CFB Futures – 2024 Oregon State Beavers Win Total Odds

Things kind of blew up in a hurry for the Oregon State Beavers, who were one of two teams left out of the recent wave of college football realignment when the Pac-12 imploded. With no teams to play the new Pac-12 (minus the 1) joined forces with the Mountain West Conference in a scheduling deal. The level of opposition on the 2024 slate may not be as strong but OSU probably won’t be as strong either. A number of starters exited the program and after winning 25 games the last three seasons, head coach Jonathan Smith bolted for the Big Ten. Former Beavers linebacker and assistant coach Trent Bray was handed the keys to direct the program through an uncertain time

Regular Season Wins for the Oregon State Beavers

Over 7.5 ( +106 )

Under 7.5 ( -126 )

Through no fault of its own other than being a small-market Power program, Oregon State got a raw deal in last year’s realignment. Some have said a Mountain West schedule is perfect for the Beavers, but recent results proved they could compete in the Pac-12. Two years ago the Beavers won 10 games for the first time since 2006 and just the third time in program history. With lofty expectations entering last season the Beavers won eight games. Through all the changes and all the turmoil, the Beavers are good enough to win that many games again, which would cash the OVER on their projected win total of 7.5 at BetMGM. 

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Roster

I guess it’s a good thing Bray is heavily invested in the program since there is a lot of work ahead of him. Offensively the Beavers weren’t bad averaging nearly 410 yards of offense and scoring 31.8 points per game. Reaching those numbers in 2024 will be difficult, though, with all their playmakers gone. Last year D.J. Uiagalelei was the undisputed QB1 with Aidan Chiles the heir apparent. Uiagalelei led an efficient offense but elected to transfer, as did Chiles and leading rusher Damien Martinez and a host of other players. 

To have an offense you need a quarterback and right now the Beavers don’t have one. They actually have a few capable players, but none of them have taken control of the position, at least not publicly. A veteran of the program Ben Gulbranson is the safe choice. He’s played in 13 games during his career and threw for 1,455 yards and nine touchdowns in 2022. However, new coordinator Ryan Gunderson prefers a dual-threat option and Idaho transfer Gevani McCoy is better suited for the role. McCoy needs to prove he can adjust from the FCS level and if he can’t Missouri transfer Gabarri Johnson could take the reins. 

There were major losses all over the place including along the offensive line. That and the departure of Martinez means there could be difficulties running the football. That doesn’t mean the Beavs won’t do it, though, and they have workhorses to tote the rock. Jam Griffin is back after a season at Ole Miss. He rushed for 488 yards and four TDs for the Beavs in 2022. Colorado transfer Anthony Hankerson can also pick up some slack running and catching out of the backfield.

There are the same issues on the defensive side of the ball with players exiting the program. In the big picture the portal was a loss, but it didn’t come without a few rewards. Kobe Singleton might be the best player in this unit coming over from Liberty where he had six picks and 24 PBUs the last two years. The secondary should be a strength as long as the front seven can manage some pressure. The line was overhauled but linebacker depth is a plus with the group among the most talented on the team.

Schedule

Through everything the Beavers and Ducks kept their annual rivalry game, which is a likely loss considering their trajectory. Overall, though, the slate is manageable and OSU should hang in their seven games against MWC opponents. Following an opening day encounter with FCS Idaho State, the Beavers get their first look at their new potential conference mates at San Diego State in Week 2. For many reasons the Oregon game is the biggest and there’s a date with former Pac-12 rival Cal in Week 9. The closing stretch against Washington State and at Boise State is probably the most difficult.

Prediction

There are just too many moving parts to consider the Beavers an eight-win team making the UNDER a CFB best bet. It’s one thing to rebuild one position or one side of the football, but doing the entire club takes a lot of effort. Though the schedule seems more manageable, the talent dip probably puts OSU at the same level as the best MWC teams, so those games likely go either way. And I don’t expect the Beavs to be as efficient in the red zone as they were last season when they scored on all but one of their 42 trips. Virtually everything has to go right just to win eight games and that never happens.

Bet the Oregon State Win Total at BetMGM