Complete Notes Available Here<https://okstate.com/documents/2022/8/25/1-Central_Michigan.pdf>;

The Basics
The Oklahoma State football team (0-0 overall; 0-0 Big 12) opens its 123rd season when it hosts Central Michigan (0-0 overall; 0-0 Mid-American) at 6 p.m. CT on Thursday, September 1, at Boone Pickens Stadium.

Get Your Tickets
Season tickets, three-game mini plans and single-game tickets are available at okstate.com/tickets or by calling or texting the OSU ticket office at 877-255-4678. Tickets for the Central Michigan game are available for as low as $25. The theme of the game is "Holiday Weekend Party" as it will kick off Labor Day Weekend festivities. The game will be bolstered by a performance from a live DJ at the pregame block party on Hall of Fame Avenue, and fans are encouraged to wear a "Sea Of Orange."

On the Air
The game will be televised by FS1 with Jason Benetti and Brock Huard on the call. It will also be carried live on the Cowboy Radio Network, with Dave Hunziker handling play-by-play, John Holcomb providing analysis and Robert Allen reporting from the sideline. Fans outside of the Cowboy Radio Network can listen to the OSU broadcast for free through The Varsity Network app.

Mike Gundy Seeks His 150th Career Win
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy enters his 18th year as a head coach in 2022, and he's been at OSU for every one of those seasons. With a career record of 149-69, his next win will mark the 150th win of his head coaching career. It would make him just the fourth active FBS coach with 150 wins at his current school, joining Nick Saban, Kirk Ferentz and Dabo Swinney. According to Sports Reference, Gundy's next win would also make him the 65th coach in history and the seventh active head coach with at least 150 wins while coaching in major college football.

All About Openers
Thursday's game marks the sixth time in the past seven years that Oklahoma State has opened the season in Stillwater. It also marks the 64th time OSU has opened its season at home. OSU's overall record in season openers is 76-40-6, while its overall record in home openers is 87-29-5 and its overall record in season openers at home is 53-5-5. Oklahoma State has won 26 consecutive home openers for the longest such streak in school history, and the Cowboys have won 46 of their past 52 home openers. When it comes to season openers overall, OSU has won each of its past seven and 16 of its past 18. The 2022 season also marks the 12th time during Mike Gundy's tenure that the Cowboys have opened with a home game, and the Cowboys are undefeated in the previous 11. OSU has outscored opponents, 803-243, in home openers during the Gundy era for an average score of 47-14. Gundy is 15-2 overall in season openers, with his only setbacks at No. 13 Georgia in 2007 and versus No. 1 Florida State in 2014. Including this season, the Cowboys have now opened four of the past six and five of the past eight seasons with a non-Saturday game.

Thursday Night Football
The matchup against Central Michigan marks OSU's first Thursday game since it hosted Missouri State to open the 2018 season. The Cowboys are 11-0 in Thursday games during Mike Gundy's tenure as head coach, including an 8-0 record in regular season games. Oklahoma State holds a 28-17-4 record in games played on Thursdays and a 106-79-12 record in non-Saturday games. Here's what Oklahoma State has done on Thursdays in Mike Gundy's career:

Date
Opponent
Result
Score
Site
OSU/Oppt. Rank
9/8/2005
at Florida Atlantic
W
23-3
A
NR/NR
12/28/2006
vs. Alabama
W
34-31
N
NR/NR
11/19/2009
COLORADO
W
31-28
H
12/RV
9/30/2010
TEXAS A&M
W
38-35
H
RV/RV
9/8/2011
ARIZONA
W
37-14
H
9/RV
9/25/2014
TEXAS TECH
W
45-35
H
24/NR
9/3/2015
at Central Michigan
W
24-13
A
RV/NR
12/29/2016
vs. Colorado
W
38-8
N
13/11
8/31/2017
TULSA
W
59-24
H
10/NR
12/28/2017
vs. Virginia Tech
W
30-21
N
17/22
8/30/2018
MISSOURI STATE
W
58-17
H
RV/NR

In the Rankings
The Oklahoma State football team was voted No. 12 in the preseason AP Top 25 and was No. 11 in the preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll. It marks the highest preseason ranking for the Cowboys in both polls since 2017, when they started at Nos. 10 and 11, respectively. OSU has now been ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 four of the past seven and seven of the past 12 years, and has received votes in the preseason AP poll in 14 consecutive years, extending a school-record streak. The Cowboys have also been ranked in the preseason coaches poll in six of the past seven and nine of the past 12 years, and have received votes in the preseason coaches poll each of the past 16 seasons. Including 2022, OSU has now reached the top 15 of the AP poll at some point in 12 of the past 14 seasons and has seen a top 10 ranking in the AP poll at some point in nine of those 14 years. Although the first College Football Playoff rankings won't be released until November 1, it's worth noting that OSU has been part of the CFP rankings in six of the past seven seasons entering 2022. Central Michigan is not ranked.

