Kickoff is just around the corner

- It is less than a week until the Oregon State football team kicksoff its 2008 season.  Predictions about the game are starting to come out.

Travis Rice of The Bleacher Report predicts a 30-17 OSU victory stating. “Stanford will have trouble moving the ball in its early season games, and OSU’s versatility and athleticism on offense will give the veteran defense fits.”

Thirty points by the Beaver offense?  I highly doubt it, but I certainly would take it.  On the other hand Stanford may expect OSU to come out conservative but a bomb to Sammie or a fake reverse to Rodgers or Johnson could really loosen things up.

- BlogCritics.org published a quick breakdown of the Pac-10.  Their summary is on target, “A rough early schedule could end things before they start with a team that will need a little time to jell. Three road games in their first five, including matchups against USC and on the road versus Penn State and Utah will give this team either a good head start or an insurmountable road block.”

- Rebuild or reload? Jeff Contizano weighs in with his take a gives Mike Riley some respect writing, “Other teams do a great job with the guys they recruit.  Many coaches, like Mike Riley of Oregon State, have been applauded for their efforts with the “lower quality” or “leftover” recruits in places like California and Florida.”

 - The Beavers are still a three point favorite according to Vegas odds makers.

Washington Times – Beavs at No. 32

Patrick Stevens of the Washington Times had this to say about the Beavers in his most recent blog post:

32. Oregon State. It never ceases to amaze just how overlooked the Beavers are. They’re considered in a lot of places a mid-pack Pac-10 team, and they might just have another slow start in them this year. But they’ll be as good as anyone in the conference not named Southern California once late October arrives and will wind up with eight or nine wins again.

Mike Riley is really an unheralded coach, and the accomplishment of winning nine games last year without a consistent quarterback is impressive. Sure, a stout defense (the nation’s best against the run) was gutted by graduation, but the offense should be able to make up for some of it even if Yvenson Bernard no longer will anchor the backfield.

Check back in on the Beavers starting with that Thursday night game at Utah. They might stumble out of it at 2-3, but it shouldn’t stop them from securing an 8-4 record and a trip to another mid-tier bowl.”

Despite the sixth place predicted finish by the Pac-10 media several other media members from Sports Illustrated (No. 18 ) to the Washington TImes (No .32, but a favorable write up) are recognizing the Beavers accomplishments the last two years. 

It is kind of weird; there are very high expectations and very low expectations for the team.  This is truly a year where the predictions run the gamat.

I just hope none of the postive press goes the team’s heads because usually when the Beavs are predicted to do good they fall flat on their faces. 

Give me the underdog, no one gives us respect mentality every year and almost every year the Black and Orange will finish with a winning record and a bowl game.

And back to the Washington Times blog post, check out his thoughts at No. 33 Utah, the Beavers opponent in October.

Big 10 sounds like the Pac-10 – except the Pac-10 wins bowl games

It is funny to read ESPN.com’s Big 10 blog about how the rest of the Big 10 needs to close the gap to Ohio State.  Sounds familiar, huh?

One thing that the Big 10 doesn’t have in common with the Pac-10 is bowl wins.  The Big 10 has a four game losing streak, while the Pac-10 had a what generally was regarded as a mediocre year in which 4 of 6 teams won their bowl games – which ain’t too shabby.

It is nice to know that a win over Oregon State isn’t seen as a given by Big 10 fans.

“Penn State’s schedule doesn’t grade too high on degree of difficulty, but a home win against Oregon State would help the league’s profile.”

The sentence would almost work for Oregon State, how about “Oregon State’s schedule is one of the toughest in the nation and a win over Penn State on the road would help OSU’s profile while solidifying the Pac-10’s success against non-conference foes.”

The Pac-10 in general has a great non-conference record.  Last the year the 10 teams posted a 25-12 (.676) record against non-conference opponents.

Penn St., Utah games make most intriguing non-conference games

The Penn State/Oregon State game is getting a lot of positive press which means not only will Nittany Lion and Beaver fans be tuning in, but a lot bunch of the rest of the country. The fact that it is on ABC helps as well.

A poster from The Bleacher Report put the PSU/OSU matchup at #25 and the OSU/UT matchup at #21. Here’s what he had to say:

“25. Oregon State at Penn State
This will be the first ever meeting between these two schools. In what will likely be a defensive battle, with the Penn State defense always playing tough and the Oregon State defense leading the nation in rushing defense and ranking eighth in total defense last season, Coach Mike Riley will have to find some offense in this game if the Beavers have any chance of winning.

21. Oregon State at Utah
These teams met in last years season opener and Utah left Corvallis with not only a loss but an injured starting quarterback and running back who would miss the entire season. This season the Utes are looking to make a statement (and keep their starters healthy) when the Beavers come to Salt Lake City.”

Also of Pac-10 note BYU/UW, Fresno State/UCLA, OU/UW, UO/Purdue, Michigan State/Cal, Notre Dame/UW, Georgia/ASU and USC/Ohio State (the top choice) made the list.