Oregon State opens its 2023 season with a visit to San Jose State. It is time to continue our College Football odds series with an Oregon State-San Jose State prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

Oregon State was a surprise team last year. They started the season 3-0 before losses to USC and Utah. they would win their next three before a loss to Washington.  The Beavers would win everything else from there including upsetting number nine Oregon. They would then face Florida in the Las Vegas bowl and take a win to end 10-3. Oregon State Football last year won every game they were favored in last year while losing the three regular-season games in which they were underdogs. Oregon State returned 65% of its production last year, including a majority of its offense. Expectations are high for the Beavers. DJ Uiagalelei comes into the fold for the Beavers and immediately will upgrade the quarterback position. Protecting Uiagalelei will be an offensive line that brings back four of five starters, and is a solid unit.

San Jose State comes in off an impressive performance against USC. While they did lose by 18, it was much closer than expected. Dorian Singer scored in the first quarter for USC. but San Jose State struck back and tied the game. They were down 21-7 at the half but kept fighting back. Chevan Cordeiro would throw three touchdowns, and it was not until late in the game that USC was able to put their backups in. Cordeiro consistently escaped pressure and was sacked just once in the game, looking solid in the process.

Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: Oregon State-San Jose State Odds

Oregon State: -16.5 (-105)

San Jose State: +16.5 (-115)

Over: 54.5 (-110)

Under: 54.5 (-110)

How to Watch Oregon State vs. San Jose State

TV: CBS

Stream: CBS Sports App

Time: 3:30 PM ET/ 12:30 PM PT

*Watch college football LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Oregon State Will Cover The Spread

DJ Uiagalelei will be leading this offense this year. While Uiagalelei is an upgrade at quarterback for the Beavers, he has a lot of work to do to show that he is a top-flight quarterback in college football. Uiagalelei played inconsistent at times in his career at Clemson. In his three years, we threw for 5.681 yards and 26 touchdowns with 17 interceptions. He also ran the ball for 913 yards and 15 scores. Still, it was not enough to keep his job. The backbreaking interceptions and poor play got him benched and he transferred. He played well against lesser opponents, but if he can step up and perform in the big games, it could be a good year for the Beavers.

Damien Martinez is back to help out Uiagalelei. He ran for 982 yards last year and was the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year. He scored seven times last year and returns to an offensive line that brings back four of the five starters. The line could be one of the best in the nation this year and will give both Uiagalelei time to pass and huge lanes for Martinez to run through. Deshaun Kenwick is back as well. He ran for 553 yards last year and seven scores as well. With those two and Uiagalelei in the backfield, it could be good news for the Oregon State offense.

On defense, the Beavers bring back six of their top. seven plays. They will be good against the rush this year. Oregon State was an overall top-25 defense on the year and the best in the Pac-12. They finished the top in the nation in red zone defense, and best in the PAC-12 against the run. Still, there are issues. They struggled to get to the quarterback last year. That is something USC did last week against San Jose State, and they paid for it. Second, the corners for the secondary are suspect. If Chevan Cordeiro gets time, he could make them pay.

Why San Jose State Will Cover The Spread

It has to start with Chevan Cordeiro having a great game. Cordeiro was 21-38 passing for 198 yards and three scores last week. After starting his career at Hawaii, Cordeiro is in his second season leading this squad. Last year he went for 3,250 yards passing and 23 touchdowns with just six interceptions. The issue last year was the sacks. He was sacked 42 times last year. This year, he looked different. He was able to evade sacks last game, and if he can improve in that, he will be a much better quarterback.

Nick Nash also needs another big game. Last week he hauled in six receptions for 89 yards and three touchdowns. He was the favorite target of Cordeiro and against some suspect corners for the Beavers, he will need another big game. Still, Oregon State has strong safety help, so someone else may need to help to attack this defense. That could be Charles Ross, who had five receptions last week for 62 yards. Another option is to establish the run early.

That will be the job of Quali Conley and Kairee Robinson. Conley had just six carries last week but was explosive. He ran for 108 yards on those carries, including a 57-yard run. Robinson was not as good, running for just 28 yards on nine carries. Still, he had a 20-yard run and scored a touchdown. If the offensive line can create holes like they did last week, it will be a good day for the ground game.

Final Oregon State-San Jose State Prediction & Pick

The Spartans came away with a loss in week one, and if there is such a thing as moral victories, they took one. They have enough weapons to make an impact in this game, but there are some concerns. First, the USC defense is bad, and the Oregon State defense is top quality. Second, USC figured out how to beat this San Jose State defense. With a week of film for Oregon State, that will be an advantage. Take the Beavers to cover in this one, but if the line moves to 17.5, switch to the Spartans.

Final Oregon State-San Jose State Prediction & Pick: Oregon State -16.5 (-105)