Published Jul 2, 2019
Oregon State Football Opponent Preview: Oklahoma State
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Brenden Slaughter  •  BeaversEdge
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With Oregon State's 2019 season on the horizon, BeaversEdge.com is introducing all 12 of Oregon State's 2019 opponents in July. Today, we take a look at Oregon State's season opening matchup against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

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The Game

Date: Friday, August 30th

Time: 7:30 PM PT

Location: Corvallis, Ore.

TV: FS1

Betting Line: -16.5 Oklahoma State

Oddshark Prediction: Oregon State 20, Oklahoma State 38

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Oregon State 2018 record: 2-10 (1-8 Pac-12)

Oklahoma State 2018 record: 7-6 (3-6 Big 12, but finished the season with a 38-33 win over Missouri in the Liberty Bowl)

Oklahoma State 2018 Recap

By Oklahoma State standards, last season was a bit of a down year for Mike Gundy and company.

After posting three straight 10 win seasons in 2015, 2016, and 2017, the Cowboys took a step back last season, going just 7-6 overall, including a 3-6 mark in Big-12 play.

While the Cowboys won their bowl game against Missouri to claim a winning mark on the season, it was a a tough transition year as they lost a ton of talent from their 2017 squad.

It's also worth noting that four of their six losses were by seven points or less, hinting that they could have been a few breaks away from being at the 10 win level that the fanbase has come to expect.

Best win: October 22nd vs Texas (38-35)

Worst loss: September 22nd vs Texas Tech (41-17)

2019 Outlook

While Oklahoma State has largely been known for their offensive prowess in recent seasons, this year is going to be a bit of a trial by fire early as they're breaking in a new quarterback (likely Spencer Sanders, but could be Dru Brown), and new offensive coordinator in Sean Gleeson after former OC Mike Yurich moved on to Ohio State.

Once the Cowboys are able to settle into a rhythm with their new OC and quarterback, they could be in line for a very solid season as they return Biletnikoff finalist Tylan Wallace, return most of their offensive line, and have a strong up and coming RB in Chuba Hubbard who averaged six yards a carry last season.

Season Prediction for Oklahoma State: 9-4

Early Prediction

Despite the early line heavily favoring Oklahoma State, this is a game that Oregon State could surprise some people in. With the Beavers coming off a 2-10 season, being a 16.5 point underdog to a historically offensive dominant team isn't much of a surprise, but that point spread is largely based on last seasons play.

Thanks to a strong offseason where Smith and Co. were able to improve their roster with the addition of instant impact-transfers at positions of need while also securing a strong incoming freshman class that will help provide much-needed depth.

While the Beavers figure to be a much-better team this season, it's a tough ask for the Beavers to upset a Mike Gundy led team on national television to open the season. However, it's worth noting that the Cowboys haven't opened the season against a power-five team in a true road game since 2008 when they traveled to Pullman to face Washington State.

Fall camp will tell us a lot about where the Beavers are at as a team heading into the matchup with OSU, but with it being a rare road opener for a young Cowboy team breaking in a new quarterback and new offensive coordinator, it could be the perfect storm for Smith and Co. to spring a trap in Corvallis.

However, at this point, Gundy's Cowboys are the more established program, and that might be just enough to get past a Beaver team that is going to be much better in all aspects.

This prediction could very well change as fall camp production will be a true telling point for how ready this Beaver squad is, but as of now I see the Cowboys stealing a surprisingly close contest where the Beavers establish they're not a team that's going to be a pushover.

Oklahoma State 31, Oregon State 24