The Mason Rudolph freshman year-model may be put into place if necessary.
The Cowboys are looking at laughers in their first two weeks. Moreover, the first three conference matchups include two of the Big 12’s weakest teams, Kansas and Texas Tech, and a home date with Iowa State.
That stretch gives OSU a chance to build up a puffy record through the middle of October, but the back half of the year is a bear, including road trips in four of six games. If the Cowboys start to crumble late in the season, freshman quarterback Spencer Sanders could take over and help the program get a head start on 2019.