The college football season kicks off in the Pacific Northwest Saturday as Oregon State and Oregon both play home openers.

The Beavers host California, a former Pac-12 opponent, while Montana State rolls into Eugene to face the Ducks.

Both teams will unveil new starting quarterbacks with Maalik Murphy, a Duke transfer, taking the helm of the Beavers offense. Dante Moore, a highly touted five-star recruit, is expected to lead the 7th-ranked Ducks.

Oregon State hopes Murphy can help the team improve on a disappointing 5-7 finish last season that ended with 34-18 loss at Boise State.

Murphy threw for for 2,933 yards and 26 touchdowns, leading Duke to a 9-3 record last year. Beavers fans hope he can do the same for Oregon State, which averaged 201 yards passing per game last year, ranked 94th in the country.

Beavers head coach Trent Bray told reporters in an Aug. 25 press conference that he likes what he’s seen during the offseason.

“Maalik’s done a great job,” Bray said of his new quarterback. “I feel great about where he’s at. He’s grown just from spring to fall camp to where he’s at right now and his understanding of not only the offense and how to get the formations and motions and redirect protections, but also the reads.”

In Eugene, Duck fans are still waiting to learn whether head coach Dan Lanning will officially put Moore in charge of the offense.

Moore transferred from UCLA last year after playing some for the Bruins as a freshman, but he sat on the bench while Dillon Gabriel led the Ducks to an undefeated regular season a conference championship. But the season ended with a thud in the Rose Bowl as Ohio State avenged a loss in Eugene and dominated Oregon 41-21 in a quarterfinal playoff game.

Moore has reportedly faced stiff competition from Austin Novosad and Will Luga, and Lanning has remained tight-lipped about who will start at quarterback.

Lanning, who enters his fourth season as Oregon’s coach, told ESPN this week he is sticking with his traditional approach and not naming the starter before the game.

“I don’t announce a starting three technique,” Lanning said on the “Amber and Ian show.” “I don’t announce a starting running back. What’s the benefit for our organization? People know; they come to practice every day. They know how we operate. I don’t see a ton of benefit and I love the fact that we have great competition.”

Whoever starts will lead Oregon against Montana State. The Bobcats are coming off their own stellar 15-1 season that also ended in unspectacular fashion, losing in the Football Championship Subdivision — formerly Division 1-AA — title game 35-32 to North Dakota State.

Last year, Montana State ranked 2nd offensively in the FCS, racking up nearly 480 yards a game and more than 40 points a game. The Ducks ranked 22nd offensively in the Football Bowl Subdivision or Division 1 with about 35 points and 437 yards a game.

Montana State also breaks in a new quarterback this season, Justin Lamson, a transfer from Stanford whom the Ducks have beaten twice.

The nationally ranked Ducks lost 10 players to the NFL draft, including Gabriel, receiver Tez Johnson and defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, but they are heavily favored to win.

While the Ducks play a Big Sky foe, Oregon State faces a longtime opponent in Cal. The Bears left the Pac-12 for the ACC two years ago along with nine other schools who abandoned the so-called Conference of Champions to join other conferences — Oregon joined the Big 10 — and left the Beavers and the Washington State Cougars on their own.

The Pac-12 becomes the Pac-8 next year with the addition of six more teams, mostly from the Mountain West.

Oregon State fans are hoping for a different outcome this year after Cal rolled over the Beavers in Berkeley for a 44-7 win. Quarterback Ben Gulbranson threw for 131 yards and a touchdown in that game while running back Anthony Hankerson had just 49 yards rushing.

Despite that tepid showing, Hankerson finished the season with more than 1,000 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns, powering a running game that averaged 189 yards a game and ranked 29th in the FBS, college football’s highest Division 1 tier.

The Beavers face Bears quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, a true freshman, and his likely go-to target, UNLV transfer Jacob De Jesus.

Oregon State vs. California kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Reser Stadium in Corvallis. The game will be televised by ESPN. The Beavers host Fresno State next on Sept. 6.

Oregon vs. Montana State kicks off at 1 p.m. Saturday at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network. Oregon hosts Oklahoma State next on Sept. 6.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/08/29/oregon-beavers-ducks-college-football-home-openers/