Oregon-Oregon State Is the Latest Rivalry Game to Fall Off Schedule Due to Conference Realignment

After Oregon left the Pac-12 for the Big Ten in Aug. 2024, the annual series with in-state rival Oregon State, who remained in the Pac-12, was immediately put on the chopping block. The two teams patched together a short-term scheduling agreement—a home-and-home in 2024 and this past season, ‘25—but were unable to come to terms on a long-term arrangement.

As a result, the two schools will not play in the 2026 football season, and will not meet in ‘27 either, Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes told The Oregonian. The two schools do, however, plan to begin a new series beginning in the ‘28 football season.

Barnes admitted that the Beavers’ previous scheduling precluded the two schools from renewing their series a year earlier, in ‘27. Oregon State already has non-conference games set with Portland State, New Mexico, Ole Miss and BYU to go along with their eight-game conference schedule in the new Pac-12. Oregon, meanwhile, only has three non-conference games currently scheduled in ‘27, with room for a fourth. Barring a cancellation to a non-conference game on the Oregon State side, the earliest these two teams could meet would be in ‘28.

Oregon leads the all-time series between the two schools 70-49-10, which dates back to November of 1894. The Ducks have won three straight meetings and seven of the last 10. The two schools met every year from 1944 to 2025.

Other notable rivalries affected by conference realignment

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love celebrates after getting a first down in the first half against USC. — Notre Dame and USC have no future games scheduled as the two sides were unable to reach an agreement. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Border War (Kansas vs. Missouri)

After Missouri left the Big 12 for the SEC in 2011, the annual rivalry contest between these two schools effectively ended. The two schools met this past season for the first time in 14 years, with the Tigers defeating the Jayhawks 42–31 in Columbia

Bedlam (Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State)

Oklahoma joined the SEC ahead of the 2024 season, meaning the Nov. 2023 meeting between the Sooners and Cowboys would be the last for the foreseeable future. Oklahoma State captured a 27–24 win in Stillwater. The teams had met annually since the 1904 season.

Stanford vs. USC

USC’s move to the Big Ten ended the annual rivalry contest between the Trojans and Cardinal. USC beat Stanford 56–10 in Sept. of 2023, and there are no scheduled games between the two schools in the immediate future.

The Battle for the Jeweled Sheleleigh (Notre Dame vs. USC)

Notre Dame is historically independent in football, and has annually faced off against USC in one of college football’s most cherished rivalry games. However, due to the USC’s move to the Big Ten and the travel associated with the school’s new conference schedule, the Trojans and Irish were unable to come to a future scheduling agreement. There are no games scheduled between now and 2029, with the Irish capturing the final scheduled meeting between the two schools this past fall in South Bend, beating the Trojans, 34–24.

The Apple Cup (Washington vs. Washington State)

Washington was one of several teams to bolt for greener pastures following the demise of the former iteration of the Pac-12, but Washington State joined Oregon State as the two schools that remained. The Apple Cup rivalry between Washington and Washington State will be played through the 2028 season, but faces an uncertain future thereafter. The schools have yet to come to an agreement on future non-conference matchups in ‘29 and beyond.

The Backyard Brawl (Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia)

The Backyard Brawl is one of college football's premier rivalry games that returned in the 2022 season for the first time in 11 years. The two fan bases were deprived of the contest once the two teams left the Big East, with Pitt heading to the ACC and West Virginia to the Big 12. The ‘25 meeting between the two schools was the last until ‘29, when the teams will begin an annual home-and-home series that will run through the ‘36 season.

The Lonestar Showdown (Texas vs. Texas A&M)

After Texas A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC after the 2011 season, the annual Lone Star Showdown between the Aggies and Longhorns ceased. However, once Texas joined the SEC ahead of the ‘24 season, the rivalry was renewed as a conference game once again. Good news for fans of both schools—the SEC has protected this rivalry and the schools will play permanently on an annual basis in conference play moving forward.

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