Mike Gundy reveals how he approaches being large underdogs in games

The Oklahoma State Cowboys and head coach Mike Gundy had a long offseason after a disastrous 2024 season trying to get the program back on the right track. After adding an FCS win to open the season, the Cowboys will now see a ramp-up in competition with a road trip to play the Oregon Ducks. There, Oklahoma State is a big underdog.

In the initial spread for the game, Oklahoma State is a 27.5-point underdog, per Bet MGM. That’s a massive four-score spread for a Power Four matchup. However, Gundy isn’t worried about it at all. In fact, as he explained ahead of the game, he does what he can to avoid looking at betting information.

“I’ve never used any of those numbers,” Mike Gundy said. “One, I’ve never paid attention to them. That was by design. Now, you can’t not avoid it because if you’re just watching a game, they’re running at the bottom of the TV. But I’ve never been aware of spreads. I never pay much attention to them.”

Oklahoma State went just 3-9 in 2024. That included losing every single Big 12 game, though the Cowboys did win all of their non-conference games. It was the first time the Cowboys missed out on a bowl since Gundy’s first season, back in 2005.

Oregon, meanwhile, is coming off an unbeaten regular season that they capped by winning the Big Ten Championship Game. At 13-0, they earned the top seed in the College Football Playoff. However, the Ducks fell in their first game to the eventual national champion, Ohio State. Dealing with plenty of turnover, including at quarterback, Oregon opened the season with a massive win over Montana State, beating the top-tier FCS program 59-13.

Gundy opened the 2025 season with a non-conference win over UT Martin by a score of 27-7. However, that game did come at a cost. Quarterback Hauss Hejny was knocked out of the game in the first half. Now, per On3’s Pete Nakos, he’s going to miss at least five weeks and require surgery to repair a left foot injury. A transfer from TCU, Hejny won a quarterback competition this offseason, but his injury is going to force Gundy back to the drawing board.

In place of Hauss Hejny, Oklahoma State turned to  Zane Flores. He would throw for 136 yards with a 65% completion percentage in the opportunity. The Cowboys also have true freshman Banks Bowen on scholarship.

The quarterback injury is one more challenge for Mike Gundy and the Cowboys as they travel to Eugene. It won’t be easy. However, if Gundy can pull the upset off, it would go a long way to proving that he’s got Oklahoma State rolling again.