To continue our offseason evaluations, we're running through three pressing questions facing each Pac-12 team entering 2017. We'll continue with Oregon State.

1. Which quarterback takes the reins?

It’s not a quantity issue for the Beavers as coach Gary Andersen is going to have five options as his starting quarterback in 2017. The passing game remains a quality issue that Andersen hopes is solved by one of his five options. Oregon State fans will be familiar with Marcus McMaryion, Conor Blount and Darell Garretson, all of whom got game reps with the Beavers in 2016. They’ll be joined by Mason Moran (who redshirted last season, but played in the spring game) and junior college transfer Jake Luton (who started at Idaho before transferring to Ventura College). A season ago, Andersen described the Beavers’ passing game as “horrible,” and it’s pretty obvious that if major strides aren’t made before next season, Oregon State likely won’t see the same kind of jump between 2016 and 2017 as it saw between 2015 and 2016.

2. Can Bright Ugwoegbu become a reliable pass-rusher?

The Beavers have finished last in the Pac-12 in sacks in the past two seasons (17 in 2015, 18 in 2016). The defensive line has gone through a few position changes, and in 2017, Chad Kauha’aha’a will take over the defensive line and attempt to turn it into an effective unit. The brightest star in that meeting room (pun intended) is Ugwoegbu. He led the Beavers in sacks (5.5) and tackles for a loss (11.0) in 2016 while playing in just nine games, and he’ll be back in the fall for his redshirt junior season. The Oregon State defense made major strides in Andersen’s first two seasons, but it’s the defensive line that has remained an Achilles heel for the team. In 2017, Ugwoegbu could provide a big answer to that problem and a bigger problem for opposing quarterbacks.

3. Could the Beavers hit six wins in Andersen’s third year?

Oregon State doubled its victory total between 2015 and 2016, but what can we expect in 2017? Is bowl eligibility on the horizon? The Beavers’ nonconference schedule is interesting. They start with Portland State before getting Minnesota (which will row its way out to Corvallis with new coach P.J. Fleck) and two weeks later the Beavers will face Colorado State (a week after the Rams play at Alabama). Could Oregon State go 3-0 in the nonconference season? It’s possible. But the conference schedule is no cakewalk. The Beavers will likely be looking for three to four wins during the Pac-12 schedule in order to hit bowl eligibility, but looking at the schedule, as well as the rise of different teams in the Pac-12, that will be tough: Washington and USC have established themselves as the early favorites in 2017 while Oregon and Washington State are hoping to buck their feelings of how the 2016 seasons ended; The Beavs face both of the Arizona schools, which will be trying to erase their memories of 2016; Cal has a new, defensive-minded coach in Justin Wilcox and home games against Stanford and Colorado will be anything but gimmes. Six wins for Oregon State isn’t out of the realm of possibility, but a lot of that will rely on the Beavs finding a reliable quarterback and pass rush.