Oklahoma State readies for biggest opening game ever

“The hype is pretty extraordinary,” OSU graduate student David Manison said. “I think it’s expected hype though, with all the money that has been poured into the program and the all the new facilities. I think you expect your team to be good. I think the hype is long awaited and welcomed here in Stillwater.”

John Johnson, a life-long Cowboy fan and 1977 OSU graduate, has sat through plenty.

Johnson watched Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders shred defenses in the 1980s. He saw Les Miles’ Cowboys beat Bob Stoops and the Oklahoma Sooners back-to-back seasons early this decade. He has witnessed the highs and lows that is Cowboy football. But this season feels different to Johnson; there is a sense that the program has finally arrived.

“Over the years, we’re not one you would consider a power,” Johnson said. “We’ve had some good years and some bad. But the buzz around the program is at an all-time high. That stadium is going to be very loud. It may not be as big as Georgia’s but I bet it will be every bit as loud with the way the stadium is shaped and how the noise reverberates off Gallagher-Iba Arena. It’s going to be an exciting environment.”

One of the key components to this new sensation has been the construction of Boone Pickens Stadium, which will have its official opening against the Bulldogs. The stadium has been revamped through three-phase operation over seven years with Pickens donating $286 million during the process.

“OSU has obtained a level that, when I made the gift in 2005, [we anticipated] we are going to be competitive,” Pickens said. “I think we have moved to that level.”

The program and its long-suffering fan base have been aching for respect for decades. Now the team, ranked No. 9 in the preseason Associated Press poll and gracing the cover of the Sports Illustrated college football preview, is built for a run at the Big 12 South title, conference championship and can even be considered a dark horse national title contender. But any Cowboy fan will tell you: it all starts with Georgia.

“We are so ready for something like this, as students and as a university in general with the faculty and athletic staff, I think everybody is ready for this game to happen,” graduate student Garrett Holmes said. “We have been looking forward to this game for about two years now, since we played them in Georgia. With everybody looking forward to this game and with the expectations of our team, I think the sky’s the limit.”

Stillwater, one of college football’s loneliest outposts, will play host to the biggest opening-week game in the country on in prime time on ABC. The school record for season ticket sales surpassed the 42,000 mark last week.

“This is only season five for Mike Gundy at the helm and I don’t think he expected to get to this point this quickly,” said Brandon Chatmon, OSU beat writer for The Oklahoman. “Combine being in the top 10 with the opening of the facilities and with the fact you have an SEC team, especially Georgia, who is consistently among the best in that conference, it’s going to make for a crazy atmosphere and an exciting season opener.”

Presciently, Stillwater officials spent the past several years expanding roads, building parking garages and rebuilding the city’s entire infrastructure. They get an acid test on those improvements this weekend.

“The size of Stillwater will probably double for the game,” Holmes said. “ ... I believe it is the biggest game in the programs history, at least one of the biggest.”

The Cowboys have played meaningful openers in the past: 1985 at Washington, 2003 at Nebraska and 2007 at Georgia. All big games, all on the road. That begs this question: is this the biggest home opener in OSU history?

“No doubt, absolutely no doubt,” Johnson said. “I think there is as much hype on this game as any game we have ever had here, except for maybe one or two OU-OSU games here. And I’m thinking this could rival that because of the anticipation, preseason rankings and the completion of the stadium.

“Bringing in a big time Southeastern school, it’s certainly, by far, the biggest opening game we have ever had.”

Revenge two years in the making, a stadium renovation long awaited and an elite Cowboy team this town has never seen. The scene could not be better scripted.

“I just expect,” Manison said, “the craziest atmosphere we have ever had.”