Ah yes, the Pac 2 Conference rides for one more season. We didn’t know you for long, but you sure are going out with a bang. In what feels like a celebration of life, Washington and Oregon State have graciously scheduled a home-and-home with each other in November. Before the conference rebuilds and add the likes of Boise State and Texas State, consider this a love letter to the little conference that could.
Welcome to our final conference preview of the preseason!
Oregon State Beavers
2024 in Review
After Jonathan Smith left his alma mater for more stable ground in the Big Ten, many expected a true year zero for newly promoted head man Trent Bray, especially after many of the star players portaled out. With uncertainty abounding on and off the field, a 4-1 start was a welcomed surprise, but reality set in after an upset loss to Nevada kick-started a five-game losing streak. There was a glimmer of hope at the end of the season, however, as the Beavers mustered an upset of Washington State in the battle of Pac 12 holdouts to stop the bleeding and infuse the program with confidence for the future.
Key Storylines
Maalik Murphy transferred in to take over at QB, providing a much-needed higher ceiling at the position. The former four star will be on his third school after beginning his career at Texas and transferring to Duke last season. With the Blue Devils, the talent certainly flashed, but taking care of the football was a serious issue. Murphy threw the ball to the other team 12 times in his 12 starts last year, and will need to get that under control to fully reach his high potential.
Anthony Hankerson is the star of the offense after posting 1082 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground last year. The talented back would have been highly sought after had he entered his name in the portal, but Hankerson, and several other key skill position players like leading receiver Trent Walker, opted to continue playing in Corvallis, giving Murphy plenty of weapons to work with.
The defense will need to find its identity after struggling mightily last year, especially during the 1-6 finish. They finished the year giving up the most points per game and yards per play since 2020, and while the numbers against the pass don’t look too bad, that bright spot comes mostly from the fact that opponents enjoyed great success running the ball. This year, six starters return, highlighted by safety Skyler Thomas and LB Nikko Taylor, so there should be some natural improvement, but they absolutely must find someone to rush the passer. The Beavers mustered just seven sacks all year, dead last in the country.
The Schedule at a Glance
The Beavers’ 2025 slate feels like a great mix of “should win” games to build confidence and challenging ones to give us a good gauge of the state of the program. Oregon State will welcome three P4 foes, Cal, Houston, and Wake Forest (plus Washington State), to Corvallis and hit the road to face two more in Texas Tech and Oregon (plus, again, Washington State to complete the home and home). There’s also an intriguing road trip to Boone, NC to face off against an App State squad starting over under new leadership. All told, there will be no shortage of intrigue on this quasi-independent, hastily-thrown-together ledger.
Over/Under Projection: 6.5
If we assume a split of the home-and-home with Wazzu and home wins over Fresno State, Lafayette, and Sam Houston, I think there’s enough juice on this roster to find three more wins and hit the over.
Washington State Cougars
2024 in Review
What a wild ride it was on The Palouse last season. Wazzu started 8-1 and Trey was stoking the flames for an outside shot at the playoff. But then the wheels fell off and the Cougars crashed in their final four games. To make matters more frustrating, their star QB, RB, and top two WRs all left via the carousel, portal, or draft. But fear not, Cougars Nation, the night is always darkest before the dawn. Jimmy Rogers enters stage left.
Key Storylines
How does Rogers and Co. adjust to the FBS level. Rogers, his staff, and 15 new Cougars all headed west after enjoying enormous success at South Dakota State. The Jack Rabbits won the national championship in Rogers’ first season (2023) and were elite again last season, making it to the semi-finals and finishing 5th in the country in defense. Washington State has one final year in this two-team shadow conference before the Pac 12 rises from the ashes. Realistically, Rogers has the chance to get his feet under him before chasing conference championships in 2026 and beyond.
QB1 is…? Zevi Eckhaus showed that he has what it takes to lead the Cougars in 2025, but Julian Duggar is right on his heels. The Pitt transfer (and native) joined the program this spring and is already showing off his dual threat ability. It’s hard to predict a Cam Ward or John Mateer-like performance from either player, but there is undeniably something in the water on The Palouse that brings success to QBs.
Will the defense establish an identity? Rogers is a defensive guy by nature, and he might have a blank canvas with which to build his ideal unit. Along with several transfers from South Dakota State, Rogers also has returners like LB Parker McKenna and Keith Brown to work with. The Cougars were dreadful at preventing touchdowns last season, giving up nearly 30 points per game. Rogers has his work cut out for him, but we think they’ve got the right man for the job.
The Schedule at a Glance
The schedule is loaded with coin flips. Idaho, San Diego State, and Washington are all at home in the first four week, but early road trips to North Texas, Colorado State, Ole Miss, and Virginia lurk. The Cougars finally return home to host Toledo, Louisiana Tech, and Oregon State to close the year. Don’t forget, Wazzu and the Beavs have a home-and-home scheduled: in Corvallis on November 1st, in Pullman on November 29th.
Over/Under Projection: 5.5 wins
While there is a ton of transition and both sides of the ball will need to find new X-factors, we’re waving Ole Crimson and picking the Cougars to find their way into a bowl game.
Thanks for reading! Make sure you’re subscribed to get our coverage of the 2025 season delivered directly to your inbox!
Share this post