Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes told the Oregonian that the two teams would not meet in 2027 and were targeting a series beginning in 2028.
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“We couldn’t do that,” Barnes told the newspaper. “That was on our side.”
Oregon and Oregon State will not play in 2026 for the first time in 2026. It was, like many others, a rivalry game that has been interrupted by the quest for millions that is conference realignment. Oregon leads the series 70-49-10.
As members of the Pac-12, the schools were required to play each other every year. But after the Pac-12 effectively disbanded after the 2023 season and Oregon left for the Big Ten, the two schools had to fight to keep the series.
It was just a short term solution. The two teams played home and away matches in 2024 and 2025.
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In 2027, Oregon State will have non-conference games against Portland State, New Mexico, Ole Miss and BYU, as the reshaped Pac-12 has eight conference games among its eight members. Meanwhile, Oregon needs to find a third non-conference game. According to FB Schedules, the Ducks only have games scheduled against Eastern Washington and Baylor.
Washington and Washington State were able to maintain their rivalry series after the Pac-12 fell apart in 2023, but that series also does not have a long-term agreement. The two schools are scheduled to play over the next three seasons, but nothing is planned for 2029 and beyond.
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In a perfect world, the Pac-12’s two legacy rivalries would be played in perpetuity along with games like Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State and Missouri vs. Kansas. Instead, the current college landscape has contributed to disruption as athletic departments are desperate to maximize revenue in almost any way possible.