The Oregon State Beavers were viewed before the season as the Pac-12 team most likely to bust up the top four and potentially cause complications for one of the top-tier conference championship contenders.
Oregon State has to play Oregon, Washington, and Utah, so the Beavers were in a position to cause chaos. Instead, the chaos came to them in the first Pac-12 game of the season.
Washington State and quarterback Cam Ward smoked the Beavers’ touted defense this past Saturday. The loss means OSU has to win its eight remaining Pac-12 games to finish 8-1 in the nine-game league schedule. Usually, 8-1 is necessary to finish atop the conference standings. A 7-2 record puts a team in the hunt but often involves needing to win head-to-head tiebreakers.
Let’s say Oregon State does finish 7-2, losing to either Oregon or Washington. The Beavers would not have a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Ducks or Huskies, complicating their path to Las Vegas for the Pac-12 Championship Game.
Oregon State, if it doesn’t go 8-1 in Pac-12 play, would need at least two teams if not three to finish 7-2. The Beavers would hope to get the tiebreaker against a head-to-head opponent (which would be unlikely). Their odds might improve if they would be able to win a three-way tiebreaker with two other teams which finish 7-2.
However, if two teams finish 8-1, Oregon State is toast.
The Beavers are in a whole lot of trouble. That much is clear.
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