Another week, another AP Top 25 that people find reasons to complain about. I typically don’t have much difficulty agreeing with the critics, but even I have to take exception on occasion, and this time around unfortunately has me doing so against an underdog we all know and love: Oregon State.
I feel gross just typing it, but it’s true; the Oregon State Beavers are getting more praise than they deserve, and they should not be ranked. But how could I say that, right? I mean, have I not seen their stellar offense and admirable winning streak? Yes, I’ve seen it all. The problem is everyone else’s failure to realize just how little that stuff weighs, and it’s thanks to one simple flaw—America has forgotten that OSU is a G6 program.
That may sound silly, but hear me out. Who would you say has gotten the most grief for being ranked with no quality wins? I assume your mind would go to Notre Dame. Now tell me, whom all have the Fighting Irish beaten? They beat Wisconsin, Rice, Michigan State, Purdue, UNC, and Stanford—all FBS, all beaten by double-digit margins. Of those six victims, four currently sit with three wins or more.
Now let’s look at Oregon State’s résumé. How many FBS teams have the Beavers beaten? Only four. How many of them have three wins or more today? One (3-4 San Diego State). Meanwhile, two of the other three are 1-6.
So, while I applaud the Beavers for disabling their foes handily, I’m hardly exaggerating when I say it’s one of the weakest batches of wins I’ve ever witnessed, and it makes "unproven" Notre Dame’s look like the NFL Playoffs. Especially when you’re G6 and have to punch all the higher to stand out, how would a run that weak earn you roses?
“But Austin, that’s unfair. You can’t judge them via comparison to a completely different program in a spot nowhere near what we’re asking for!” Alrighty then, how’s about we compare the Beavers to Boise State then? After all, the Broncos are also from the Pac-12, and are ranked rather low (21), standing as the G6’s only ranked institution.
Let’s see, Boise State is on just as big of a winning streak (five games), has a statistically dominant offense of its own, has beaten significantly better competition, and only has one loss by a single possession while Oregon State has two losses by two possessions…and remember, in spite of all those perks, the Broncos are the only ranked G6 squad, and they’re not even in the top 20. Does that make the Beavers' case sound any better?
I love what Oregon State’s done, but I also believe we need to understand how heavily it’s feasted on the frail, and how little good that does a team its size. There may be room for the Beavers later, but not right now, and considering how high of expectations we seem to hold everyone else to, I can live with that.
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