The Series
Thursday's game marks the third meeting between Oklahoma State and Central Michigan with the first two matchups coming in 2015 and 2016. The Cowboys won the first game, 24-13, in Mount Pleasant to open the 2015 season. The Chippewas were credited with a 30-27 win in the next matchup in Stillwater in 2016, but it is worth noting that it was one of the most controversial outcomes in college football history as Central Michigan was erroneously given an extra play that changed the outcome after the game should have ended by rule with the Cowboys winning 27-24. Although OSU has faced CMU twice, the Cowboys are 5-1 in school history against current members of the Mid-American Conference, with wins over CMU, Bowling Green, Miami (Ohio) and Northern Illinois with an average score of 35-17 in those games. Coach Mike Gundy's record against Central Michigan is 1-1, while CMU coach Jim McElwain has never faced Oklahoma State.

Oklahoma State from a Distance
Oklahoma State football is fresh off one of its best seasons in school history. The Cowboys tied a school record with 12 wins, finished first in the Big 12 regular season standings, defeated No. 5 Notre Dame in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl and were the only FBS team with three wins over 11-win teams. It was just the latest chapter in a long run of success for what is now an undisputed top-10 FBS program. OSU ranks among the top-10 nationally in wins over the past decade and has won 73% of its games (113-42) since 2010. The Cowboys have also now extended school-record streaks of 16 consecutive bowl bids and 16 consecutive winning seasons, to go along with historic marks on both sides of the ball in that time frame. That consistency has brought a level of expectation to Stillwater that has only grown each year, and 2022 is no different. With first team All-Big 12 quarterback Spencer Sanders entering his fourth year as a starter, 45 letterwinners returning from last year's 12-win team, 10 starters back on offense and five back on defense, the Cowboys are on the fringe of being a preseason top-10 team for a reason.

An Oklahoma State Win Would ...
• Mark Mike Gundy's 150th career win as a head coach.
• Improve its home winning streak to nine games, matching the third-longest streak in school history and the longest since the nine-game streak from Oct. 20, 2012 - Dec. 7, 2013.
• Improve its non-conference home winning streak to 10 games, matching the fourth-longest streak in school history and the longest since the 15-game streak from Sept. 19, 2009 - Sept. 3, 2016.
• Improve its all-time record against Central Michigan to 2-1 and its all-time record against the current members of the Mid-American Conference to 6-1.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record against non-Power Five teams to 41-4.
• Make it 20-2 in its past 22 non-conference games and 42-7 in its past 49 non-conference games.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record in non-conference games to 59-13.
• Make it 15-2 in its past 17 games overall, dating back to the 2020 season.
• Make it 149-68 in its history when playing as an AP-ranked team.
• Make it 136-39 in its history when playing as a higher AP-ranked team than its opponent.
• Make it 82-17 in its past 99 games vs. opponents outside of the AP Top 25, dating back to 2010.
• Improve it to 12-0 in Thursday games in the Mike Gundy era, with a 9-0 record in the regular season.
• Improve its record in season openers to 77-40-6 and its record in home season openers to 54-5-5.
• Make it 88-29-5 in home openers.
• Give it wins in 14 of its past 15, 17 of its past 19 and 34 of its past 42 season openers.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record in season openers to 16-2 and his record in home openers to 18-0.
• Give it 27 consecutive wins in home openers, increasing the longest streak in school history.
• Give it wins in 47 of its past 53 home openers.

Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Game
• OSU has won eight consecutive home games.
• OSU has given up just 12 offensive touchdowns in its past seven games.
• OSU has held eight of its past 12 opponents under 100 yards rushing.
• OSU has held eight of its past 11 opponents under 200 yards passing.
• OSU has held 22 of its past 24 Big 12 opponents under their season scoring average.
• OSU has won 79 consecutive games when holding its opponent to fewer than 20 points, dating back to Sept. 13, 2003 – the longest active stretch of time in the FBS and longest since at least 1980.
• OSU has held its opponent scoreless on its game-opening drive in 24 of its past 31 games.
• OSU has held its opponent to less than a 50% third down conversion rate in 24 of its past 25 games.
• OSU is 32-12 in its past 44 games decided by fewer than 10 points.
• OSU is 39-6 in its past 45 games when leading at halftime, dating back to Sept. 17, 2016.
• Dating back to 2005, OSU is 43-4 when not committing a turnover.
• Dating back to 2008, OSU is 69-8 when winning the turnover battle.
• OSU has won three of its past four overtime games.
• OSU has forced 29 turnovers in its past 18 games.
• Over the past 25 games, OSU has held opponents to 104-for-374 (27.8%) on third down.