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Oregon State mailbag: Fourth down decisions, how to watch basketball, should Beavers quit football?

Posted on by Gerres
Oregon State mailbag: Fourth down decisions, how to watch basketball, should Beavers quit football?

Another edition State of Oregon mailbox where readers ask questions about Beavers athletics and Nick Daschel of The Oregonian/OregonLive provides answers. If you have questions about future mailbags, please email Nick at [email protected].

Here we go:

Where are they? Beaver basketball games will it be broadcast? — @LeadfootBeav

The telecast of all men’s matches was recently announced. Nine games are televised on either ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or CBS Sports Network. The rest is shown on the ESPN+ platform, which requires a separate subscription.

Message on how/where we can watch women’s basketball matches this season? Last year, preseason games were broadcast by OSU on the Pac-12 Network, and then league games were formally broadcast on Pac-12 television channels. This year it’s a different “world”. Additionally, there are very few home preseason games this year. – Rod M

All WCC home and away games will be shown on ESPN+. As for non-conference road games, those are a work in progress. The Bahamas tournament is FloHoops, Maui is YouTube, and Illinois is BTN+. More information later.

Do you know who decided the Beavs would run a first down and why, since they were down on 4th down at their own 22-yard line with about 5 minutes left in the game? I was amazed they didn’t kick the ball as far from the goal line as possible. It would also give them a chance to pin UNLV in their own territory and perhaps recover the ball on fumbles or intercept a pass – as they did later in the game. I assume it was the coaches decision to try and get a first down, and in this case I blame the coaches for losing the game – because they didn’t pass the first down and UNLV scored a TD on the very next play. – Brian H

There is only one person who makes this decision: Trent Bray. Did he lose the game? It’s your decision. With 5:05 left in the game, the Beavers trailed by two points and had three timeouts remaining. This is not an easy decision. OSU doesn’t have a reliable work stopper due to injuries and inexperience. That’s why the Beavers lost the game, not a fourth-down decision.

Gymnastics schedule release date? –Brad H

Unclear. I was told there is a timeline, but OSU is waiting for the contracts to be finalized. It’s possible that the first thing announced will be home games. The season doesn’t start until January, except for intra-team meetings in mid-December. The most puzzling part of this is the fact that the Big 12 has denied Oregon State’s gymnastics affiliate membership for 2025. The Beavers include one of the best gymnasts in the sport, multiple Olympic gold medal winner Jade Carey. Guaranteed to sell tickets.

Oregon State (4-3) at California (3-4)

I saw a comment on X (Twitter) about this The Beavers have no chance of returning home. Did they not want this solution or did they have no influence because Tulsa knew we were in trouble? – @WetRodentia

The reader is referring to the 2025 Oregon State road game in Tulsa on November 15. In this case, the Beavers weren’t looking for a home and home, just a game to fill out the schedule. Few schools offer the opportunity to organize non-conference activities in November. From my perspective, Tulsa did a solid job of OSU. There’s also this: OSU already has home-and-home deals with Sam Houston State (2025, 2031) and Appalachian State (2025, 2032). Did Oregon State really want to have another G5 opponent on its future schedule, given the uncertainty about the conference’s movement?

I think Ore State should really consider focusing on school basketball. Football simply doesn’t exist at OSU. It wasn’t in the old Pac 12, it won’t be in the new Pac 12. Considering the teams that will join if they focus resources (NIL) on BB, in a few years it might pay off… – – Troja

Imagine a world without Oregon State football. Then imagine a world without athletics, because football – good or bad – is what pays most of the bills. Not to mention having an empty stadium that just underwent a $162 million upgrade. As long as Oregon State aspires to play at the Power or G5 level, the football program is essential.

It’s good to know that they are sleeping comfortably in their little beds while the big shows are busy playing meaningful games. –Mike W

You must have been funny as a kid.

Application status will never come to Corvallis as college football explodes into another TV negotiation. — @The503mayor

That’s unlikely, even if you’re right about the TV negotiations. (By the way, I have doubts about a regular-season media rights explosion unless Apple, Amazon and other streamers really get aggressive.) OSU won’t give up a cheap home game, and Appalachian State would have to pay a hefty fee, typically $1 million dollars for withdrawing from the contract for the match in 2023.

Looking at the current state of the football program. How would you compare this year’s team to the team you made as a student? –Craig W

It’s a completely different world. First, we went to matches and training in wagons. Okay, not really. The main difference is access. After the games, we were in the locker rooms and had the opportunity to talk to anyone we wanted. As students, we flew the team to road games. With a few exceptions, we have extended 1v1 games with players and coaches. But the school knew reporters who talked to their athletes/coaches. They were mainly newspaper journalists. Nowadays, most job interviews take place in groups. This is partly to provide the school with content on its website and control the time needed for athletes and coaches. The crowd performing at OSU is completely different. This is a wide range of journalistic, television and fan portals. Some ask questions, others lazily point their cell phones and record videos. One-on-one meetings are available, but not at the level of 20 or 30 years ago.

Always enjoy speculation and answers regarding the fate of the Pac 12. One possibility that doesn’t seem to have been mentioned is UC-Davis. They probably don’t offer much financially as UCD only recently moved into the FCS in football. However, it doesn’t seem unlikely that they’ll want to continue down the FBS path to join their peers at the University of California. Unlike MWC schools like Wyoming et al., UCD would offer a comprehensive program of men’s and women’s sports, including baseball, which should look favorable to OSU. Travel to Sacramento as well as the Bay/Valley media market seem to be pluses. Moreover, the presidents of other research “farm schools” (OSU, WSU, CSU, and USU) would likely look favorably on UCD’s impeccable academic credibility. – Dave B

Never say never, but I’d say there’s a 0.000001% chance of UC Davis making the Pac-12. Going from FCS to FBS without a handful of boosters with deep pockets and an enthusiastic fan base is expensive and risky. The school’s transition from FCS to FBS costs $5 million and two years of postseason probation. And that’s just the beginning of the costs. UC Davis Stadium seats just over 10,000 spectators. It would require a massive upgrade to be considered FBS worthy. The price tag for an FBS promotion is likely a nine-figure investment. I doubt UC Davis would have that appetite even if the Pac-12 was interested.

—Nick Daschel can be reached at 360-607-4824, [email protected] or @nickdaschel.

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