Oregon State enters uncertain future on frigid cold streak
Just 18 days ago, Oregon State was 8-2 with a legitimate shot at the Pac-12 Championship Game in what stands as the conference's last year of existence as we know it. Then, the Beavers lost a heartbreaker to Washington in the driving rain, got blown out by top in-state rival Oregon in the regular-season finale and lost promising coach Jonathan Smith to Michigan State just one day later. Oregon State also lost both its starting quarterback (DJ Uiagalelei) and quarterback of the future (Aidan Chiles) to the transfer portal. Now, the Beavers are reeling after a bowl loss that was never even close, facing an uncertain future filled with questions about conference affiliation and the general direction of the program.
A recent scheduling agreement with the Mountain West provides a temporary solution for Washington State and Oregon State, which were left behind as a nominal "Pac-2" after the latest wave of realignment over the summer. But the Beavers could have really used at least a strong bowl showing to generate any sort of momentum with everything else out of their control. Now, new coach Trent Bray, who was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2022 before being tabbed as Smith's successor, has his work cut out for him when it comes to righting the ship.