With 87 days until kickoff, national writers are already weighing in on the Eric Morris era. CBS Sports ranked the new Oklahoma State coach No. 46 among Power Four coaches and eighth in the Big 12, a sign that excitement is building even with plenty of questions still unanswered.
Do you agree with CBS Sports ranking?
Can you smell football season in the air yet?
Maybe not with summer temperatures still around, but Oklahoma State fans are officially inside the 90-day countdown to the start of the Eric Morris era. After back-to-back losing seasons, the Cowboys are hoping a new coaching staff and roster can bring excitement back to Stillwater.
National writers appear optimistic.
CBS Sports recently ranked Morris as the No. 46 coach among the 68 Power Four head coaches. The rankings were voted on by 10 college football reporters, with Morris' highest ranking coming at No. 42 and his lowest at No. 52.
"There was not as much variance in Morris' results as anticipated, and that lack of variance compared to coaches below him in the rankings worked to his benefit, as he begins his Oklahoma State tenure at 46th," CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli wrote. "Morris has been a head coach for seven seasons at Incarnate Word and North Texas. He won 10 or more games in 2021 and 2025, but has finished somewhere between 5-7 and 6-5 in his other five seasons. Who is Oklahoma State getting?"
Among Big 12 coaches, Morris ranked eighth out of 16 and was the highest-ranked first-year coach in the conference. Iowa State's Jimmy Rogers was next among the newcomers at No. 59.
The ranking feels fair.
Morris proved at North Texas that he can build one of the nation's most explosive offenses. The Mean Green led the country in scoring last season, and his up-tempo philosophy should fit perfectly in a Big 12 where shootouts have become the norm.
But success in the American Athletic Conference doesn't automatically guarantee success in one of the deepest leagues in college football.
That's why Morris lands squarely in the middle.
There is plenty for Oklahoma State fans to be excited about. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker was ranked eighth on ESPN's list of the top newcomers in college football, and the Cowboys brought in several familiar faces from North Texas who already understand Morris' system.
Still, the biggest question remains the same.
Can that success translate to the Power Four level?
Nobody truly knows the answer.
Not CBS Sports. Not Oklahoma State fans. Not even Eric Morris.
The answer begins arriving in 87 days when the Cowboys travel to Tulsa looking for their first win over an FBS opponent since September 2024.
Until then, Oklahoma State fans can at least take comfort in knowing national writers believe their new coach has already earned respect before coaching a single game in Stillwater.
