Should Oklahoma State Receive More Credit Than They’re Getting for Pitt Win?

Fresh off a bye week, the Oklahoma State Cowboys are No. 11 in the Associated Press ranking. Despite a 31-6 victory over TCU in week 13, they dropped a spot in the rankings in week 14 and were jumped by USC, a team that just defeated a struggling 4-8 Notre Dame team.

Should USC truly be ranked above OSU? The Trojans did defeat a then-undefeated No. 4 Washington, but that still stands as only their second victory over a team with a winning record. OSU has four (five if you count SE Louisiana). We can take that even further though.

Only 2 FBS teams have 5 wins vs. the ESPN FPI top 40. One is Alabama. The other is Oklahoma St. And Pokes have shot at another in Bedlam

— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) November 23, 2016

Regardless of the order of the rankings, the Cowboys should arguably be receiving more credit for their 45-38 victory over Pittsburgh in September. The Panthers were just ranked No. 24 in the CFP Rankings, making Oklahoma State the only team in the Big 12 with a win over a ranked non-conference opponent.

Fox Sports 1 broadcaster Tim Brando, who has called multiple Cowboy games this season, placed OSU at No. 7 in his own rankings on Twitter and cited the Pittsburgh game as a signature win on the Cowboys’ resume.

Here's my final regular season Top 10. 1) Alabama 2)Clemson 3)Ohio St. 4) Washington 5)Michigan 6)Wisconsin 7)Okla.St. 8)OU 9)PSU 10)Colo.

— Tim Brando (@TimBrando) November 28, 2016

.@rhmaz610 only REAL loss at Baylor before they cratered. Beating Pitt, a team that's beaten both Clemson and Penn St. apparently anonymous!

— Tim Brando (@TimBrando) November 28, 2016

There aren’t many teams in the nation with multiple wins over top-10 opponents. Pitt won at No. 3 Clemson and over No. 8 Penn State. Two monstrous performances.

And while the Panthers have four losses on the season, all four of them are against respectable teams with winning records (OSU, Virginia Tech, Miami and North Carolina). Most of the teams in the Big 12 don’t have a signature win on the season, and while the Cowboys’ win over then-undefeated West Virginia is theirs, their victory over Pitt should be recognized as a close second.