2025 Oregon State Football Predictions: Beavers Ranked 65th in RJ Young's Ultimate 136
Published
Aug. 10, 2025 8:47 p.m. ET
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This isn't your average college football ranking.
My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it's my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:
Who do I think is good?
Why do I think they're good?
What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?
Here is a look at where Oregon State lands in my Ultimate 136.
Oregon State ranking: 65
Last year's ranking: 79
Top player: QB Maalik Murphy: Went 9-3 as a starter at Duke last season, setting a single-season school record for TD passes with 26; led Duke to four wins when trailing in the fourth quarter.
[Oregon State's 2025 schedule]
RJ's take: Last year, the Beavers needed to run the ball really well to win ball games. They were 1-7 when they didn't rush for at least 230 yards. That's a tough trick to turn every week unless your last name is "Academy."
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Enter Duke transfer Murphy, who threw for nearly 3,000 yards and 26 touchdowns last year. Now, Inglewood's finest, at 6-foot-5, a grease bucket of chicken short of 250 pounds, is going to try to help Oregon State air it out without throwing it to folks who aren't wearing the house colors; Murphy threw 12 picks last year.
The Beavers better be eager. They have to start fast and keep the pedal on the floor with a schedule that looks a lot like Stormbreaker bombing at Thanos' neck: Cal, Fresno State, Oregon, and Houston. And that's just the first five weeks. There's just one FCS opponent on Oregon State's schedule (Lafayette). Well, two if you count Tulsa — and I do.
[ Check out RJ Young's Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here ]
Oregon State Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (-178) Under 6.5 (+144)
Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school's rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young , and I'll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.
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