ESPN's Pat Forde calls Oregon State, not Arizona, the surprise team in the Pac-10

After that horribly wrong prediction by SI for the Beavs to finish 9th in the conference, here's a little band-aid to our pride.

ESPN.com - NCF/PREVIEW06 - Forde: 5 predictions for the Pac-10 season

"3. The state of Oregon will flex its muscles. The Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers both return their entire starting offensive lines, which tends to be a strong harbinger of success. If Oregon has a quarterback emerge as its undisputed leader (Dennis Dixon is the runner, Brady Leaf the thrower) and gets a big year out of touted sophomore running back Jonathan Stewart, it will compete for the league title. Oregon State, not trendy pick Arizona, looks like the potential surprise team in the Pac-10 and opens with four of its first five at home. "

I think people underestimate two things about the Beavs.

The first, like Pat says, is the offensive line. They were good last year and everyone is back. Plus, they have depth with soild backups for the first time in a while.

Second, they have a senior QB. Generally, the teams in the conference with senior QBs tend to perform better than expected. Carson Palmer, Andrew Walter, Drew Olsen, Rodgers at Cal. They all gave their teams monumental leaps forward in their senior years.

I'm not saying that this guarantees sucess. But it does give reason for hope, and quite frankly, high expectations. I fully expect to go to a decent bowl game this year and get back on track. If we don't, I will be seriously disappointed.


Here are a few side notes...


This guy thinks the Beavs still have Mike Hass. I think Mike is a player to watch this season...in the NFL.

The Standard - (Macclenny, Florida) Talking football

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The scrimmage is at 3pm-ish today. It looks like mostly the younger players will be playing so it could be a good look into the future.

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If you are a student and want to attend games this season read this: Student Football Tickets Available Monday