Readers have plenty on their mind regarding Oregon State athletics. You ask, and The Oregonian/OregonLive’s Nick Daschel attempts an answer in this week’s Oregon State mailbag.
The first set of questions is a slice of what’s showing up in the mailbox: a general sense the sky is falling in Corvallis. Let’s go:
Will there be any players left to play football next fall? – Andy B
What the hell is going on? It can’t really be as bad as everyone says it is. – Andrew L
Take a deep breath. Maybe step away from message boards and social media and check back in February. By then, you can tally the wins and losses from the portal and recruiting. Right now, it looks bad. But that’s the case throughout FBS. Every school is losing players to the portal, many into double digits. I can’t say right now this is going to be as bad or better than everyone says. But my sense is, give it time, and things will work out to some degree. Will it be like 2022 and 2023? Not immediately, no. But let’s see if moves by Scott Barnes and Trent Bray and others work out in the long run.
2024 (Oregon State-Oregon) game: OSU won’t have any good players left. – Jan K
That’s a little dramatic.
Nice of the quacks to toss out some “let them eat cake " charity..... (The heck with them) all, and btw, Jonathan Smith is nothing more, nor less, than a coward in every sense of the word.... Hope he is proud of pounding the final nail in OSU Athletics... could have been a multi-generational icon, but his colors ran green and yellow at the end. – dlhe64
Oregon needs Oregon State as much as the Beavers need the Ducks. OSU needs the Power 4/5 exposure, money and the rivalry. Oregon needs Oregon State for the rivalry and regionality. As much as some Duck fans want to crow about the big time and “the natty,” they need schools their fans can identify with. That’s not Purdue or Michigan State or Indiana. It’s Oregon State, Washington, Washington State, and even the California schools. Which is why I think the Big Ten experiment eventually will fail and the Ducks, Huskies and others will return to their West coast roots.
Which had more of a devastating effect on OSU’s Football program: the PAC-12 dissolution, or Jonathan Smith leaving? I vote Smith leaving. – Gary L
It’s the crumbling of the Pac-12, and it’s not even close. If the Pac-12 were intact in 2024, Smith would have remained in Corvallis.
At this point, what’s a reasonable expectation for OSU this recruiting/transfer portal cycle, especially on the offensive side? They’re down to 3 quarterbacks on the roster. It doesn’t seem like any transfer QB worth anything would consider OSU given they have a first-time OC, an unknown offensive identity, and were just relegated from a Power 5 conference. Ben Gulbranson, assuming he doesn’t transfer and/or graduate, appears to be our best bet until things settle down, but building depth behind him will be important. – Andrew C
There are a lot of quarterbacks in the transfer portal, and at least one of them has Oregon State in his future. For all the talk of seven-figure NIL deals out there for quarterbacks, that’s only for the best of the best. The rest eventually must come to grips that a pay day isn’t out there, but there are opportunities. It exists at Oregon State for someone.
What’s going on with the Pac-12 lawsuit? Any indication of how it might be reviewed? -- @RIPCITY4LIFE
Attorneys for Oregon State/Washington State and the departing 10 Pac-12 schools are submitting briefs to the Washington State Supreme Court. That court will then decide whether it takes the case or releases the stay of the preliminary injunction that favors OSU/WSU. Timeline: sometime between next week and early January.
Oregon state was 4th in the Pac 12 for viewership in 2023…. Is that worth a second look to anyone outside of beaver nation or are we all just assuming that’s a result of their current predicament – Sam C
Doubtful it moves the needle. One year isn’t likely to sway the ESPNs and FOXs. But stay tuned to buzz from the Big 12 and ACC. With Florida State all but ready to bolt with a few others from the ACC, there’s talk of a Big 12/ACC merger. Could that involve Oregon State and Washington State? It’s not impossible.
I keep hearing about these NCAA basketball tournament credits in reference to revenue streams that can help the OSU/WSU athletic programs cover some of the upcoming shortfalls. Do you know how they work? With OSU/WSU keeping the P-12 alive for another year, would they get the credits for this year even though it’s highly unlikely they will be playing in the Big Dance themselves? Are there credits with WBB? Seems crazy (but maybe fair payback), that they could get future revenue from P12 basketball programs that will be gone in a few months. – Hank S
Each year the Pac-12 acquires NCAA tournament credits depending on how many teams and wins it produces during the tournament. For example, the Pac-12 accumulated 19 tournament credits in 2021 because of successful runs by Oregon State, Oregon, UCLA and USC. In 2022 and 2023, the Pac-12 received seven tournament credits.
