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At the end of each game week, the BeaversEdge.com staff will give its predictions for Oregon State's matchup!

With the Oregon State Beavers (4-3) set to square off with Cal (3-4) on Saturday afternoon, BeaversEdge Publisher Brenden Slaughter, recruiting analyst Dylan Callaghan-Croley, and writers T.J. Mathewson and Ryan Harlan give their two cents on the matchup and who's going to come out on top!

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The oddsmakers in Vegas are not big on the Beavers snapping a two-game skid heading into the bye week, as Oregon State sits as a 10.5-point underdog heading down to Berkeley this weekend.

In defense of them, it's not crazy at all to say the Golden Bears, coming off a four-game skid of their own, should be 7-0 instead of 3-4, losing their previous four games by a combined nine points.

What about the game on the field? Well the Beavers should feel pretty good about the improved defensive performance they had a week ago against a more dynamic UNLV team, and they should hope it carries onto the road.

The secondary will still not have Jaden Robinson this week against a Cal passing attack that is ranked in the top half of the country and had a great performance against a Trent Bray defense a season ago.

On the other side of the ball, the Beavers rushing attack will clash with a stingy Cal run defense, so we'll have to see a little bit more on the plate of Gevani McCoy for the Beavers to succeed offensively.

Do the Beavers have enough in the tank to repeat last year's performance? Frankly, I don't think so.

PREDICTION: Cal 35, Oregon State 21

TJ's season record: 5-2

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Let me first say, I wouldn't be surprised if Oregon State won this game, I believe there is an avenue to doing so. That being said, I think its overall a poor matchup for the Beavers.

While the Cal rushing attack as a whole isn't too scary, running back Jaivian Thomas has been spectacular this season averaging 6.2 yards per carry and totaling over 400 yards on just 70 carries. Combine that with a Beavers run defense that has struggled for the majority of the season, and it could be a big day for Thomas on the ground.

The Cal passing attack is interesting, there's not one guy that overly scares you but all the parts equal quite a strong sum when put together and that starts with quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

He's not anything spectacular, but he's an efficient quarterback who has the arm to push the ball down field, if this game turns into one that will be decided through the air, the Golden Bears have a significant advantage. While the Beavers are getting a bit healthier, the secondary still isn't as healthy as they would like it to be as well, which creates an interesting matchup on Saturday when it comes to Cal's passing attack vs Oregon State's rushing attack.

The Beavers did have a promising performance against UNLV a week ago but this Cal team despite the record is one I would probably take over the Rebels if they were to go head-to-head.

Being on the road, even if California Memorial Stadium isn't the toughest play to play is always hard as well. Historcially since 2020, the Beavers have struggled as underdogs on the road with just a 2-7 record while Cal has taken care of business in the same timespan as a home favorite, with a 12-3 record.

PREDICTION: Cal 31 - Oregon State 20

Dylan's season record: 6-1

This game feels like a tough one for the Beavers...

Oregon State wasn't great when we last saw them on the road against Nevada, and Cal is going to be laying everything on the line for a win.

While I don't see this as an unwinnable matchup for Oregon State by any stretch, I think Cal will be very motivated and hungry to end their frustrating four-game slide, which has come by all of seven points.

Cal improved from a season ago, and considering that they gave the Beavers a really tough game in Berkeley last year, they're certainly going to be a challenge for the Beavers to deal with on Saturday.

However, working in the Beavers' favor, where is Cal at right now mentally? They sat 3-0 and looked like one of the surprise teams, only to have four heartbreaking losses at the hands of Florida State, Miami, Pittsburgh, and most recently, NC State.

Will the Bears be pressing too hard and could that be something that ultimately helps OSU? Potentially, but it won't be something known until the game kicks off.

Despite a 10-point spread, I do feel that this is a winnable game for the Beavers if things go right. However, considering their injuries and inconsistent play the past couple of weeks, I don't have a ton of confidence in them on the road, albeit in a non-intense environment.

If the Beaver defense builds on last week, and the offense finds some consistency I could 100% see them stealing this one on the road, but I think Cal's defense and ground game with Jaydn Ott and Javian Thomas is set up to give the Beavers some fits on both sides of the ball.

PREDICTION - Cal 31, Oregon State 28

Brenden's season record: 6-1