2015
Oregon State
College Football
Betting Preview
Schedule and Odds
Oregon State is in complete rebuild mode with a new set of coaches to lead the way. Gary Andersen made an unexpected move to Corvallis after two seasons with Wisconsin. He brings in DC Kalani Sitake and OC Dave Baldwin, both of whom have worked with Andersen at Utah and Utah State, respectively. The Beavers are extremely young and a bowl Game may not be expected just yet.
After losing Sean Mannion, the quarterback position has been nailed down to two guys, freshman Seth Collins and redshirt freshman Nick Mitchell. Collins had the leg up in the spring Game showing his versatility, tossing for 208 yards and two TDs as well as 74 yards on the ground. Andersen is implementing a new up-tempo, spread offense to the group, but with young QBs, the change shouldn’t be a huge deal.
The Beavers are at least returning some of their biggest playmakers with senior Storm Woods (766 yards) expected to be a focal point out of the backfield. Collins will have the experienced Victor Bolden (798 yards) and Jordan Villamin (6 TDs) to work with at receiver. To help lessen the growing pains of a new QB, the offense returns all five starters to the line, which should be a big boost.
Even with a new quarterback, the defensive side could be the bigger question for this team. They only return two starters from a below-average group from last year that allowed 31.6 points per Game. OSU will be using a new 3-4 base scheme that will feature plenty of young and inexperienced talent. However, due to the young players, the change to a new scheme hasn’t been too difficult and the defense has been in control for much of the spring. Granted, they’re facing off against a slew of freshmen quarterbacks, but it is still good to see young players stepping up at every level. But, it’s not like this defense is going to be the best in the Pac-12 any time soon.
Due to a couple easy non-Conference Games, Oregon State should at least start the season with a winning record, although getting a win at Michigan may be a stretch. Surpassing last year’s 2-7 Conference record will be the goal for 2015. The Beavers open against Stanford and then have to travel to Arizona and Washington State. None of their road Games will be all that favorable with Utah, Cal and Oregon remaining. The best chances for OSU to grab some wins will be in home Games against Colorado and Washington. To make it to a bowl Game, they’ll likely need at least one upset on the road with Washington State being the best shot.
If the Beavers can’t win in Ann Arbor, reaching six wins will be tough. Expect roughly five wins again in a rebuilding year for Andersen’s first season.
2015 Oregon State Football Schedule
Sept. 4 vs. Weber State
Sept. 12 at Michigan
Sept. 19 vs. San Jose State
Sept. 25 vs. Stanford
Oct. 10 at Arizona
Oct. 17 at Washington State
Oct. 24 vs. Colorado
Oct. 31 at Utah
Nov. 7 vs. UCLA
Nov. 14 at California
Nov. 21 vs. Washington
Nov. 28 at Oregon