Tournament credits are paid out over a rolling six-year period. For example, the 19 tourney credits from 2021 are paid from 2022-2027. Last year’s seven are paid from 2024-2029. The value of each unit varies, but it’s low to mid six-figures. The result is an annual low eight-figure payout through 2025, diminishing through 2029 with the Pac-12 ending in 2024.
There are no tournament credits for women’s basketball, as the television contract is paltry. But that is expected to change over the next decade. That doesn’t help OSU and WSU regarding the Pac-12, however.
I just read (last) week’s mailbag. Always a good read. A comment comes to mind regarding Smith’s reference of Oregon State as “that place”. When Smith first arrived, and in almost all of his interviews since when he was referring to Oregon State as a place, that’s what how he said it. It was always “this place”, or “this thing”. I noticed it right away and found it unusual. Now to me it makes sense. He never intended on staying. It was just a place and a thing. His interview style seems to have rubbed off on Bray. In his introduction speech, he too called it “this place”. I hope someone else noticed that and can say something to him. – Doug
You might be reading too deeply into something. Smith isn’t a natural public speaker. He’s a ball coach. He doesn’t always say the right thing, like a lot of us when faced with a microphone or recorder.
I worry we’re going to get absolutely plastered in the Sun Bowl…. Any indication what’s left of this team actually wants to play or any sense you get it can be competitive? – Matt N
Most of the departing seniors on Oregon State’s roster plan to play. I don’t see them going through the motions. Will the firepower losses – DJ Uiagalelei, Anthony Gould, Jack Velling, Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, Akili Arnold – have an impact on the Sun Bowl? Absolutely. But Notre Dame has several players opting out, and more than a dozen in the transfer portal. This is Bowling 2023.
Football has the scheduling agreement with the Mountain West. Any word on which conference WBB will be playing in/against next year? – Adam P
It’s critical to get football scheduled first, as it pays the bills. By January we should start hearing news about other sports, like basketball and baseball. The Mountain West seems like the Pac-2′s most likely target for an affiliate relationship.
Regarding OSU wbb -- why does coach continue to play starters when the team is way ahead. Give starters a break and let newbies get some experience.. – Carla M
That’s not my read. Only two players are averaging more than 25 minutes a game this season, and not by much – Kelsey Rees (27.3 minutes), Donovyn Hunter (25.2). Ten players are averaging at least 12 minutes a game.
Are we excited for baseball? -- @Restricted_1960
This team could seriously break some offensive records, from what I hear.
Is (Deshaun) Fenwick playing in the bowl game? – Jerry B
Unless he has an injury, I’d be stunned if Fenwick passed on this opportunity. With Damien Martinez suspended, this is Fenwick’s final chance in college to show what he can do as the lead back.
How much money did OSU athletics lose over the Pac12? – @lgbeavs
Oregon State hasn’t lost any money yet; the Pac-12 is in business until June. As for the future, it’s unknowable. Depends on the courts and eventual conference landing place.
Obviously, lots of big players exiting to the portal, but any chatter or rumors on incoming players? – Matt W
I don’t want to get into rumored players, because it changes daily, if not hourly. Of the 1200+ players in the transfer portal, only 22 have committed to a new school, according to on3.com. Let’s circle back in a couple weeks and see how it shakes out.
It’s time to think about taxes. Any Oregon state athletic program that is also a tax deduction? Too bad NIL programs are not tax deductible. – Scott G
As always, check with a tax professional. Donations to Oregon State athletics that are attached to a season ticket purchase are not deductible. Other donations to athletics are deductible, as long as the donor declines priority points toward seat upgrades. As for donations to an NIL collective, only if the collective has 501c (3) status. Oregon State’s collective, Dam Nation, does not have such status.
Does (Dom) Montiel move to the No. 2 spot in the QB depth chart? Would be cool to see the Coos Bay kid on the field at some point. – Robby S
Can’t say at the moment. Interim coach Kefense Hynson said Montiel and Travis Throckmorton would compete in practice for the backup quarterback slot behind starter Ben Gulbranson.
Is any at Pac-12 Network trying to find a path where they exist next year or have they just given up? -- @BZGXOR
There is no Pac-12 after June, so there is no path. It will be shuttered unless another conference makes a last-minute save.
--Nick Daschel | @nickdaschel
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