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Only two teams remain in the Pac-12 Conference—the Washington State Cougars and Oregon State Beavers. For years, the Pac-12 had been one of the Power Five conferences. Now, however, many refer to the Power Four, omitting the Pac-12 from the "power" ambit. But, are the Cougars and Beavers still "power" teams? Only time will tell.
This article focuses on the Beavers and their motivation to retain "power" status. A previously published article focused on Wazzu's quest.
Oregon State's 2024 Schedule
Oregon State and Washington State have entered into an interim scheduling partnership with the Mountain West Conference. For the 2024 season, OSU and WSU agreed to pay the MWC $14 million, and in exchange, the Beavers and Cougars will play seven games each against MWC teams. Neither team will be eligible for the MWC championship, and the scheduling partnership might be extended to 2025.
Oregon State's 2024 schedule is:
Aug. 31: Idaho State
Sept. 7: at San Diego State
Sept. 14: Oregon
Sept. 21: Purdue
Oct. 5: Colorado State
Oct. 12: at Nevada
Oct. 19: UNLV
Oct 26: at Cal
Nov. 9: San Jose State
Nov. 16: at Air Force
Nov. 23: Washington State
Nov. 29: at Boise State
QB Ben Gulbranson
Redshirt junior quarterback Ben Gulbranson is slated to resume the starting role for the Beavers in 2024. In 2022, he started eight games under center, leading the Beavers to a 7-1 record in those games. However, he was relegated to a backup role for most of the 2023 season, after DJ Uiagalelei transferred to OSU from Clemson. Gulbranson has put up good numbers when given the opportunity. In 2022, the 6-foot-3 gunslinger completed 121-of-194 passes for 1,455 yards and 9 touchdowns. He also rushed for 52 yards and 5 TDs. He was named the MVP of the 2022 Las Vegas Bowl, in which the Beavers defeated the Florida Gators 30-3.
Beavers' 2024 Prospects
Oregon State finished 2023 with an 8-5 record, including a loss to Notre Dame in the Sun Bowl. The Beavers were No. 19 in the final College Football Playoff rankings and came close to beating Pac-12 champion Washington. They had an impressive 21-7 victory over the Utah Utes in Corvallis, Ore. Coach Jonathan Smith departed for Michigan State, and OSU replaced him with Trent Bray.
According to BetMGM, Oregon State's 2024 win total over/under is 7.5. Hero Sports forecasts the Beavers going over.
According to 247Sports, the Beavers' 2024 transfer class is the 52nd-best of the 134 FBS teams. The incoming transfers will likely play a significant role this year. Running back Jam Griffin and wide receiver Jeremiah Noga are also expected to be major contributors.
After finishing 2023 ranked No. 19, if the Beavers win eight or more games in 2024, it would be unreasonable to regard them as anything other than a "power" team.
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Go Beavs !! 🦫