Oregon State football a surprise Pac-12 contender in 2020

How will Oregon State football fare in 2020?

Oregon State are in the position for wins and competing in the Pac-12 they have been in years. They will need to have a solid year in conference play if they want to potentially play in their first bowl game since 2013.

If the Pac-12 conference continues on the path of conference-only play, the Beavers will need to stay consistent. The schedule will be projected to include non-conference games as if the 2020 season is normal.

Here is the breakdown of the schedule for the Beavers in 2020.

• Game 1: vs. California (L) – The Beavers are in a tough three-game streak of highly productive Pac-12 conference opponents.
• Game 2: vs. UCLA (W) – The Beavers are in much better shape against a Bruins team that has not found a way to utilize their talented players.
• Game 3: at Utah (L) – While the Utes are not expected to the powerhouse team they were last season in the conference, they will have no problems beating the Beavers in Salt Lake City.
• Game 4: vs. Oregon (L) – The Beavers finish their season in a tough loss to their rival team expected to make a hard push for the College Football Playoff.
• Game 5: at Washington (L) – Containing a potential dangerous pass rush of the Huskies will be tough for the Beavers to deal with in this potentially close game.
• Game 6: vs. Arizona (W) – The Wildcats have no offensive playmakers to make a significance against the Beavers’ developing defense.
• Game 7: at Stanford (W) – Oregon State will be a more determined team to win matchups in multiple positions especially with the Cardinal on a decline.
• Game 8: vs. Washington State (W) – With the Cougars in the middle of a serious rebranding procedure as Oregon State is coming out of it.
• Game 9: at Colorado (W) – Mel Tucker is gone and Colorado is in major rebuild mode.
• Game 10: at Arizona State (L) – The Sun Devils are looking to make the Beavers’ ability to drive the ball difficult with their highly efficient scoring defense.

Prediction: 5-5

The Beavers are on a solid path to becoming a successful team that can compete for a bowl. This has been the closest the Beavers have close to a six-win season since 2014 before this past season.

If the Pac-12 does continue its policies of conference games only, it will much more difficult for Oregon State to go to a bowl game.

They will need help from the conference to include other games such as USC and Colorado to get a bowl. The potential game versus USC will be difficult but the game against Colorado will be much more manageable.

Oregon State has a lot of potential on the offensive side of the ball to be a highly-efficient scoring offense. Jermar Jefferson has the potential to be a highly established running back since Jacquizz Rodgers.

They will need to figure out who their starting quarterback will be soon. All signs point towards Tristan Gebbia as the starter. It will take time for the Beavers to create as much impact as Isaiah Hodges but Oregon State has arousal of potential high-powered receivers.

Defensively, it is very likely that the Beavers will continue their improvement in 2020. The linebacking corps will be the anchor of the defense. For Oregon State to become a surprise team in the Pac-12, they will need more productive from the pass rush and efficiency in the secondary.