By Wendell Barnhouse
Big12Sports.com Correspondent

STILLWATER, Okla. - Mike Gundy made his coaching rep as an offensive coordinator. Once he became Oklahoma State's head coach, he ceded the play-calling duties.

But when offensive coordinator Larry Fedora was hired as Southern Mississippi's head coach at the end of last season, Gundy returned to calling plays. In the Cowboys' 49-33 victory over Indiana in the Insight Bowl, Oklahoma State rolled up 513 yards of total offense.

Gunter Brewer and Trooper Taylor are Oklahoma State's first-year co-offensive coordinators. So who's gonna call plays?

"We're going to try and make that decision in a few weeks,'' Gundy said. "I'm very confident in our offensive staff. It's just a matter of how much I can put into the offense and still take care of what I need to do as a head coach.''

If Gundy decides to continue calling plays, he'll be bucking a trend. South Carolina's Steve Spurrier, Maryland's Ralph Friedgen and Notre Dame's Charlie Weis are among the head coaches who have decided to turn over the offensive scheming and play calling to a staff member.

"I can see why they've given it up,'' Gundy said. "Football has changed a lot in just the last three to four years. The details in all the schemes that are being used on offense and defense, that's a lot to stay on top of.

"No matter what we do (calling plays) there's no question we'll have success on the offensive side of the ball.''

Ticket talk: Seating capacity at renovated Boone Pickens Stadium will increase from 44,700 to 61,000. The field is totally "bowled in." When the Cowboys play before a full house, the stadium could be a football version of Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Last season Oklahoma State sold approximately 33,000 season tickets. When the Cowboys open their home schedule Sept. 6 against Houston, that total should be surpassed. Season ticket sales have been about 2,500 ahead of last year's pace.

"We know we're going to sell more tickets than last year. That's the good news," athletic director Mike Holder told The Oklahoman. "But we've got 16,000 more seats than last year, too. If we fill this place up, it'll rival any stadium, I believe.

"We'd just like to fill up the whole thing. That's our challenge. The easy way to do that is to win."

Backup plan: Junior quarterback Zac Robinson is the first incumbent starter that Gundy has had in his three seasons as Oklahoma State's coach. Robinson averaged 282 yards in total offense last season.

A major concern, however, is Robinson's backup.

Who'll be No. 2 will start being resolved with Saturday's scrimmage. Sophomore Alex Cate and redshirt freshman Brandon Weeden are the candidates; neither has played a minute of college football. Both should get an equal amount of action as they audition for the role. Gundy is even considering not playing Robinson.

Motivation, Part One: Oklahoma State players are wearing rubber orange wrist bands. The words "Big 12 Champs, Dec. 6, 2008” appear in black letters.

"That was the team's idea and I think it's great,'' Gundy said. "We've said in the last six months that we don't talk enough about winning a championship. We've recruited good players, we've got our coaches in place, the facilities are improving.

"I think it was a great sign the players wanted to wear those bracelets.''

As the Cowboys break their huddles, in unison they say, "Big 12 championship.''

"Every day, when we get tired, we can look down at our wrist and see that we're all working toward something,” junior running back Keith Toston said. "It helps you push that extra yard.”

Motivation, Part Two: Sophomore Dez Bryant has given each of his fellow receivers a customized dog tag. Each tag has the player's name, his number and the word "freak" in quotation marks. Freak is a complimentary term often used by receivers coach Trooper Taylor.

"I thought it would be nice if all of us would (wear) this," Bryant said. "Just trying to build a little unity."

Next stop on the Big 12 Skywriters Tour: Missouri

BIG 12 FOOTBALL SKYWRITERS TOUR
Prior to the formation of the Big 12 Conference, sportswriters and sports broadcasters covering football in the Big Eight and Southwest conferences would gather in a central location and take off on the annual Skywriters Tour...an eight-day trek from campus-to-campus around the respective conferences to cover the preseason football practices. The tour provided fans with unprecedented daily coverage from each school. In the early years the tour consisted mostly of writers traveling by charter air service and thus was dubbed as the Skywriters Tour. In an effort to bring Big 12 fans additional insight into the fall camps from around the Big 12, we have dispatched Wendell Barnhouse and Melanie Weiser on the 2008 Big 12 Virtual Skywriters Tour.