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Oregon State got left behind by conference realignment, left to deal with the carnage of what had been their league for seven decades.
The Beavers have been coming to grips with this new reality, along with fellow power conference castaway Washington State, ever since the Pac-12 disintegrated last year. Washington and Oregon joined USC and UCLA in defecting to the Big Ten and Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah defected to the Big 12.
Oregon State remained together with Washington State as a two-school version of the Pac-12 in search of a new home. The two schools, thus far, have only come up with a temporary solution.
They agreed to a one-year scheduling agreement in football with the Mountain West Conference, and joined the West Coast Conference as an affiliate member for two years in most other sports. The football scheduling agreement begins Saturday night, when Oregon State visits San Diego State of the Mountain West Conference during Week 2 of the 2024 season.
It’s the first opportunity for the Beavers to show if they can sustain their recent resurgence under new coach Trent Bray after former coach Jonathan Smith left for Michigan State this offseason. But just as the partnership between Oregon State and the Mountain West Conference is officially starting, there are signs it won’t last.
Here’s what you should know about the current and future status of the scheduling agreement between Oregon State, Washington State and the MWC, and how to watch Oregon State at San Diego State on Saturday night:
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What is the Oregon State-MWC scheduling agreement?
Once it became clear the Pac-12 as we knew it was gone, Oregon State and Washington State had to figure out how to fill their sports schedules in 2024 and beyond. Neither, however, were ready to become full-fledged members of another non-power conference, most notably the Mountain West Conference – which offered the best geographic fit.
Oregon State, Washington State and the Mountain West nonetheless came to a scheduling agreement for the 2024 college season.
Oregon State and Washington State each play six MWC opponents in non conference games (three home, three road) during the 2024 college football season, and the 12 Mountain West teams will correspondingly play seven league games rather than eight this year.
What conference is Oregon State, Washington State in?
It’s complicated at the moment. Legally, Oregon State is still a member of the Pac-12, or Pac-2, along with Washington State. But the two schools remain in limbo.
They elected to stick together, using a two-year grace period afforded by NCAA rules to either rebuild what was the Pac-12 back to at least eight schools, find a new league, or become independents. The two schools also control the money and benefits still owed to the conference. This caveat made an immediate partnership with the MWC more difficult.
Oregon State, Washington State conference realignment future
Oregon State and Washington State want to return to power conference status whenever the next dominoes fall in conference realignment. But there always seemed to be the fallback option of joining the Mountain West Conference in some form, whether by adding schools to a rejuvenated Pac-12 or through a merger. Developments this week suggest it might not be so straightforward anymore.
The MWC opted not to renew its scheduling agreement with Oregon State and Washington State, according to multiple reports, after a self-imposed deadline passed last Monday. This year’s deal called for Oregon State and Washington to each pay the Mountain West $14 million in exchange for playing six games against MWC teams, according to The Athletic.
This means, barring further negotiations, Oregon State and Washington State would have to fill out their 2025 football schedules differently than this year. Oregon State has six announced games in 2025 and Washington State has five games. This also adds uncertainty to the notion that Oregon State, Washington State and the Mountain West Conference will eventually wind up together.
Oregon State vs San Diego State TV, streaming info
- Date: Saturday, September 7
- Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego
- TV: CBS Sports Network
- Streaming: Fubo
Watch Oregon State vs San Diego State and more college football games with Fubo
Oregon State football schedule 2024
- Aug. 31: Idaho State (W, 38-15)
- 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. 2: BYE
- Nov. 9: San Jose State
- Nov. 16: at Air Force
- Nov. 23: Washington State
- Nov. 29: at Boise State
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