3 Takeaways From Oklahoma State’s Historic Upset Win vs. No. 6 Oregon

Oregon, what are you doing?

The Ducks became the second AP-ranked top-11 team to lose to an unranked team on Saturday. With their loss to Oklahoma State, and No. 11 Oklahoma’s loss to Michigan, the race to earn an invitation to the College Football Playoff is blown wide open.

Although the Sooners’ loss to Michigan was unexpected and definitely an upset, Oregon’s loss to Oklahoma State was both of those things — plus notably historic. I’ll dig into the history and the end of several streaks, but in terms of recent history, it’s worth noting that in 2025, Oregon crushed Oklahoma State, 69-3. One year later, the Cowboys got some unbelievable revenge.

Here are my takeaways from Oklahoma State’s upset over No. 6 Oregon.

1. No One Predicted Oklahoma State Would Beat Oregon — No One

Tight end Carson Kolb celebrates after scoring a touchdown against Oregon in Oklahoma State’s 39-31 win Saturday.  (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

Anyone who tells you they picked Oklahoma State to knock off No. 6 Oregon is either A) lying through their teeth, B) sitting on the winning Powerball numbers or C) a person who picks winners based on uniform color scheme and nothing close to edged, reasoned analysis.

And yet we’re left with one irrevocable fact: Oklahoma State won a football game.

Based on literally everything, the odds were understandably stacked against the Cowboys — four-touchdown underdogs, according to some — and their win snapped several streaks that fans are surely reveling in. Here are three big ones:

• Oklahoma State had lost to its last 21 FBS opponents and its last 12 games in a row until its 39-31 win at Boone Pickens Stadium on Saturday.
• Lanning’s team also held a 35-0 record against unranked opponents, and Oklahoma State was definitely that.
• Oklahoma State is the first team ever to snap a 10-plus-game losing streak with a win vs. an AP Top 10 opponent since at least 1973.

2. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker Is An Avid Duck(s) Hunter

Indeed, after Oklahoma State’s season-opening loss to Tulsa, the smallest school in FBS, the Pokes might’ve been considered one of the worst teams in the Power Four. Now, not only must we consider Oklahoma State (again) for the Big 12 title, but we’re also right to ask just how good would Tulsa be in the Big Ten. 

Quarterback Drew Mestemaker looks to pass against the Oregon Ducks in Week 2 of the 2026 season. (Photo by WJ/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Transitive properties or not, though, the Cowboys pulled off the biggest upset of the season and exacted revenge for that disastrous, lopsided loss at Autzen Stadium last year. It doesn’t get much sweeter than that in our sport.

Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker played so badly against Tulsa that the reported $3.5 million he’s getting paid to play in Stillwater felt like he might be robbing fans and the university. 

And then, he turned in the kind of performance that has every single Oklahoma State fan I know — and I know many — claiming he’s worth every penny. They’ve got a point. He was the catalyst for this win, and he put up 426 yards of offense and two touchdowns in the reaction that led to the Pokes’ upset of a top 10 team and one of the favorites to win the national title.

3. Oregon Can Still Contend For The CFP And National Title

Dan Lanning bumps fists with his players before Oregon’s Week 2 loss to Oklahoma State. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

This loss doesn’t prevent the Ducks from playing for the national title. Far from it. In fact, they might find themselves in decent company. 

Here are a couple of dandy examples for the Ducks to stick in their coat pocket when they find themselves having to defend this team at church tomorrow morning. From FOX Sports Research:

• The Ducks are the first AP top-10 team to lose its second game of the season against unranked opponent since 2014 Ohio State lost to Virginia Tech. That Ohio State team went on to win the national title.
• The last AP top-6 team to lose against an unranked opponent in its second game of the season was Notre Dame in the 2024 season against Northern Illinois. The Irish went on to make the national title game that same year.

History may be working in the background in favor of Oregon, but given the way the Ducks have opened the 2026 season, they could be their own biggest obstacle in getting to and advancing in the CFP.