Oregon State

General Outlook

Oregon State is hoping to reinvigorate its program after a disappointing 2024 season.

The most notable move the Beavers made is bringing in Maalik Murphy, a transfer from Duke, who led the Blue Devils to a 9-3 mark in 2024.

He should provide a spark for OSU’s passing attack, which finished 94th a year ago. The Beavs will also need to improve their pass rush this season to be more competitive.

Even if Oregon State underperforms this year, they’ll be much better than they were last season.

Offense

One of the biggest pitfalls for the Beavers in 2024 was its passing attack. Their lack of aerodynamics was a huge reason why OSU was 5-7 last year.

If Murphy is as good as expected, the Beavs should find themselves with at least a .500 mark in 2024. He threw for 2,933 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions his final season at Duke.

But, frankly, he doesn’t even have to be that good; he just has to be better than Gevani McCoy. McCoy only threw three touchdowns last year.

Another thing working in OSU’s favor is the return a decent amount of production on the offensive side of the ball.

The most notable returner is Trent Walker who had 81 catches, 901 yards, and two touchdowns a season ago. Another wideout to know is Darrius Clemons. The duo of seniors should provide stability at the receiver position.

The guy to look out for though is Anthony Hankerson, who the Beavers last year with 1,082 rushing yards and fifteen touchdowns. He also added 27 catches for 151 yards.

As long as OSU’s offensive line is decent, the offense should improve from 2024. They have a solid center to build around in Van Wells.

Defense

Oregon State must find a way to pressure opposing quarterbacks this season; they finished last in the country with only seven sacks in 2024.

The Beavers are hoping for Takari Hickle to step up this year. Hickle missed the entire 2024 season, but they’ll need him to make plays if their line is going to improve.

He’s playing opposite Nikko Taylor, who led the team with 2.5 sacks last year. Tevita Pome’e complements this duo of defensive ends in the middle.

The lack of pass rush is a key reason why OSU ranked 100th in the nation in points allowed per game.

The rest of the defense is still unknown, but the Beavs return one standout in safety Skyler Thomas. Thomas had 81 tackles, nine deflected passes, and one interception last season.

He’s probably the most talented player Oregon State has on either side of the ball. He’ll need some support from Exodus Ayers at the cornerback position.

The linebacker unit is hoping Raesjon Davis, a transfer from USC, will fill the void left by the departure of Isaiah Chisholm.

Special Teams

Caleb Ojeda is projected to be the Beavers kicker this year, but it’s an open competition.

The punter is still in an ongoing battle between Max Walker and AJ Winsor.

The returners should be some combination of Zachary Card, Salahadin Allah, and maybe Trent Walker.

Projected Game-by-Game Results (9-3)

vs. Cal: Win
vs. Fresno State: Win
at Texas Tech: Loss
at Oregon: Loss
vs. Houston: Win
at Appalachian State: Win
vs. Wake Forest: Win
vs. Lafayette: Win
vs. Washington State: Win
vs. Sam Houston State: Win
at Tulsa: Win
at Washington State: Loss

Bowl Prediction: Holiday Bowl

Washington State

General Outlook

As an alumni of Washington State, I don’t know what to expect out of my Cougars this year—no one does.

WSU got a new Head Coach in Jimmy Rogers, who won a National Championship at the FCS Level with South Dakota State.

Rogers brought in a slew of Jackrabbits with him to Pullman but it remains to be seen if they can be effective at the FBS level. It worked for Curt Cignetti at Indiana last year coming out of James Madison, so who knows?

WSU lost all of their notable names in the off-season with the biggest being quarterback John Mateer to Oklahoma.

This is the most transitional of transition years in the history of transition.

Offense

The biggest thing Coug fans will notice is that Rogers will run the ball. Washington State had been reliant on some form of the air-raid offense for quite awhile, and this should prove to be a stark change on the Palouse.

In terms of personnel, everything is new at the skill positions. Not only did WSU lose Mateer, but they also lost starting running back Wayshawn Parker to Utah.

The Cougars will also be without their top two receivers from last season in Kyle Williams and Kris Hutson.

The only prominent returner in the receiving core is Josh Meredith. Meredith finished with 39 catches, 472 yards, and two touchdowns in 2024. He also performed well in the Apple Cup.

On the offense line, the Cougs return two starters in Brock Dieu and Christian Hilborn. This should provide a bit of stability for an offense that will be much more reliant on the run game.

The new Wazzu coaches are hoping to create space for SDSU transfer running back Angel Johnson as well. Johnson averaged 7.0  per carry at the FCS level. They also brought in Kirby Vorhees at halfback to add depth.

Zevi Eckhaus will be the starting quarterback for Washington State. Eckhaus performed well in the Holiday Bowl against Syracuse last year but that’s only one game.

Prior to joining WSU, Eckhaus played for Bryant, where he threw for 2,907 yards, 28 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in his last season with the Bulldogs.

Defense

The defense will also make a stylistic change this year, but it will probably be less obvious to the casual fan. Washington State will switch from a 4-2-5 base to a 4-3 base, which is a more traditional scheme.

In terms of the players, Rogers brought over a bunch of South Dakota State guys on this side of the ball. The Cougars also return a small amount of production on defense, so it could prove a nice mix.

The most notable returners are linebackers Parker McKenna and Keith Brown, and corner Jamorri Colson.

Outside of Colson, the rest of the secondary is a bunch of Jackrabbits who are hoping to make an impact at the FBS level.

The line also has some returners in Raam Stevenson, Isaac Terrell and Bryson Lamb. They will be joined by another SDSU transfer Max Baloun at defensive tackle.

The last notable player is Caleb Francl who proved an impressive linebacker for South Dakota State.

Special Teams

Even the Cougs’ kicker is a transfer from SDSU in Jack Stevens, who has only attempted one field goal at the collegiate level.

Ryan Harris should be the Cougars punter this season.

Tony Freeman and Tucker Large will likely be the returners.

Projected Game-by-Game Results (7-5)

vs. Idaho: Win
vs. San Diego State: Win
at North Texas: Win
vs. Washington: Loss
at Colorado State: Win
at Mississippi: Loss
at Virginia: Loss
vs. Toledo: Win
at Oregon State: Loss
vs. Louisiana Tech: Win
at James Madison: Loss
vs. Oregon State: Win

Bowl Projection: Sun Bowl