There’s always a chance, especially this early, but it’s not much for the Cowboys anyway.

Oklahoma State lost 42-20 to Kansas State on Saturday in what appeared to be an early playoff game for the Big 12 championship game after both teams lost their conference openers last week. The winner still has a clear path to Arlington, while the losing Cowboys, now 0-2 in Big 12 play, need victory and answered prayers to play for a conference championship again.

It was early in the second quarter when the Cowboys took a 10-7 lead after Alan Bowman hit De’Zhaun Stribling for a 77-yard touchdown. Then, on K-State’s first play and next possession, Korie Black grabbed Avery Johnson to give OSU the ball at the Wildcats’ 33-yard line. But with that field position, OSU ran back-to-back quarterback runs with Bowman to gain a total of four yards before throwing a two-yard pass to Ollie Gordon in the flats on third down. The Cowboys settled for a 31-yard field goal from Logan Ward, but also chose to leave Manhattan with a loss.

After that sequence, K-State scored 35 unanswered points. Johnson responded to his interception as if he were the seventh-year quarterback in the game and not the sophomore entering his first season as a starter. He accounted for five touchdowns – three through the air and two on the ground. He had 259 passing yards and 60 rushing yards.

Meanwhile, Bowman threw three interceptions and completed 52% of his passes. OSU’s running game was also non-existent after the first drive, as the Cowboys totaled 126 rushing yards. Gordon had 43 of those hits on the first drive, which ended with Ward’s first field goal of the day. He finished with 76 rushing yards and an average of 5.1 yards per carry.

OSU’s scoring stop only ended when running back Trent Howland ran a 14-yard touchdown with 1:52 left.

The Cowboys are struggling to start Big 12 play on a losing streak and host West Virginia on Saturday at 3 p.m.