Sep 5, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Oregon State Beavers head coach Jamarcus Shephard.

The thrill of an improbable comeback win for the San Diego State Aztecs, in their historic Pac-12 Conference opener, is giving way to the reality of being big road underdogs against the Oregon State Beavers.

Despite a 31-29 home win against the Texas State Bobcats, the oddsmakers have set the Aztecs (2-3, 1-0 Pac-12) as 14.5-point underdogs for the game against the Beavers (3-2, 1-0).

The Aztecs are +520 on the moneyline while the Beavers are -750. The over-under is 53.5 points.

Kickoff is at 3 p.m. Saturday at Reser Stadium.

The Aztecs can’t afford to fall behind in the conference race. And since they have as many losses as they did in the entire last regular season, additional losses will hurt them as they try to become bowl-eligible for a second straight season.

The Aztecs beat the Bobcats despite having several players out with injuries and a mumps outbreak. Coach Sean Lewis isn’t prone to giving injury updates, and the first availability report of the week will be posted on the league’s website on Wednesday evening. However, the report doesn’t list specific injuries or illnesses.

The Aztecs thrived Saturday night by using the next-man-up philosophy.

Running back Josiah Lucas, a true freshman, rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns in place of injured starter Lucky Sutton. He was the first true freshman to run for more than 100 yards for the Aztecs since Donnel Pumphrey in 2013.

SDSU hasn’t offered an update on Sutton, who aggravated a high ankle sprain at Toledo two games ago, or Javion “Chop” Kinnard, who also left that game with an apparent left knee injury.

And then there’s the mumps outbreak, which the school has chosen not to address, citing various government guidelines.

Oregon State leads the series 5-2 and has won the last five games against the Aztecs. The last time the Aztecs beat the Beavers was in 1975 in Corvallis.

The Beavers opened conference play with a 56-26 win at Colorado State. After losing their first two games to Houston and Texas Tech, they’ve rattled off three straight wins.

SDSU was picked by most observers to finish second in the Pac-12 behind overwhelming favorite Boise State. But the Aztecs have slipped in most power rankings, while the Beavers are considered a top-three team in the eight-team league.

Spread: San Diego State +14.5 (-105)

Moneyline: San Diego State +520, Oregon State -750

Over/under: 53.5 points (-115)

Game time: 3 p.m. Pacific time | Saturday, Oct.10

Location: Reser Stadium | Corvallis, Ore.

Odds are courtesy of FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.