Exhibitions set with Auburn, SMU

Steve Lutz and his worked-over roster will jump directly into the fire this preseason, with a rematch from last season’s postseason and a major conference champ announced as exhibitions on Tuesday.

The Cowboys will travel for both of the exhibition games announced today. They will head to Birmingham, AL on October 15th to take on SEC champion Auburn and then Dallas ten days later to face SMU, who the Cowboys beat in the second round of last season’s NIT.

The OSU-Auburn game, which tips at 7 p.m. CT, is part of a weeklong showcase series at Boutwell Auditorium that also features Alabama vs. Florida State and Samford vs. Alabama A&M. Tickets are available at ballininboutwell.com.

The Tigers have not been a common opponent for the Pokes, with just four games in the series history. They have split those meetings, with OSU having scoreboard on the most recent meeting in the 2016 Big 12/SEC Challenge. They also met in the second round of the1999 NCAA Tournament, which AU won 81-74.

The Cowboys and Mustangs played twice just last season – the aforementioned NIT win for the Pokes in Dallas, as well as a 89-78 OSU win in Stillwater in the 2024-25 non-conference slate.

The OSU-Auburn game should be Cowboy fans’ first look at the new hoops roster. On3.com ranks the transfer class as the Big 12’s best entering the 2025-26 season. The exhibition will tip-off at 7 p.m. The October 25th trip to Dallas’ tip time will be determined at a later date.

Oklahoma State will tip-off the regular season and year two of the Lutz era on Nov. 4 when the Pokes host ORU. That kicks off a stretch of six consecutive home games to start the season. Texas A&M on Nov. 9 highlights that stretch of the non-conference slate.