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Oregon State football may be the most underrated team in the country in 2023. The Beavers may have held the same title in 2022, finishing 10-3 and winning a bowl game. Head coach Jonathan Smith has quietly built a really strong foundation at a relatively small program in his first five season. This year, Smith brought in former five-star D.J. Uiagalelei from Clemson to fix Oregon State football's only major problem: the quarterback.
What does the 2023 season hold for Smith's sixth season? Here are four Oregon State football predictions for the season:
4. Oregon State's defense ranks best in the Pac-12
Last year, the Beavers had the best scoring defense in the Pac-12, allowing 20 points per game. They also ranked first in the conference in total defensive YPG allowed, and first in rush yards allowed.
Two of the Beavers' three losses came against USC (by three points) and Washington (by three points.) Both of those teams finished the year in the top 13. USC scored fewer than 30 points only twice last season. In the Pac-12 Championship Game against Utah, when Caleb Williams was injured, the Trojans scored 24. Against Oregon State, they scored 17.
Washington also scored its fewest points in a game against Oregon State with 24. Those were two of the top seven offenses in the nation that Oregon State played better than anyone. Then there's Florida, who the Beavers beat 30-3 in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Florida, despite finishing 6-7, didn't struggle like that against anybody, and that's with an SEC schedule. The Gators even scored 20 points against Georgia, 33 against Tennessee and 38 against Florida State.
All of this is to say Oregon State had one of the best defenses in the country a year ago. Expect that defense to produce similar results in 2023.
3. Oregon State beats Oregon in Week 13
In the final annual rivalry between these two, Oregon State football gets the last laugh. The Beavers beat the No. 10 ranked Ducks last year, another testament to their excellent 2022 season.
Oregon has remained a very strong program even after the departure of Mario Cristobal. They've recruited at a very high level and again added some great talent, including Matayo Uiagalelei, Oregon State QB D.J.'s brother and the No. 6 ranked edge in the 2023 class. However, Oregon State is just as competitive due to their excellent coaching and physical play style.
Before Oregon heads out for the Big Ten, Oregon State hands the Ducks one final loss to end Oregon's season on a sour note. The Beavers also haven't beaten the Ducks in Eugene since 2007.
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![Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin gives a thumbs up while walking off the field after the game of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. Ole Miss defeated Duke 52-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]](https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Lane-Kiffin-after-bowl-game-.jpg)
2. D.J. Uiagalelei revives his college career
How can D.J. Uiagalelei's 2023 season be quantified as a success?
This guy wasn't the No. 2 prospect in his class for no reason. He has a cannon of an arm and extremely rare size for the quarterback position. Uiagalelei is as good of an athlete as can be found for a quarterback.
On top of the frame and arm strength, he's also quite mobile and has that baseball background that has become so desirable at the NFL level. Quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert have the propensity to throw accurately from numerous arm angles because of that same skill set. Uiagalelei was the Los Angeles Dodgers' 20th-round pick even though he hasn't played baseball since high school.
Anyways, in a conference loaded with elite quarterbacks, how good can Uiagalelei be in comparison? USC's Caleb Williams and Washington's Michael Penix Jr. are two of the best quarterbacks in the nation. He doesn't have to be that good, and probably won't be either. But can he be as good as Oregon's Bo Nix? Utah's Cameron Rising? Colorado's Shedeur Sanders?
D.J. Uiagalelei will put together a better statistical season than all three of these veteran quarterbacks and reinsert himself into first-round draft pick territory. The fresh start at Oregon State football, far outside of the national spotlight, will do wonders for this kid, and he will become the quarterback he was meant to be.
1. Oregon State finishes third in the Pac-12
Not only will Oregon State beat their in-state rival Oregon, but they will redeem their only bad loss of 2022 against Utah. The Utes handed them a 26-point L in Utah last season. Utah is likely to take a step back, especially with Cameron Rising's health still a question mark.
Oregon State football will compete with everyone they play but will lose to Washington. The Beavers will finish with 10-11 wins, narrowly miss the Pac-12 Championship Game, played between Washington and USC, and they'll finish third in the Pac-12. After another impressive season, Jonathan Smith leads his team to its highest final ranking in the CFP era.
