Oregon State have been arguably the biggest pleasant surprise of the 2026 college football season, winning four of their first six games under new head coach JaMarcus Shephard.
This week, the Beavs host the Washington State Cougars, also led by a first-year head coach in Kirby Moore.
Here's a qick rundown of everything that you need to know to about the rivalry battle between the Beavers and the Cougars.
Oregon State Beavers (4-2, 2-0 Pac-12 Conference) vs. Washington State Cougars (1-5, 0-2 Pac-12 Conference)
Date: Saturday, October 17
Time: 3 p.m. PT // 6 p.m. ET
Location: Reser Stadium - Corvallis, Oregon
TV: USA Network
Radio: Beaver Sports Network (SXM 262 & 972)
Point Spread: Oregon State -18.5 on FanDuel
Trent Bray's Return To Corvallis
Now the defensive coordinator for the Cougars, Trent Bray returns to Corvallis for the first time since his firing as OSU's head coach during the 2025 season. The former Oregon State linebacker spent a total of 11 seasons as a coach at Oregon State, including a 1.5-year stint in charge of the program while accumulating a record of 5-14.
Jesse Legree's Dominance
A new addition to the Biletnikoff Watch List, freshman wide receiver Jesse Legree has been one of the hottest topics in college football through the first six weeks. He leads the FBS with 932 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns, while averaging a very impressive 24.5 yards per game.
An Opportunity for the Beaver Defense
Washington State will start redshirt freshman Owen Eshelman at quarterback this week after a bad start to the year by UC Davis transfer Caden Pinnick. However, the Oregon State secondary will be without starting corner TC Crandall, with Isaiah Houi listed as questionable.
OSU are surrendering a very respectable 22 points per game this season, while leading the Pac-12 by liminting opposing offenses to just 326.3 total yards per game.
With the way Oregon State's offense is playing, a strong defensive start could be huge in paving the way for a Beavers win.
A New Rivalry Trophy
The winner of this weekend's game will take home the unofficially named "Rivalry Rock," a joint creation between members of the Oregon State and Washington State alumni associations. Those groups are still working to make the ancient stone from Biggs Junction, Oregon an official component of the rivalry, though it adds a new, practically primal dimension to the rivalry.
More Reading Material From Oregon State Beavers On SI
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About State of the Beavs
Each week, veteran sports broadcaster and writer Matt Bagley examines the news and storylines at play for Oregon State University Athletics. Occasionally joined by contributors for On SI's coverage of the Beavers, as well as the occasional guest spot from Beavers past, present, and future. Get caught up with the playlist below. New episodes are typically released on Tuesday mornings.
Want to interact with the show? Talk to Matt: mbagleyradio@gmail.com
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