The Oregon State Beavers, Scarlet Knights, and Wolfpack all get addressed on the first version of ‘The Mailroom’
As spring ball starts and the NCAA football season starts to shape into what it could be in 2023, we got our first round of questions. Everything from Rutgers, to Oregon State, all the way to Raleigh where we take on the strange enigma of the Wolfpack.
You asked, we answered in our inaugural edition of The Mailroom. If you like our takes or despise them with all your might, be sure to let us know on Twitter or on Instagram.
Can Oregon State win the Pac-12? The conference seems to be dominated by the big dogs– Utah, Oregon, and USC. And the media attention is all on Colorado and the Deion Sanders hire. Does OSU come out of the shadows and can the Beavs somehow take hold of the conference?
John T. | Grand Rapids, MI
Oregon State has been out of the limelight for some time now, and I don’t seem to understand why. Coming off their first 10 win season since 2006, head coach Jonathan Smith has performed masterfully at his alma mater. The same team that put the hurt on Florida during the 2022 Las Vegas Bowl now adds a solid recruiting class and former 5-star and Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei to the mix.
This was a dangerous team, and with new improvements within a weakened Pac-12, it’s definitely not out of the realm of possibility for the Beavers to take it all, however they do face a somewhat uphill battle taking on Utah, UCLA, and Washington. Yet, the rest of the schedule seems to be somewhat light, facing the likes of Stanford, Arizona, and Colorado– although no one really knows how well that program turned around.
OSU gets USC off the ledger but gains a really solid foe in Chip Kelly’s Bruins, which could lead the Beavers right back to where they started. Defeating Utah is the key, back-to-back champions, which shows that the Beavers could post up with even the best of them.
Does Rutgers deserve to be in the Big 10 as it gets even stronger? The looming addition of USC and UCLA might drive Rutgers out parity wise. Could Rutgers switch conferences or leave the Big 10?
Max W. | Jersey City, NJ
Rutgers and the Big 10 is a peculiar case. The landscape of the Big 10 is an interesting one and one that’s not similar to any other conference. The parity of the conference is split into two, the blue bloods like Michigan, Penn State, and Ohio State while the rest tends to be below average and sometimes simply disappointing. Rutgers will only be heavily pressured by the rise of the two newcomers, and while teams like Illinois have been on their way up, slowly rising the ranks of the conference, the team has seeming fallen into a slump within inter-conference play.
The team finished 4-8 last year with three of those wins coming against Boston College, FCS-outcast Wagner, and Temple. The team has fallen deeper and deeper in Big 10 rankings, meaning that with an increased level of competition, the conference might oust them altogether or the school might opt to willingly leave for greener grass in another conference.
The team hasn’t eclipsed five wins since 2014, nearly a decade. The recruiting trail hasn’t been hot for the team either, with no big brand recognition that could help a team like Nebraska turn themselves around. It might be time for the Scarlet Knights to jump ship.
What’s NC State’s outlook like? Do you see an improvement or decrease in wins for the Wolfpack?
Xander T. | Saint Peter, MN
The Wolfpack refused to win a game against a ranked team except for Wake Forest, the team hasn’t shown much sign of improvement and loses Thayer Thomas to the draft. Enough said.
