Oklahoma State’s first two weeks might have Mike Gundy in a position no one expected him to be in this quickly.

Last season, things went as wrong as they’ve ever gone for an OSU team coached by Gundy. After starting 3-0 with hopes of winning the Big 12 and making the first 12-team College Football Playoff, the wheels came off seemingly in an instant as the Cowboys began their descent to a 3-9 season.

That prompted Gundy’s job security to be under intense scrutiny for the first time since taking the job 20 years earlier, at least in the sense that his firing seemed plausible because of the program’s poor performance. Instead, Gundy and OSU came out on the other side with a restructured deal and an understanding that the program’s success since his arrival was thanks in part to a system that no longer existed, and the Cowboys needed to make some changes.

However, with an almost entirely new coaching staff and a plethora of additions through the transfer portal, OSU looked worse in Week 2 than it has in almost any other game in the team’s history. Losing to Oregon was expected, but an uncompetitive 69-3 slaughter by the Ducks quickly raised concerns about Gundy’s ability to lead the Cowboys again.

OSU’s performance early this season, coupled with 2024’s disaster, has put Gundy on one of the hottest seats in the country, and ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg recently made the case that his seat is already heating up even more.

“The hope for Gundy is that Oklahoma State will rebound, as it has before when external expectations are lower,” Rittenberg wrote. “But the complete lack of competitiveness at Oregon is a significant concern for a team already missing starting quarterback Hauss Hejny (broken foot). Next Friday’s home game against Tulsa feels very significant, as Oklahoma State begins a stretch of four of five in Stillwater. If the Pokes don’t display tangible progress soon, a coaching change could be made.”

It’s hard to argue much with the idea that Gundy’s time in Stillwater could easily hinge on what happens over the next few weeks. Although there isn’t any expectation for OSU to ascend into Big 12 title contention, there was a general feeling coming into 2025 that the Cowboys should be able to make it back to a bowl game.

If things don’t start turning around quickly, OSU could be preparing for a coaching search in December instead of a bowl game.