Pac-12 Preview: Oregon Or Stanford In The North?
By Jason Gold
Nov 16, 2013; Tempe, AZ, USA; Oregon State Beavers quarterback Sean Mannion (4) makes a pass during the second half of the game against Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. The Devils defeated the Beavers 30-17. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
Reasons Why They Will Win: Oregon State is in a tough position because they have to deal with Stanford and Oregon. The Beavers are a solid program with a really good coach in Mike Riley and a very talented QB in Sean Mannion. The early schedule for Oregon State is simple and they should be at least 5-1 by the time they have to go to Stanford in late October. If Oregon and Stanford somehow fall of their pedestal, OSU is the next team in line. However, it’s incredibly unlikely. The Beavers could be the third or fourth best team in the Pac-12 if all goes according to plan, which means Mannion is a Heisman candidate and they score a victory over Stanford or Oregon.
Reasons Why They Won’t Win: There’s almost too much pressure on Mannion to carry the team this year. Oregon State lost the best receiver in the country in Brandin Cooks and have trouble along both the offensive and defensively lines. They’re going to score points, but they don’t have the big play ability from Cooks that carried the team for parts of the season last year. Mannion is talented enough to be in the Heisman conversation, but there’s not enough around him, nor is the defense good enough, to lead the Beavers to a Pac-12 crown. A Holiday or Alamo Bowl appearance this season would have to be considered a success.
Best Case Record: 9-3
Worst Case Record: 7-5