The 2011 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team represented Oklahoma State University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cowboys were led by seventh year head coach Mike Gundy and played their home games at Boone Pickens Stadium. They are a member of the Big 12 Conference.
The 2011 season was arguably the best in the Cowboys' 112-year football history. They opened the season with 10 straight wins, in the process rising to #2 in the AP PollâÂÂthe school's highest-ever ranking in a major poll. After unexpectedly losing to Iowa State in Ames, they ultimately finished the regular season 11âÂÂ1, including a 44âÂÂ10 win over rival Oklahoma for their first win in the Bedlam Series since 2002. They also won their first Big 12 title and their first outright conference title since winning the 1948 Missouri Valley Conference title. They were invited to the Fiesta Bowl, their first Bowl Championship Series bid and the second major-bowl appearance in school history, where they defeated Stanford 41âÂÂ38 in overtime. The Colley Matrix, an NCAA-designated major selector, chose OSU as national champions.
The Big 12 preseason prediction poll, as voted on by members of the media, was released on July 20, 2011. The Cowboys were predicted to finish third in the conference, though they also received a first place vote.
Oklahoma State won consecutive games for the first time at Kyle Field as Cowboys' fans chanted "Big 12, Big 12" in the final conference matchup between the two teams. Brandon Weeden threw for a school-record 483 yards.