Week 4 turned vicious for Mike Gundy after Tulsa won with a 19-12 final score against Oklahoma State. Every loss brings Gundy closer to parting ways with the Cowboys, and a 1-2 run is not the turnaround fans were expecting after a 3-9 season. The worst part is a coach who was once the definition of stability with a 169-88 record and only one losing season since 2005 is now struggling to win games. After last season’s mishap, things were already looking bad for him, and now with this loss, Gundy just hit rock bottom in his career.

A program that spent $300k to fly 70 miles away just to watch their team lose will surely consider a change. The worst part? Even fans are urging the Cowboys to take this bold step and fire him, paying that $15 million buyout. And when Gundy was asked about his firing rumors, he said, “Those aren’t decisions I make. My decision is to do exactly what I mentioned earlier. Get these guys and continue moving forward and go on down the road. And that’s what we do.” Gundy’s career at OSU may finally be coming to a close.

What makes this loss even more heartbreaking is that this loss at home to Tulsa comes after almost 70 years. That’s right, this was their first home loss to the Golden Hurricane since 1951. CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah made sure everyone knew the significance of that year as he took to X and said, “Harry Truman was president. Cold, Cold Heart by Tony Bennett was the No. 1 song. An American in Paris was the No. 1 film. The NBA was five years old. Mike Gundy would not be born for 16 more years.” It shows how long it’s been since this setback.

After looking at Brent Pry and DeShaun Foster’s firing, Gundy’s situation might get real desperate. His team had already given him a $1 million pay cut and shifted to a flat-rate buyout rather than a percentage structure. His deal runs through 2028 and will pay him $6.75 million with an annual raise of $125k. Now, if Oklahoma State plans on firing him, they need to give him $15 million, but in 2028, that figure will drop to $10 million. But for now, let’s talk about what went wrong against Tulsa.

How Mike Gundy went wrong against Tulsa?

Mike Gundy’s situation might still be up in the air, but losing to their in-state rival just made things worse for him. And for Tulsa? It was one of the best nights, as they ended a 10-game losing streak to Oklahoma State.

Tulse made an impact from the start. Despite starting with a backup, QB Baylor Hayes, who came in for injured Kirk Francis, he took up the charge, throwing a 19-yard touchdown pass to Braylin Presley, who’s a former Oklahoma State commit. By halftime, Tulsa leaned on Presley and Dominic Richardson. And the result? Richardson ran for 146 yards, while Presley added 66 yards and a TD.

Now, after trailing for a while, Mike Gundy’s team finally broke an 11-quarter touchdown dry spell in the fourth quarter with Zane Flores’s help, but Tulsa’s defense stopped their momentum. The game was still in control. The Cowboys had two chances to tie the game but could not do much on both.

Tulsa’s HC Tre Lamb made it clear the win was no luck. “We beat a Big 12 football team. We took it to them. It wasn’t a fluke, It wasn’t a turnover disaster. It was 424 yards to 403, 80 plays to 75. We beat them straight-up. This loss puts Mike Gundy’s team at their first 1-2 start since 2007, and his job hangs in the balance.