National hype declines, Cowboys' expectations don't

Last August, former players Zac Robinson and Andrew Lewis graced the cover of Sports Illustrated.

The seventh-ranked Cowboys were pegged as BCS contenders heading into the 2009 season and lofty expectations brought national attention, setting Stillwater abuzz when No. 15 Georgia came to town for the season opener.

Led by a veteran core, experts foresaw the Cowboys as a legitimate threat to Big 12 powerhouses, Texas and Oklahoma, for conference supremacy.

Last year's team was not short on big name players either. Running back Kendall Hunter, wide receiver Dez Bryant, offensive tackle Russell Okung and defensive back Perrish Cox were popular preseason All-American picks.

Fast forward to this season and uncertainty is the main headline hovering around Boone Pickens Stadium as opening weekend approaches.

Only Hunter returns from the group above and after losing a conference-high 15 starters, the national media has labeled the Cowboys as underdogs in 2010.

Even with a group composed of young and inexperienced players, the Cowboys have kept their expectations high for the 2010 season

"We won nine games last year and we want to win nine or more games this year," quarterback Brandon Weeden said. "That's kind of where this program is at right now and it's our job to keep things rolling."

Weeden, 26, enters his fourth year in the program, after seeing limited action behind Robinson last season.

Like many other new starters this year, Weeden will have big shoes to fill.

"We are going to be fine," Weeden said. "We want to surprise some people and we are a lot better than we get credit for. This team is going to be fun. We have a lot of weapons on offense and the defense looks great. They flew around and had a great camp. This is my fourth year here and this is probably the fastest defense I've seen at Oklahoma State."

One of the experienced players on defense is senior defensive back Andrew McGee, who recorded 32 tackles last season, which ranks second among returning players.

"We like being the underdogs," McGee said. "We don't mind it at all."

McGee said starting from the bottom in the rankings offers the Cowboys an opportunity to shock the nation.

"People look down on us because we are young, but we don't," he said. "We feel like we are just as talented as last year and we have more spunk."

Coach Mike Gundy is also optimistic regarding the team's new look.

"These guys have paid a price," Gundy said. "They have worked extremely hard. They worked hard in the spring and they worked very hard in the summer on their own. We have had good practices in the preseason, so they have earned the right to win."

This year, the national media has not been as optimistic.

Sports Illustrated predicts OSU will finish 7-5 (3-5 Big 12), only ahead of Baylor in the South Division. Sporting News pictures the Cowboys doing worse, finishing last in the South at 5-7 (2-6). ESPN football guru Kirk Hurbstreit recently listed OSU No. 1 in country on his list of teams "Headin' on Down" for the 2010 season.

"If you pay attention to what outside people say and think, then you're not worried about the right stuff," new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen said. "We are going to prepare to win this game and ignore the outside influences."

Holgorsen will take over play calling duties on offense this season after serving in the same role with the Houston Cougars for the past two years. Holgorsen's offense led the nation last season in total offense per game (563), points (42.2) and passing offense (433.7).

Second-year defensive coordinator Bill Young stated that he hasn't paid attention to the media's reports this preseason either.

"Our expectations are no different than last year," Young said. "We want to win every game and that's just the way it is."

Despite losing eight starters, Young remains confident and expects his defense to produce.

"We are putting the pressure on ourselves and our players that we need to show up and we need to play," Young said. "We've got a lot of talent, but we are little bit thin. We got to be a little bit lucky and not get anybody hurt. If we can do that, I think we can be really good."

This year's opening matchup against Washington State certainly has not brought the same amount of buzz as playing powerhouse Georgia did a year ago.

A victory this weekend against the Cougars will not vault the Cowboys back on the cover of Sports Illustrated, but it will be a step in the right direction for a team that has a lot of questions to answer.

"We are going into the season the same way we went into it last year," sophomore wide receiver Justin Blackmon said.

"We are still focusing on the team we are playing first and are not really worried about all the attention."