Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy is trying to slow down talk about the payment of college players. The coach is wanting to focus instead on the actual games yet to be played.

“The good news is, the next five months we can just play football,” Gundy said, per ESPN. “There's no negotiating now. The portal's over. All the negotiation's history. Now we're playing football.

“The business side of what we do now — we have to have those conversations with [the players]. ‘Tell your agent to quit calling us and asking for more money. It's non-negotiable now. It'll start again in December. So now we're able to direct ourselves just in football, and that part is fun.”

The world of payment for college players has exploded in the last few years. Due to lawsuits as well as name, image and likeness deals, college football programs are finding few guard rails about how many bags can go to players. NIL has also forced college coaches around the country to change their approach to recruiting the top players.

Gundy is not keeping silent about this issue. He has bemoaned the development of NIL, and how it has affected college sports. But it seems that pay for play is here to stay. In May, the NCAA and the power conferences reached a settlement agreement with former college players who were denied the opportunity to earn NIL. The organizations agreed to pay billions to former college players, and that issue is ongoing.

Oklahoma State football looks to win the Big 12 Conference this season

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© SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Cowboys enter the 2024 season as one of the best teams in the Big 12 Conference. The league is changing once again, as Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah now join the league. Texas and Oklahoma are gone.

Oklahoma State football features arguably the best running back in the conference in Ollie Gordon II. Gordon rushed for 1,732 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2023, leading the Cowboys to the Big 12 championship game. Gordon is considered a preseason candidate for the Heisman Trophy. The talented running back is a believer in this year's squad.

“You can tell the team is really hungry,” Gordon said, per ESPN. “We have a lot of returners back and we can't be complacent. I feel like we haven't shown any part of being complacent. We've all been practicing like we haven't been here before and it's been a really great thing.”

Oklahoma State opens its season on August 31 against South Dakota State.