A matchup between the Big Ten and the Pac-12 traditionally would be a clash of differing styles between schools from the Midwest and the West Coast.
Better yet, it could invoke images of the San Gabriel Mountains and the manicured grass of the Rose Bowl in “The Granddaddy of Them All.”
This year, it means a pair of century-old rivalry games oddly placed in Week 3 of the season between in-state schools now bitterly divided by the new reality of college football.
The game formerly known as The Civil War a nonconference game? The Apple Cup played at a neutral site with fans on both sides of the debate calling for an end to the yearly matchup? Neither game played in November or December?
What in the name of Keith Jackson is going on here?
“It’ll feel weird to play them at a neutral site so to speak, a non-campus site. It’ll be weird to play them in September and probably will be a little weird (overall),” Washington State athletic director Anne McCoy said. “But the general emotion and sentiment at the end of the day won’t be any different, which is this would be a great game to win.”
The rubble that remained from the collapse of the Pac-12 a year ago created the situation that will play out with the oddest of rivalry weekends. Oregon State will host No. 9 Oregon in Corvallis, while a few hours’ drive up the road Washington State and Washington will play at a neutral site in Seattle that won’t feel very neutral.
They are both non-league contests for the first time since the early 1960s. The two remaining schools grasping onto the Pac-12 flag take on their two in-state opponents that bolted for an opportunity in the Big Ten amid the chaos of realignment.
Left in the wake is an odd mix of emotions — anger, resentment and resignation are all part of the atmosphere that surrounds the two games. And no one seems to know the right feeling to have.
“Rivalry games are always personal,” Washington State center Devin Kylany said.
“It’s still a rivalry game. I’m looking forward to playing in it,” Washington linebacker Carson Bruener said. “Obviously there is the difference of not playing at the end of the year and playing it Week 3, but the intensity is still there and we all know it.”
While there appears to be a cloud of apathy surrounding the Apple Cup, there seems to be some true buzz for the game in Corvallis. There are standing-room-only tickets being sold for the matchup at Reser Stadium, and on the secondary market a seat in the lower bowl is going to cost at least $150 a few days out.
And there’s genuine intrigue, too. The Ducks started the season ranked third in the country and struggled in consecutive home wins over Idaho (24-14) and Boise State (37-34). Meanwhile, the Beavers thumped Idaho State (38-15) and shut out San Diego State (21-0) last week on the road.
Oregon State coach Trent Bray said there’s no need to explain the magnitude of the week to his players.
“They know of it. They’re aware of it. The biggest is the opportunity to go out and compete at the national level, (on) the national stage, and show what we can do and do it against a great opponent. I think that’s the bigger focus for our guys,” Bray said.
While Reser Stadium is likely to be buzzing — the sound of chainsaws will be prominent — the Apple Cup could be played in front of a half-empty stadium. Reported ticket sales for the game at Lumen Field — home of the Seattle Seahawks — are in the range of between 35,000 and 40,000 due in part to high prices, the neutral venue and the game not being part of the season-ticket package for either school.
It’s added to the overwhelming indifference about the future of the game that started almost immediately after the demise of the Pac-12 in the summer of 2023. There are segments of each fan base that would rather move on.
Washington State President Kirk Schulz thinks that despite a feeling of apathy — and the oddity of Washington athletic director Pat Chun previously holding the same position at Washington State until six months ago — continuing the game is for the betterment of football fans in the region.
“They didn’t have to continue to do it and we could have both said, you know, screw the other school, and I think our fans at the end of the day would miss out,” Schulz said. “Look, maybe we win, maybe we don’t. But I just think it’s good for Division I football, for the Pacific Northwest, for our two schools to play once a year. I’m a big pro-rivalry guy.”
