Oklahoma State revs up drama factor in win over Texas A&M

There were better finishes than Oklahoma State at Texas A&M.

Washington and Kansas State needed goal-line stands to hold off California and Miami.

There were outcomes more shocking, namely Temple’s 38-7 upset over Maryland’s shocking uniforms.

Temple had been 0-12 against Atlantic Coast Conference teams. The Owls were once so lowly they got booted out of the Big East Conference, which would now be stronger with Temple back in it.

There were games with more pressure on coaches. Brian Kelly of Notre Dame and Rick Neuheisel of UCLA are thrilled to be 2-2 after escaping road games at Pittsburgh and Oregon State.

Kelly, in his second year, might have survived a 1-3 start. In fact, he did it last year. Neuheisel, in his fourth year, is out of wiggle room. Dropping to 1-3 with a loss to the team that lost to Sacramento State would have probably started a UCLA eight-clap countdown to a coaching search.

Don’t get too amped. Oregon State stands as the only winless team among the six Bowl Championship Series power conferences.

Others schools made more emphatic statements. Alabama’s 38-14 home victory over Arkansas strongly suggested the wrong team might be ranked No.1.

For high drama in high heat, though, it was tough to beat Oklahoma State’s emotional 30-29 win over Texas A&M.

It was the capstone to the craziest week in the craziest conference.

It started Sunday morning with an Oklahoma State win at Tulsa that ended at 3:35 Central Time. The Cowboys then straggled home wondering where home was: Big 12 or Pac-12?

Oklahoma State, politically attached to Oklahoma’s hip, was poised to follow if the Sooners were invited west. The Big 12, though, was saved with a Tuesday night reprieve when the Pac-12 announced it was not going to expand.

Big 12 schools then asked for commissioner Dan Beebe’s head, and got it, and replaced him with Chuck Neinas, a 79-year-old interim. It was a perfect fit. Neinas is the former commissioner of the Big Eight, which is the number of teams the Big 12 will have if it loses one more team.

Neinas vowed to bring sanity back to a dysfunctional family. He has even made a last pitch to keep Texas A&M from bolting to the Southeastern Conference.

“Sometimes the 100-to-1 shot comes home,” Neinas said in his introductory conference call. “I would tell them they belong in the Big 12. It’s history. I’m a history major. They’re former members of the Southwest Conference. They were born and bred in Texas.”

Soon, though, A&M will be cashing checks from SEC headquarters in Birmingham.

Oklahoma State at Texas A&M may have been the last matchup of longtime Big 12 foes.

As a parting gift, Stillwater beat College Station a fourth straight year … good riddance.

Texas A&M led, 20-3, at the half, at home, and blew it. The Aggies lost the third quarter, 21-0.

School President R. Bowen Loftin reiterated nothing could stop his school from bolting from the Big 12.

After watching Texas A&M implode, why would you stop them?

“They kind of wilted,” ABC game analyst Matt Millen noted.

Message to A&M: don’t let the score hit you on the way out. Take your 12th Man and go to your 13-team league.

If you think Oklahoma State was tough, wait until you see Alabama and Louisiana State.

Texas A&M will blame the Big 12’s fracture on Texas, which is all fine and true, but the Aggies are to blame for allowing this latest expansion ruckus to explode during our regular-season happy hour.

Oklahoma State’s win may have marked a claw-back beginning for the resuscitated Big 12. The Cowboys’ furious second-half rally stunned the Kyle Field crowd, which may get used to that feeling in the SEC.

Victory was sweet and sorrowful. Oklahoma State players valiantly prevailed for co-defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer, who returned to the sideline less than a week after the death of his wife Angela.

Spencer had maintained his coaching duties while making 60-mile commutes from Stillwater to visit his wife in an Oklahoma City hospital. The team learned of her death after a lengthy, undisclosed illness following Sunday morning’s late-night win at Tulsa.

“I want to say how proud I am of our team and staff for the way they handled this week,” Oklahoma State Coach Mike Gundy said after Saturday’s win. “This was a very difficult week for us because of Angela Spencer … it affected our staff meetings. The way our team played in the second half was beautiful.”

Victory keeps Oklahoma State’s undefeated dreams alive. The Cowboys (4-0) might be on a collision course toward a season-ending home game against Oklahoma.

Oklahoma State might also be the team for all seasons. The Cowboys can beat you by moonlight or sunlight — morning, noon or night.

“It’s a good way to start off Big 12 play,” said Justin Blackmon, the team’s star receiver.

You could say it’s good that there is even a Big 12 at all.

chris.dufresne@latimes.com

twitter.com/dufresnelatimes