Oregon State Beavers:

Oregon State enters a complete rebuild after a pair of strong seasons that saw the program win 18 games. Jonathan Smith left for Michigan State in the offseason, and most of the team that went 8-5 departed in some form or fashion. Trent Bray – last season’s defensive coordinator – has just five players back from last season. Needless to say, the Beavers are building from the ground up in 2024.

Offense

The Beavers will be a complete enigma in 2024. The top two from each major offensive category – passing, rushing and receiving – are gone. Ben Gulbranson returns at quarterback after a season in which he attempted five passes for Oregon State. He will compete with transfers Gabarri Johnson (Missouri) and Gevani McCoy (Idaho) for the starting job.

 

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Bray hit the portal at almost every position. At running back, he brought in Anthony Hankerson from Colorado. Hankerson ran for 319 yards and averaged 4.1 yards per attempt in his time at Colorado and will likely take the starting job. The top four receivers departed in the offseason as well. Michigan transfer Darrius Clemons is expected to be the team’s top target.

Oregon State was a top-30 offense last season. It finished 28th in EPA per play (0.171) and 18th in EPA per rush. New offensive coordinator Ryan Gunderson does not have much at his disposal, and it is safe to assume a massive dropoff from Oregon State this season.

Defense

The defense was not as effective as the offense last season, but the Beavers still finished 43rd in opponent EPA per play. While the architect of that unit remains on as head coach, the personnel does not. In fact, only a single starter from that group returns this season.

Defensive line is being completely rebuilt. Bray brought in five transfers to bolster the position. Josh Griffis, Tevita Pome’e and Tygee Hill are the high-profile names that come in from Power Five programs. The same goes for the linebacker position, which lost its four starters from last season as well. An entirely new front seven does not bode well for this team’s rush defense in 2024.

Noble Thomas is the lone returning player in the secondary for Oregon State. The nickel corner posted a 63.8 PFF coverage grade last season. He is the only piece with familiarity of Bray’s system.

Outlook

Things are not always as bad as they seem in college football, but the state of Oregon State’s football program seems bleak. The Beavers could be better than expected though, and that is due to their schedule. They do face Oregon, UNLV and Boise State, but two of the three – Oregon and UNLV – will make the trip to Corvallis. Road trips for the team are at San Diego State, Nevada, Cal and Air Force as well. If Bray can get the most out of this squad, a bowl is possible. However, eight wins seems like a big ask for a team with this many changes on the roster.

Pick: Under 7.5 Wins

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