Oregon State’s first trip into the new Pac-12 era brings the Beavers to Fort Collins on Saturday, where they’ll face Colorado State at Canvas Stadium in a 3 p.m. PT kickoff.
Both teams enter at 2-2, and Oregon State is listed as a 4.5-point favorite. The game will air on USA, with radio coverage on KEX 1190 in Portland and KEJO 1240 and 93.7 in Corvallis.
Colorado State is in the middle of a reset after firing Jay Norvell during a 2-10 season in 2025. The Rams answered with one of the offseason’s surprise moves, bringing in Jim Mora from UConn, and they opened the year with a rivalry win over Wyoming before moving to 2-0 for the first time since 2011.
The roster churn has been massive. CSU added 41 transfers in the offseason, including several from UConn, and brought back only five starters.
The offense has shown real life, but the defense has been a different story. After giving up 59 points to UTSA, the Rams sit 129th in scoring defense.
Quarterback play has been the biggest storyline. Oklahoma State transfer Hauss Hejny won the starting job and lit up Wyoming for five touchdown passes in his debut, but a hamstring injury against BYU knocked him out of the UTSA game. In his place, K’saan Farrar - one of 17 players who followed Mora from UConn to CSU - struggled against BYU, going 13 of 23 for 70 yards with an interception, then bounced back as the starter against UTSA with 29 completions on 46 attempts for 344 yards, two touchdowns and one pick.
Colorado State has also gotten big production from Mel Brown, another UConn transfer who has rediscovered the form he showed in 2024 after an injury-shortened 2025. He has 38 carries for 346 yards and two touchdowns, good for seventh nationally at 9.11 yards per carry. At receiver, Wake Forest transfer RJ Vick made noise with three touchdown catches against Wyoming, then added five grabs for 93 yards against UTSA to push his season line to 19 catches for 268 yards and four scores.
On defense, linebacker Oumar Diomande has been a steady presence after posting 116 tackles, eight for loss and five sacks at UConn last season. He has opened his CSU run with 33 tackles, 1.5 for loss, and two interceptions.
There are also a few notable numbers surrounding the Rams’ start. Colorado State is the only Group of 6 program to host seven home games for a third straight season, the Wyoming opener drew a program-record crowd of 40,546, and CSU is tied for sixth nationally in turnover margin at plus-1.75 per game.
For Oregon State, the matchup comes with a clear warning sign: quarterback uncertainty is never a comfortable place to live. Both teams lean on the pass more than the run, though the Beavers and Rams are each limited on the ground.
The difference so far has been on the defensive side, where Colorado State has started fast enough on offense to stay dangerous but has not come close to matching that level on the other side of the ball. That makes this a tough setup against Oregon State’s No. 3 passing offense in the country.
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