The new-look Pac-12 has been a fascinating conference in its return following a two-year absence, and Saturday's slate features a game between the Oregon State Beavers and San Diego State Aztecs. Both teams are coming off necessary victories in Week 5, but they looked drastically different in doing so. On one side, Oregon State continued its excellent recent form as it absolutely demolished Colorado State to the tune of a 56-26 win on the road. The Beavers' offense was so dominant that the Colorado State defensive coordinator ended up walking off the field at halftime and never returned. Conversely, the Aztecs are coming off a miraculous win over Texas State in which they racked up 28 points in a furious second-half comeback, despite only finishing with under 100 yards in that half.
The problem for San Diego State in this game is they won't be able to slow down the Beavers' offense. After all, Sean Lewis' bunch just allowed 565 yards to Texas State a week ago and they likely would've lost that game if not for a defensive touchdown, a special teams touchdown and a +2 turnover margin. Oregon State is a much more disciplined team compared to Texas State, and the Beavers also have a quarterback in Braden Atkinson (16 touchdowns to 2 interceptions) who is playing at an extremely high level at the moment. Oregon State is averaging 47 points per game over its last three contests, and I have a hard time seeing the Aztecs slow down Jesse Legree and a very balanced group of pass catchers. I'll steer clear of the spread and bank on the Beavers to keep up their high-scoring ways on Saturday.
Oregon State vs San Diego State prediction: Oregon State team total Over 34.5 (-104) available at time of publishing. Playable to that number to-125.
