It was another seismic day in the world of college football and conference realignment as the Washington Huskies and Oregon Ducks decided to leave the Pac-12 and join USC and UCLA in the Big Ten.
The move, coupled with Colorado’s departure and the potential departure of Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah, essentially spells the end of the Pac-12 as we know it.
It’s also a particularly tough pill to swallow for schools like Washington State, who don’t have a lot of strong offers from other conferences, not to mention that they’ll potentially be losing the annual game against their in-state rival.
While UW and Oregon are moving to greener pastures, Wazzou is stuck in their pasture wondering what the future holds. And their fans aren’t too happy with the state of college athletics.
well november will be the last apple cup for a long time so that’s fun
— Brian Floyd (@BrianMFloyd) August 4, 2023
https://twitter.com/austincmarshall/status/1687529360432271360
Win the Apple Cup & keep it for eternity. Never play them again.
— WazzuCrew11 (@WazzuCrew11) August 4, 2023
2023 likely going to be the last Apple Cup and Civil War for a long, long time.
A true shame what greed and inexplicable ineptitude within the Pac-12 has done.
— Jamey Vinnick (@jameyvinnick9) August 4, 2023
wazzu and oregon state for the next 12 months pic.twitter.com/rPA4ivF42M
— Brian Floyd (@BrianMFloyd) August 4, 2023
It will indeed to a shame if the Apple Cup ends, even for a little bit. First played in 1900, it’s been a Washington State tradition ever since. The game is most commonly held on the Friday after Thanksgiving, which seems unlikely to continue if the series does keep going.
For its part, UW said in its statement that they plan to continue playing the Cougars, though it will now be a non-conference game.
Part of UW president Ana Mari Cauce's statement today: pic.twitter.com/YpcuwG8xIY
— Christian Caple (@ChristianCaple) August 4, 2023
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.