, Gundy brought in little-known Shippensburg offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich. After weathering some offensive line and youth issues, the success continued.

In all, there is a lot to like about this team and there’s reason be confident in their chances going forward. With Mason Rudolph behind center, this offense gives them a chance to compete no matter who they play, but it’s the improvement in the redzone, third-down defense, and kicking game that will prove to be the difference going forward.

Oklahoma State has proved they can hang with any team in the country on any given day. But can they stay out of their own way? That remains to be seen.

If Tom Herman and the ‘Horns can finally get over the hump against a prolific opponent on Saturday, it would mark the first time Texas has sat above .500 through seven games since 2013. If not, then the challenge of simply making a bowl game becomes increasingly complicated, as Texas would then be tasked with finding three wins in five games with road meetings against No. 4 TCU and No. 23 West Virginia still to come.

Tom Herman is not playing around. Texas has 17 verbal commitments, and 13 of those are rated four- or five-stars. That’s an absurd ratio. The Longhorns have the top four committed prospects in Texas (Nos. 2-5), and six of the top eight. That is some serious in-state dominance. Seventy-five percent of Texas’ high school commits are from the state.

This one has Upset Alert written all over it. The Longhorns have played tough against top-10 opponents and Oklahoma State is walking into a hostile environment in Austin. If the Cowboys don’t get off to a fast start and force Texas to play from behind, things could get interesting in a hurry. Ultimately, I expect Oklahoma State to come away with a tight win, but Texas will make the Cowboys earn it.