Poll Results: 60 Percent of OSU Fans Think 2016 Team Worse Than 2015

I was curious to see what OSU fans are thinking after four games this year. The sky has felt at times like it’s falling, but I was actually encouraged by the way OSU played down in Waco last weekend despite the loss. Of course this time last season OSU was also 4-0 and on the verge of six more in a row.

Wins and loss so often affect the way we view teams (and they should of course), but sometimes they don’t tell the entire story. It matters who you play. It matters how you won or lost. No rational person would say that a team that lost 12 games in a row to Alabama by the score of 30-29 and is 0-12 is definitively worse than a team that beat Kansas 12 times in a row 45-0.

These things are difficult to decipher which is why the discussion is fun. I happen to think this year’s team is slightly better (or at least more talented) though I believe I underestimated the value of The General inside the red zone on offense. Did you see what Mike Gundy said about Texas’ two QB system on Monday?

“Swoopes brings another dimension to the table. So, I’m guessing they feel like, in certain circumstances, he’s the best chance to be successful,” said Gundy. “That’s why we used two players last year, and I think it’s a great scheme. I wish that we had it and they didn’t.”

Pretty interesting. So yeah, I think this year’s team, despite its 2-2 record, is mildly better than last year’s team. Last year’s team basically played one dominant game (and boy was it a dominant game) and won all of its coin flips. We should have seen the reversion to the mean coming, I suppose, even if we didn’t want to.

Onto the comments (also for those wondering about why I only put the polls on Twitter — it makes implementation into the site much easier which will be a big deal come December … stay tuned).

Today’s poll question is this year’s #okstate football team is ___________ than last year’s team.

— Pistols Firing (@pistolsguys) September 27, 2016

Mark: I say they are the same because the defense seems the same as at the end of last year, maybe even a little worse. There are positives, sure, but stats don’t lie… we are in the bottom three of the ENTIRE FBS in big plays allowed?! That isn’t going to get it done, especially when playing the likes of T-Tech or West Virginia.

On the offensive side, there are progressions in the run game, but the passing game seems largely unchanged to me. More yards gained perhaps, but Rudolph seems to have regressed in certain respects. I dunno, he played well in Baylor but I need to see that become consistent before I change my mind on his regression.

Nate: This year’s team is really 3-1 and probably played better against Baylor on Saturday than compared to any of the first 4 games of 2015. This year’s team is definitely better, but it’s just hard to tell how much.

Chris: We didn’t lose to CMU so I’d say we are the same. Baylor is a bad matchup for us. We lost to them last year and it wasn’t much of a contest. We aren’t in any different shape than last year. Running game looks like it might be improved from a year ago as well. Turnovers kill though.

PF: The team as a whole is better. The coaching as a whole is worse. The luck is much worse. The bounces that made us look better than we were last year are making us look worse than we are this year. Ain’t karma a female dog?!?

Eric: We’re an untimed down from being a one loss team against a team that they were capable of beating. Just need to execute.

Daniel: We are better this year.. Just more unlucky this year as well..