In an unquestionably strange season for the Pac-12, Oregon State and No. 25 Washington State will meet this weekend for what is essentially the league's regular-season title.
It's the new reality for the once-proud Conference of Champions, which was whittled down to just two teams — the Beavers and the Cougars — during realignment last year.
The lone Pac-12, well, Pac-2, game this season will be played Saturday in Corvallis. While Washington State and Oregon State had a scheduling agreement this year with the Mountain West, the two teams don't figure into that league's standings.
Since the Pac-12's collapse, the Beavers and the Cougs have worked together to rebuild the conference. In 2026, five Mountain West teams — as well as Gonzaga for basketball only — will join a new Pac-12.
But that alliance ends at the football field, at least according to Washington State coach Jake Dickert.
"I’ve never gotten into, like, they’re our buddy. Oregon State’s not our buddy. They would have left us as fast as we would have left them. This is what it is,” Dickert said this week. “It’s one of our biggest rivals now. That’s the way I looked at it. That’s not bulletin board material. I hope they would say it the same way, let’s go compete.”
Washington State (8-2) is coming off a disheartening 38-35 loss to New Mexico last weekend. The Cougars had hopes of winning out and possibly earning an at-large bid to the 12-team College Football Playoff, and were ranked as high as No. 18 in the CFP rankings.
“Our team will be defined in how we respond to this," Dickert said. “That’s what we talked about after the game. That’s what we talked about this morning. We have a commitment to finish here. That isn’t just committing to finish because we’re in the playoff hunt. It’s a commitment to finish to each other and our team. There are 50 other teams in the country that would switch places with us, and be 8-2 with where we’re at.”
Oregon State (4-6) has lost five straight and is coming off a 28-0 blanking at Air Force last weekend.
It's possible the Beavers could still become bowl eligible, but they would need to beat the Cougars and then win at No. 12 Boise State next weekend.
“When you lose like we’ve lost the last five weeks, it’s never just one thing, and it’s certainly not just the players," Oregon State coach Trent Bray said.
Washington State's versatile quarterback John Mateer is considered among the top quarterbacks in the country, despite playing outside of a Power Four conference.
Mateer has accounted for 340.2 yards of total offense to rank fifth nationwide, he has 26 passing touchdowns (tied for fourth) and he's rushed for 12 more, a Washington State single-season record for a quarterback.
He's the only QB in the country with 20-plus passing touchdowns and 10-plus rushing scores.
The result of his success is that he's generating outside interest.
And just look at his predecessor, Cam Ward, who played for the Cougars last season before decamping to Miami, where he's become a Heisman candidate and a possible top NFL draft pick.
The transfer portal opens Dec. 9.
The scheduling agreement with the Mountain West was not renewed for next season, so Washington State and Oregon State each had to put together schedules with an assortment of opponents, and one quirk. The two teams will play each other twice, once in Corvallis and once in Pullman.
In 2026, five Mountain West schools will join the Pac-12: Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Utah State. Gonzaga, which does not field a football team, has also joined.
The new Pac-12 must still add another football member to be recognized by the NCAA.
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