Washington State got some sweet revenge on an in-state rival Saturday.
The Cougars held on for a 24-19 win over Washington in the Apple Cup, the longtime rivalry matchup between Washington’s top two college football schools that looks a bit different this season.
Washington State stopped Washington on fourth down at the one-yard-line with 1:07 to play and ran out the clock to pull off the stunning upset.
As it moved to 3-0 in 2024, Washington State also got some get-back on the Huskies for their decision to join a new conference, which affected the timing behind the historic Washington rivalry.
Here’s a look at why Washington State’s win on Saturday was revenge for the Cougars, along with why Washington chose to leave the Pac-12 and the latest updates on the conference.
Why Washington State wanted revenge on Washington
After the Pac-12 had already started to dwindle with departures from USC, UCLA and others, Oregon and Washington announced their decision to join the Big Ten in August 2023.
The news left Washington State, the Huskies’ longtime rival, in the rearview mirror. As more teams continued announcing their plans to leave the Pac-12, the conference was eventually slimmed down to just two programs, one of them being Washington State.
Saturday’s Apple Cup rivalry game, over a century old but now a non-conference matchup, gave the Cougars an opportunity for revenge on Washington for leaving it behind in the remains of a dismantled Pac-12.
They took advantage of that opportunity, holding on late for the 24-19 victory.
Washington State quarterback John Mateer recorded 245 passing yards, a passing touchdown, two rushing touchdowns and an interception in the win.
The Cougars, who are currently only joined by Oregon State in the Pac-12, beat Portland State and Texas Tech in the first two weeks of the season. Saturday’s win over the Huskies marked the third-straight season with a 3-0 start for Washington State.
Why Washington left the Pac-12
The Pac-12 was already trending downward by the time Washington and Oregon announced they would be leaving for the Big Ten.
However, the move for Washington had its financial benefits as well. Revenue sharing between the now-18 Big Ten teams provided more security, plus the Big Ten already had a new media rights deal it could get in on.
The influx of new Big Ten programs gave Washington the chance to make its move, and while it did make preserving the Apple Cup a priority while it departed from the Pac-12, Washington still left Washington State behind to deal with the Pac-12's struggles.
Latests news on Pac-12
While just Washington State and Oregon State make up the Pac-12 in 2024, the conference recently announced some new additions for a “new era.”
Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State will all be officially joining the conference in 2026 as it looks to recover from its lost programs.
In the meantime, Washington State will enjoy its revenge win over Washington, a new Big Ten program.
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