Pac-12 North: Separating the contenders from the pretenders

Sep 19, 2015; Corvallis, OR, USA; Oregon State Beavers quarterback Seth Collins (4) throws the ball to Oregon State Beavers tight end Noah Togiai (81) as San Jose State Spartans defensive tackle Nate Falo (57) defends at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports

Oregon State Beavers

I picked the Beavers as the best bet to eclipse their over/under win total set by oddsmakers in the preseason. While I am feeling less confident in that pick after the disaster in Ann Arbor, Michigan, it is still not looking too bad. After just three weeks, Oregon State has two wins, needing just three more the rest of the way. However, it is clear that Gary Andersen will not be able to turn this program around right away.

Last year the Beavers had a terrible offense, ranking dead last in the conference in scoring. They were also last in third down conversion rate. A new coach in Andersen was supposed to fix some of those problems by using a more physical rushing attack, and while the ground game has not been all that bad at 4.8 yards per attempt, in the one game against a power five opponent, that power rushing game collapsed. Oregon State ran 33 times for just 59 yards against Michigan, as the Wolverines prevailed in the battle of first year head coaches.

The Beavers host the physically bruising Stanford Cardinal in week four, and barring some coaching shenanigans from Cardinal head coach David Shaw(always a possibility), Oregon State is looking at another long day. If they cannot handle the physicality of the Wolverines, there is no way they will hold up against Stanford. That will put the Beavers at 0-1 right off the bat, and the schedule never lightens up much. Games against Arizona, UCLA, Oregon, Utah, and the Cal Golden Bears still remain.

Overall, this program is going to get turned around by Andersen, but it is not happening this year.

Verdict: Pretender

Next: Washington State Cougars