Oregon State gets thrown right into the fire in Week 1, and the matchup isn’t exactly forgiving. The Beavers open against No. 23 Houston on Saturday, facing a Cougars team that enters the season with real conference ambitions and a quarterback who already knows how to carry the load.
Houston is coming off a 10-3 season overall and a 6-3 mark in Big 12 play, and the expectation around the program is that it can push even higher this year. The key piece is Conner Weigman, who returns after a season that included 2,705 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions, along with 700 rushing yards. If Houston is going to make a legitimate run at Texas Tech for the conference title, Weigman’s next jump matters.
There’s reason to think the Cougars could be better than they were a year ago. They ranked 52nd in offensive success rate and 74th in defensive success rate last season, but 65% of their production is back. That kind of continuity can matter, especially for a team that has already had a year to grow together.
The betting angle points the same way. Houston needed overtime to get past Oregon State last season, and that result may be part of why the Cougars are still being treated as undervalued in this spot. Oregon State, meanwhile, is coming off a disastrous year and doesn’t appear to have done enough this offseason to close the gap.
That’s enough for one clear lean: lay the points with Houston on Saturday afternoon.
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Oregon State Faces An Early Defensive Gauntlet In 2026
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The names worth watching stretch across each of those teams, from Landry and Simeon Harris to Trick, Brice Pollock and Virgin-Morgan, all of whom arrive with some combination of past production, preseason honors or award watchlist attention. For Oregon State, the challenge is less about one headline matchup than surviving a stretch of games where the opponents defensive front or secondary could dictate the tempo before the Beavers have a chance to find their footing. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Faces A Tougher Weigman Test Than Fans Remember
Conner Weigman is the kind of quarterback Oregon State has to account for on every snap. Houstons fifth-year passer brings a true dual-threat profile, able to hurt a defense with his arm and his legs, and the Beavers know the challenge starts with keeping him from turning broken plays into easy yards on the ground. Oregon States staff is already shaping its plan around that reality, with an eye on making the Cougars operate more on the back end than in open space.
The memory from last season gives the Beavers a useful blueprint, but not much room for comfort. Oregon State was able to keep Weigman from finding much traction as a runner in that meeting, and the hope this time is to squeeze the pocket, stay disciplined in the rush lanes and force him into tougher throws. If they can do that again, the matchup tilts in their favor, but Weigman has enough versatility to make even a well-prepared defense pay for a few mistakes. [Read more 🡒]
Tulsas Portal Overhaul Puts Early Pressure On Oklahoma States New Offense
Tulsas offseason reshuffle has been one of the more aggressive in the American Athletic Conference, with 25 transfers arriving to change the look of a roster that needed help in several spots. The moves have been especially noticeable on offense, where the running back group has been reinforced by Malachi Preciado, Damari Alston, Seth Davis and Trequan Jones, giving the Golden Hurricane a much different feel heading into the opener.
The secondary has been part of the same makeover, even if the safety net is thinner than Tulsa would like. Elijah Green is out because of injury, leaving the cornerback group to lean more heavily on experienced names such as JD Drew, Tyson Williams, Zach Williams and Ashton Williams as the team tries to sort out what this new version of the offense and defense will look like once the season starts. [Read more 🡒]