Not much went right for Oregon State a season ago.
Playing in a conference with just two teams, Oregon State went 2-10 overall, beating FCS Lafayette and then managing to beat fellow Pac-12 Washington State at home.
That led to some coaching changes going into this season. JaMarcus Shephard, formerly a co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Alabama, will lead the Beavers into a new era in the Pac-12.
But considering all of that change, will OSU be competitive?
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Oregon State Season Preview
The Beavers have enough talent on both sides of the ball to at least give some Pac-12 teams issues. But they will need better play out of the quarterback position if they want to be competitive.
Maalik Murphy In Quarterback Battle
Maalik Murphy is back for the Beavers after being the starting quarterback for most of last season. But he’s competing with a couple others for the 2026 starting role.
Murphy threw for 1,805 yards and nine touchdowns with eight interceptions on a 58% completion rate while rushing for another TD.
He’s going up against a pair of transfers. Braden Atkinson arrives at OSU after winning the Jerry Rice Award, which goes to the best freshman in the FCS, in 2025 while at Mercer. He threw for 3,596 yards, 34 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while completing 66% of his passes last year.
Western Michigan transfer Brady Jones is also in the mix. He played in five games last year and completed 19 of 40 throws for 136 yards and a TD. That was after playing at Riverside Community College for two years.
Oregon State’s Offensive Playmakers
The Beavers could have some explosiveness on offense.
Cornell Hatcher Jr. is back at running back after rushing for 292 yards and two touchdowns with a 5.6 yards-per-carry average in 2025.
UTRGV transfer Xayvion Noland was a second-team All-Southland wide receiver last year after ranking fourth in the FCS with a 22.46 yards-per-reception average. He totaled 831 yards and seven touchdowns a season ago.
Eric Olsen transferred to OSU from Utah Tech and caught 52 passes for 583 yards and two touchdowns in 2025.
As for the offensive line, Nathan Elu and Tyler Voltin both return after each starting seven games. Louisville transfer Carter Guillaume is also expected to make an impact.
Oregon State’s Defensive Talent
After allowing 379.8 yards and 29.4 points per game last season, Oregon State should be drastically improved on that side of the ball.
Takari Hickle is back at EDGE after racking up 37 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks and five QB hurries.
At linebacker, Aiden Sullivan returns after totaling 72 tackles, seven TFLs, a sack and three forced fumbles in 2025. Dylan Layne arrives at OSU after recording 137 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, a sack, an interception and 16 pass breakups after four years at Idaho. Raesjon Davis, a former USC transfer who missed most of last season due to injury, also returns.
OSU’s secondary could also be pretty solid. Trey Glasper and Sailasa Vadrawale III both return after gaining a lot of starting experience last year. In 2025, Vadrawale recorded 31 tackles, an interception and five pass breakups while Glasper added 23 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, an interception and five pass breakups.
Oregon State’s 2026 Schedule
- 9/5 @ Houston
- 9/12 vs. Texas Tech
- 9/19 vs. Montana
- 9/26 @ UTEP
- 10/3 @ Colorado State
- 10/10 vs. San Diego State
- 10/17 vs. Washington State
- 10/31 @ Fresno State
- 11/7 vs. Texas State
- 11/14 @ Boise State
- 11/21 vs. Utah State
- 11/28 Flex Game
Bold indicates Pac-12 contests
Oregon State’s Pac-12 Title Betting Odds
Oregon State’s college football betting odds to win the conference are +2000, via BetMGM. Boise State is the favorite at +135.
Oregon State’s Betting Odds & Over/Under Win Total
- Oregon State’s win total Over/Under is 4.5.
- The Under is at -135
- The Over is at +110
Oregon State Season Prediction
I predict Oregon State won’t win the Pac-12 Championship but will go Over 4.5 wins.
I expect the Beavers are going to be a bit more competitive than people give them credit for. Now, I don’t know if they’ll be in the conference championship picture even by the end of October, but I think OSU is going to have a different energy than it did in the past.
I believe OSU can go 2-2 in non-conference play with wins vs. Montana – though that’s a really solid FCS program – and at UTEP. From there, the Beavers just need three wins in conference play. I think the home clash against Utah State is winnable, as is the road game against Colorado State. I also think OSU will win another home conference game in surprising fashion, whether that’s against Pac-2 rival Washington State or even against Texas State if the Beavers can slow down the Bobcats’ offense.
I don’t know if the Beavers will be bowl-eligible. But even five wins would be a massive improvement for this program.
