The Cowboys sit at No. 6 in this week’s rankings, but the man who has funded the program’s turnaround is confident Oklahoma State will have a spot in the final four if it wins out.
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“Shoot, we will,” legendary booster T. Boone Pickens told the Dallas Morning News on Thursday. “They’re not going to put somebody in with a loss ahead of somebody [undefeated].”
Oklahoma State is one of three unbeatens on the outside looking in, along with No. 5 Iowa and No. 19 Houston. Two of the top four spots currently belong to 9-1 teams, with Alabama at No. 2 and Notre Dame at No. 4. Those two schools also happen to be top TV and ticket-sales draws, which could come into play in the end even if it isn’t supposed to.
The Cowboys’ case is tricky, as they have beaten only one ranked team to this point (TCU) and have escaped with a number of close calls. But with No. 10 Baylor and No. 7 Oklahoma looming the final two weeks of the regular season, they’re in control of their playoff fate.
