I trusted the Beavers at home last week and threw up an air ball on that one. The major part in missing on that handicap was going against Cal’s true freshman quarterback, and thinking that was a positive thing. In his first college start he looked every bit the part of an elite NFL prospect, even on the road in Corvallis.
Oregon State came out slow, which was its own fault, but was able to find momentum in the second half. Coming off the loss to Cal, this becomes a monster game for the Beavers to get back on track at home in Corvallis. I believe Fresno State gives them a good chance to do just that. Fresno has not looked all that great to begin the season, getting blown out by Kansas and then dominating a bad Georgia State team that completely fell apart. I expect Fresno to struggle on the road against a hungry team looking to bounce-back from an embarrassing loss.
Fresno hasn’t exactly done anything so far this season to be getting this level of respect. So does that mean the number is down because Oregon State had one bad game? The Beavers have all the pieces in place, but need to eliminate mistakes and play better here. But they are certainly capable of that, and I believe they will.
Maalik Murphy is a veteran quarterback that’s proven he can win. The Beavers return plenty of skill position players around him. This offense will get it going against a Fresno team that won’t be able to move the ball the way Cal did early in the game last week.
CFB Pick: Oregon State ML (-145) 1-unit
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