10 Wins is Great. Doing it Again is a Completely Different Challenge.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 17: The Oregon State Beavers celebrate with the championship trophy after the team defeated the Florida Gators 30-3 in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium on December 17, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)

By 750 THE GAME STAFF

The Beavers are back. Vibes are high. Fans are pumped. Expectations are on the rise.

Following the program’s first 10-win season since 2006 and the addition of a top quarterback in D.J. Uiagalelei via the transfer portal, optimism is more than understandable.

But is it too much to expect the program to take the field this fall and simply churn out another 10 win campaign?

Judah Newby and Steven Vaughan debated that question while co-hosting Thursday’s Bald Faced Truth radio show on 750 The Game.

“I love that the expectations are so high,” Newby said. “But 10 wins is really hard to do, OK? We should not just say, ‘oh, 10-win season, that’s now the new bar that we should expect from this team year-in and year-out.’ Let’s not pretend that we’re that far removed from, hey, making a bowl game is success.

“It’s one thing to have a great year. It’s a completely different challenge to sustain greatness.”

Last season marked just the third time in program history the Beavers won 10 games, joining the infamous 2000 team – led by Jonathan Smith at quarterback – that went 11-1 and crushed Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, and the 2006 team that finished 10-4 with a Sun Bowl victory.

Win totals aside, Oregon State is more focused on playing for a conference title in Las Vegas by season’s end. The top-two regular season finishers in the conference standings will play in the Pac-12 Championship on Fri., Dec. 1st.

“I love that Beaver fans and the players and the coaches are talking about Pac-12 title game,” Vaughan said. “I love it. I love that their expectations are raised, because that’s how you get to that level.”

“I think these teams that have one or two good years, but don’t really care about improving, or are content with just making the playoffs – Portland Trail Blazers – and not improving, that’s where you get stuck. I love the fact that the Beavs are out in the open saying, you know what, we feel like we’re just as talented as everybody, we are as well coached as everybody, we should be in the Pac-12 title game, we should be in Vegas.”

Listen to the segment on OSU’s expectations at the 2:05:00 mark below.

The Bald Faced Truth with John Canzano airs afternoons 3-6 p.m. exclusively in Portland on 750 The Game.