OKLAHOMA STATE

Say goodbye to ... Les Miles   
Coaching record: 23-21 in 4 seasons
Reason for leaving: Took LSU job

Miles transformed this program from a nobody to a somebody. He led the Cowboys to three straight bowl appearances; something that hadn’t been done since someone named Jimmy Johnson roamed the sidelines.

He was able to establish a foothold in recruiting against national power Oklahoma, and his was the only team in the country to beat the Sooners twice in the last four years. He also became the first coach in Cowboys history to dump Oklahoma and Nebraska in the same year.

Sue Ogrocki / AP Mike Gundy

Hello ... Mike Gundy
Coaching record: First season as a head coach.
2005 prediction: 6-5

Gundy, who was promoted from assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, still holds many of this school’s all-time passing records so it’s no surprise he will bring a more pass-oriented offense to the table.

He will return 13 starters to a team that went 7-5 and a favorable schedule should ensure his rookie season gets off to a fast start. But things will get much tougher from there, and the Cowboys may be hard pressed to achieve the required six victories to qualify for a bowl game.

Long-term prediction: Miles helped OSU crawl out from the long shadow cast by Oklahoma, and OSU president David Schmidly said he is confident Gundy will take OSU "to new levels of success.’’ What that means exactly nobody knows, but if Gundy is expected to somehow get on even ground with the Sooners, he will be hard-pressed to accomplish that. Be it that he has never been a head coach, equaling Miles’ success for starters should be acceptable. If more is expected, than nobody at OSU is in touch with reality.

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