Pregame talk sets stage for Oregon’s beatdown of Oklahoma State – BOFA Sports

The result on the field speaks louder to the ever-changing landscape of college sports.

There are cases where someone can say “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” That in and of itself sounds contradictory, but there are a few items that stay consistent through all of the additions and subtractions. In other cases, if an individual isn’t willing to evolve with the times, they will get left behind, and eventually, become obsolete. Just like many things in life, college sports (football specifically) is an example of this, and there was a game that directly speaks to a case where one team is moving with the times, while the other is stuck in the 2010s. The contest (if anyone wants to call it that) under the spotlight was between Oklahoma State and Oregon, played last Saturday afternoon in the Pacific Northwest.

The Ducks demolished the Cowboys 69-3, and even with that score, the game might not have been that close. Not many should be surprised at the result, as Oregon is a national title contender ranked fourth in the country, while Oklahoma State is careening off a cliff to uncertain times. What sparked more conversation than the actual game were pregame comments made by Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy, in regard to how much money Oregon has spent to assemble their roster. Gundy made reference to his program spending “around $7 million over the last three years,” and Oregon spending “close to $40 (million) last year alone.” Apparently, the Ducks took those comments as a shot at their coach, Dan Lanning, and they were ready to administer a blasting of epic proportions.

After a little analysis, it’s logical to believe Gundy’s comments added fuel to the Ducks’ fire, but listening to what he said points to something much bigger than just this game. As mentioned earlier, college sports is evolving at a daily rate, and the items leading constant change are name, image and likeness (NIL), and the transfer portal. Once NIL kicked in during the summer of 2021, the college sports landscape went through (and is still absorbing) a seismic shift. Now, the players are allowed to build income through third parties, and the evolution has reached the point where athletes can negotiate NIL deals with the university itself (House settlement). Combine this with the transfer portal, where players can essentially enter a glorified free agent pool, and the influence head coaches have on a program isn’t nearly as large as it once was. In other words, the days of amateurism can be declared a distant memory.

This brings us back to Gundy and his program at Oklahoma State. While there is still a lot to be said about the recruitment of high school athletes, NIL and the transfer portal is here to stay, and if a coach can’t evolve with the times (just like anything else in life), he or she will drift into irrelevancy. Money will have to be spent if a school wants to stay competitive, and this is something Lanning and Oregon clearly understands. Even with the money that’s spent, it’s the coach’s responsibility to have the team ready to play week after week, and there have been performances in the last couple of years where one could wonder if Gundy has lost touch with the current athlete. Sure, the Ducks have the better team, but the Cowboys came in uninspired and lethargic, basically defeated before the game even kicked off. When Gundy made those comments (and try to clarify after the fact), they sounded more like built-in excuses for the ensuing beatdown.

From the outside looking in, it appears the time for Gundy to step down from his position is overdue. The stubbornness to stick with tools that worked in 2015 is showing they won’t work in 2025 and beyond. The head coach doesn’t have all of the power anymore, and there’s a need to understand players could potentially make as much money as they do. It’s no coincidence Nick Saban, who apparently didn’t want much to do with the changing dynamics, decided to retire from Alabama after the 2023 season. For Gundy, there’s two choices to pick from. Either move aside for someone with a fresher mind, or get with the evolution. If his answer is the former, housings like the one Oklahoma State received from Oregon will become the norm, and the choice for Gundy to stay will be made for him.