Early voting opens June 11

Primary Election day in Oklahoma is June 16.

Across the state voters will weigh in on the potential next governor and whether the minimum wage should be raised.

Here’s what to know to be ready.

Closed primaries across the state

In Oklahoma, closed primaries mean only voters who are registered with a major party can participate in the Primary Election.

To check your registration visit the Oklahoma Secretary of State’s website. The last day to register to vote in the primaries was may 22.

More: The primaries are almost here. See our comprehensive guide on candidates, races

Tight governor’s race

Nine GOP candidates want to succeed Gov. Kevin Stitt, while just two Democrats are seeking the state’s highest office.

STILLWATER — There’s a chance that Parsa Fallah dons the orange and black again next season.

Oklahoma State coach Steve Lutz told reporters Tuesday that Fallah has filed for an eligibility waiver that would see him gain a sixth season.

“Parsa is petitioning the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility because of some circumstances he had when he first came over to the United States,” Lutz said. “So, yes, I am holding the scholarship for him at this point.”

Fallah was a fan favorite in what was initially thought to be his lone season at Oklahoma State and became even more of a fan favorite late in the year when he tore his ACL at the end of OSU’s win against West Virginia just to hobble into the postgame news conference and pour his heart out for the university.

Fallah’s eligibility will be interesting.

He came to the United States from Iran, but it wasn’t as simple as hopping on a plane and heading over. He had to go to a U.S. embassy in Africa — a process he thought would take two days, but he ended up being in Africa for sixth months with $400.

By the time he got to Southern Utah, his first college program, Fallah redshirted. He went on to play 58 games with Southern Utah across the next two seasons, averaging 7.7 points and 3.8 boards a contest before transferring to Oregon State. In one year with the Beavers, Fallah averaged 12.8 points and four boards a contest before averaging 14.7 and six last season with the Cowboys.

“He’s around,” Lutz said. “He comes to the team meetings and practices, and he works out with (strength coach) Gavin (Roberts), and Kevin (Blaske), the trainer, and our physical therapist. He’s a lot thicker, but that’s because he’s not running. But he told me the other day, if I’m not mistaken, he should be running here very soon, or jogging pretty soon.

“So, he’s doing great. Positive attitude, excited about the future — whether it be with us in basketball or he’s had some job opportunities presented to him here in Stillwater and beyond. So, he’s living the dream.”

It’s hard to tell anymore in terms of what the NCAA is thinking when it comes to waivers. Then on top of that, it’s tough to determine just how much power the NCAA actually has to enforce a decision. Just Monday, a Texas judge ruled that Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is eligible despite his gambling situation.

Fallah’s isn’t the only waiver the Cowboys are waiting on, either.

Reigning Conference-USA Defensive Player of the Year Kashie Natt signed with the Cowboys this offseason, but he’s in need of some extra eligibility.

“I don’t have any updates,” Lutz said of Natt’s situation. “There’s been waivers filed with the NCAA, and then obviously depending on what they say, you obviously have to take it to the courts.”

Natt’s path to that extra year seems a little more straight forward. Last season was Natt’s first at the Division-I level, where he averaged 10.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and a pair of steals a game at Sam Houston.

Natt started his college career at Southern University-Shreveport — a junior college — before spending two seasons at LSU-Alexandria — an NAIA school. He was a two-time All-American at LSU-Alexandria and was the 2025 NAIA National Player of the Year.

He’s also apparently made quite the impact in a short period of time this summer in Stillwater.

“He’s an unbelievable human being,” Lutz said. “He’s constantly bringing energy. He’s constantly bringing energy. Today, we started off practice … you get a towel, and you have hold the towel over your head. And then you have to do step slides, defensive step slides, like old school. I’ve never really said you have to say ‘ball’ or you have to say whatever, and Kashie decided, ‘Hey, coach, we’re gonna call ball, ball, ball, ball.’ Well, it’s contagious, and he’s just got that personality. So, it’s been enjoyable.”

The Oklahoma State Cowboys have an 18-game Big 12 losing streak and a two-year streak with no bowl game. The two things go hand in hand.

The Cowboys must win at least six games to get to a bowl game. That means winning, at minimum, three conference games, assuming OSU wins all three non-conference games. Lose a non-league game and the Cowboys must win four.

Oklahoma State is 4-20 since reaching the Big 12 Championship game, losing to Texas and then going to the Fiesta Bowl. If the Cowboys want to turn things around under first-year head coach Eric Morris, getting to a bowl game is a good first step.

This bowl projection should make the Cowboys feel good.

Oklahoma State’s Optimistic Bowl Projection

Athlon Sports’ 2026 football annual is on newsstands and in its Big 12 preview the publication picked the Cowboys to finish in eighth place. The publication didn’t provide a projected record. But the teams in the eighth-place range in the Big 12 last year all won at least six games, meaning they went to a bowl game.

So that meant Athlon’s is projecting the Cowboys are good enough to go bowling this year, which means they’re going to end their Big 12 losing streak and get out of the conference’s cellar. Good news. But where?

The publication has the Cowboys meeting former Big 8 rival Missouri in the Texas Bowl in Houston. If that’s the case it would be Oklahoma State’s fourth trip to a bowl game in Houston, including the 1983 Bluebonnet Bowl at the Astrodome. It would also say something about where OSU stands in the conference.

Recently, the full bowl game schedule was released and the Big 12’s bowl game pecking order was also announced. Of the league’s non-playoff bowl tie-ins, the Texas Bowl is No. 3 on the list behind the Alamo Bowl and Pop Tarts Bowl. These tie-ins would apply to Big 12 teams after the College Football Playoff participants are decided.

The Cowboys would go third in this scenario. BYU, the team picked second, would go to the Alamo Bowl, while Houston, which is projected to finish third, would go to the Pop Tarts Bowl.  

Why take OSU if you’re the Texas Bowl? That bowl committee may be banking on the infusion of offense making the Cowboys an exciting team to watch this season, which would be enticing to any bowl game committee. Morris runs the Air Raid offense and imported the key players from his former job, North Texas, where they went 12-2. That includes quarterback Drew Mestemaker.  

But by taking OSU, that committee would be taking the Cowboys over Utah, Kansas, Arizona and Arizona State, all teams projected to finish better than Oklahoma State. The Texas Bowl would be banking that the Cowboys would be a better draw.

For context, Houston played in the Texas Bowl last season, won the game and wrapped up a 10-win season, if Cowboys fans need another reason to feel optimistic.

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