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It takes more than two to tango when it comes to the structure of college football conferences.
The future of the sharply contracted Pac-12 Conference is up in the air. Its current binary form cannot persist, as a two-team conference is unworkable. Reaching a conference championship game in a two-team league would require no achievement on the gridiron. Indeed, a winless team could conceivably end up in the championship game of such a conference.
What does the future hold for the Pac-12 and its two remaining members—the Oregon State Beavers and the Washington State Cougars?
Rebuilding the Pac-12
The presidents and athletic directors of the two universities have expressed their preference to rebuild the Pac-12. As a result of success in litigation, Wazzu and OSU are the recipients of valuable media rights in the wake of the mass exodus from the conference. Armed with substantial resources, the Cougars and Beavers might be able to preserve and rebuild the historic Pac-12 by enticing teams to join.
Partnership With Mountain West Conference
Oregon State and Washington State have entered into an interim scheduling partnership with the MWC. For the 2024 season, OSU and WSU agreed to pay the MWC $14 million, and in exchange, the Beavers and Cougars will play seven games each against MWC teams. Neither team will be eligible for the MWC championship, and the scheduling partnership might be extended to 2025.
The MWC belongs to the Group of 5 and consists of 11 member universities:
Air Force Falcons
Boise State Broncos
Colorado State Rams
Fresno State Bulldogs
New Mexico Lobos
Nevada Wolf Pack
San Diego State Aztecs
San Jose State Spartans
UNLV Rebels
Utah State Aggies
Wyoming Cowboys
CBS Sports has reported on overtures the MWC has made to persuade Oregon State and Washington State to join the conference in the future. Such a move would make sense from a geographic perspective. However, as noted, the preference of the Beavers and Cougars it to rebuild the Pac-12.
2024 Schedules
With the MWC scheduling partnership, here are the schedules of the Cougars and Beavers for the 2024 season.
Cougars 2024 Schedule
Aug. 31: Portland State
Sept. 7: Texas Tech
Sept. 14: at Washington
Sept. 20: San Jose State
Sept. 28: at Boise State
Oct. 12: at Fresno State
Oct. 19: Hawai'i
Oct. 26: at San Diego State
Nov. 9: Utah State
Nov. 16: at New Mexico State
Nov. 23: at Oregon State
Nov. 30: Wyoming
Beavers 2024 Schedule
Aug. 31: Idaho State
Sept. 7: at San Diego State
Sept. 14: Oregon
Sept. 21: Purdue
Oct. 5: Colorado State
Oct. 12: at Nevada
Oct. 19: UNLV
Oct 26: at Cal
Nov. 9: San Jose State
Nov. 16: at Air Force
Nov. 23: Washington State
Nov. 29: at Boise State
Possible Big 12 Membership
Could the Beavers and Cougars follow Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah from the Pac-12 to the Big 12 Conference? Such a move is worthy of consideration. OSU and Wazzu both wish to retain Power Five status. If they are unable to achieve their goal of rebuilding the Pac-12, transitioning to the Big 12 would enable them to retain Power Five status. From the perspective of the Big 12, adding Washington State and Oregon State would enable the conference to expand its market into the Pacific Northwest. Additionally, with their traditional brands and cache, the Beavers and Cougars would help the Big 12 keep up with the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten Conference in terms of influence and competitive advantage in the college football landscape.
Preservation of Rivalry Games
The Beavers and Cougars participate in two of college football's most historic and cherished rivalry series—the Apple Cup and the rivalry game formerly known as the "Civil War." In the Apple Cup, the Cougars have played the Washington Huskies annually since 1900. This year's matchup will be the 116th between the teams. The Oregon vs. Oregon State rivalry dates back to 1894.
What is to become of these great, historical rivalry series in the aftermath of conference realignment? The universities have made interim arrangements to keep the rivalry series going. However, the long-term future is uncertain. The fact that the opposing rivals are now in different conferences makes preservation of the series complicated. The interim maneuvers resulted in the disappointing scheduling of the rivalry games early in the 2024 season. Traditional late-season scheduling of these rivalry games adds drama and intrigue.
Legendary Beavers, Cougars
Unforgettable stars of the gridiron have suited up for Oregon State and Washington State. Here are some of the most memorable:
Beavers
Christened with an all-time great football name, Tommy Prothro coached the Beavers from 1955 through 1964. He was a quarterback for Duke in the late 1930s and early 1940s. He led the Beavers to a stellar 63-37-2 career during his tenure. Prothro went on to coach for UCLA, the Los Angeles Rams and the San Diego Chargers. He is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Beavers quarterback Terry Baker won the Heisman Trophy in 1962, becoming the first player from the West Coast to receive the honor. The Los Angeles Rams selected him with the first overall pick in the 1963 NFL Draft. He is enshrined in the Oregon Hall of Fame.
Talented and charismatic Chad Johnson, aka "Ochocinco," teamed up with TJ Houshmandzadeh at Oregon State to form one of the most dynamic wide receiver duos in college football history. They led the Beavers to an 11-1 record, a 41-9 thrashing of Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl and a No. 4 national ranking. Johnson went on to have a standout NFL career in which he was a three-time first team All-Pro.
Steven Jackson was a dominant running back for the Beavers from 2001-2003, twice earning American honors. He rushed for 3,625 yards and 39 touchdowns in his three-year career in Corvallis, Ore. He was also a skilled receiver, hauling in 66 receptions with a 10.3-yard average per reception. The St. Louis Rams selected him in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft. In his prolific professional career, he was a two-time All-Pro.
Cougars
Two Cougars are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame—Mel Hein and Albert Glen "Turk" Edwards. Hein was a two-way player. He is the only person to ever win NFL MVP as a center. He also played linebacker. Edwards was an offensive tackle. They were both inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the 1960s.
Canadian-born Mark Rypien was the Cougars' quarterback from 1981 through 1985. He was named first team All-Pac-10 Conference in 1984. Washington drafted him in the 1986 NFL Draft and he went on to become an All-Pro and two-time Super Bowl champion.
In 1992, Drew Bledsoe quarterbacked a nationally-ranked Cougars squad to a 9-3 record, including a victory over Utah in the Copper Bowl. Bledsoe was named the Pac-10's Offensive Player of the Year and second team All-American. As Tom Brady's predecessor with the New England Patriots, he was a four-time NFL Pro Bowler.
With all the upheaval in college football in recent years, the futures of these two historically prominent stalwarts of the Pacific Northwest are up in the air.
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Wazzu!