Oregon State Has To Be Strong At Home To Reach .500

Northwest Sports Update

Most Bet Online players probably pushed Oregon State to the wayside in terms of betting on them in the Pac-12 last season as they were 3-9 on the season and only managed to improve their record by a single game when it came to covering the spread. The key to the Beavers’ chances of getting back to a bowl in 2012 probably lies in their ability to win at home.

The campaign opens with a relatively easy game against Nicholls State at home, and this could give the Beavers a chance to work on a few things before they receive a visit from Wisconsin, which lost to Oregon in the Rose Bowl last season and should be strong once again. The Beavers should just try to hang with the Badgers as a win would be an incredible upset, so if you’re a player that will be using price per head software, expect to see Oregon State as a major underdog here.

After an early-season bye, the Beavers then head out on the road for the first time for back-to-back games against UCLA and Arizona. Oregon State went on the road six times last season, losing five games and it may be too much to ask of them for a drastic improvement away from home, which is where they’ll return for a meeting with Washington State. If the Beavers are going to move up the online betting ranks, these are the games they need to win as the Cougars were the only team to finish lower than Oregon State in the Pac-12 North. The Beavers than travel to BYU and if Oregon State is 3-3 going into the second half of the season, they should be ecstatic.

The second half kicks off with a visit from Utah before the Beavers visit Washington to wrap up October, and most online college football betting (click here to wager on the 2012 college football season) players should know what they have with the Beavers by now. November may not be too bad for the Beavers as they have three home games in their last four overall to finish out the season, hosting Arizona State before heading to Stanford for their final road game, and then the Beavers host California and their rivals from Oregon in the “Civil War”.

The Beavers are 8-16 over the last two seasons and haven’t gotten to a bowl since the Las Vegas Bowl in 2009,and coach Mike Riley has built up enough points that he doesn’t have to worry about losing his job if he doesn’t get there this season. However, a .500 record is attainable if the Beavers can hold serve at home and steal one on the road, but don’t put your sport betting reputation on the line.