Last week, it was announced that the Oregon State Beavers will square off with the BYU Cougars in the 2028 Vegas Kickoff Classic. BYU and Oregon State will meet at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, during Labor Day Weekend to open the 2028 season.
According to a copy of the agreement obtained from Oregon State University via a state open records request, the Beavers will receive a $3.2 million guarantee for their participation in the event. The guarantee will be paid to Oregon State by ESPN Productions, Inc. (EPI), within 30 days following the event.
The date of the Oregon State-BYU game will be either Friday, Sept. 1 or Saturday, Sept. 2. Per the contract, the parties agree to “…good faith conversations about adjusting the dates” should the NFL move its opening week to Labor Day weekend or if the NCAA moves the beginning of the college football season up to what is currently referred to as Week Zero.
Below are some additional stipulations from ESPN’s agreement with Oregon State University:
• The home and road designations, sidelines, and locker room assignments will be determined at a later date.
• Oregon State will have no ticket commitment guarantee.
• EPI will provide Oregon State up to five hundred (500) complimentary tickets for player and staff family needs.
• EPI will provide complimentary seating for up to three hundred (300) members of the School band and up to thirty (30) participants in total from Oregon State’s uniformed cheerleaders, mascot and dance team.
• Oregon State will receive two (2) complimentary, twenty (20)-person suites for the game (i.e. twenty (20) tickets per suite). All food and beverage costs for the suites are entirely the responsibility of Oregon State.
• Oregon State will receive fifty (50) complimentary parking passes in close proximity to the venue for the school’s official travel party needs.
Oregon State and BYU were previously scheduled to meet in the second game of a home-and-home series on Sept. 9, 2028 in Corvallis, Ore., but that game was canceled per a copy of an amendment to the contract we obtained. The two schools are still scheduled to meet at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah, on Sept. 25, 2027.
Oregon State and BYU first met on the gridiron in 1955 and have played 11 times overall. The Beavers defeated the Cougars in their most recent matchup in 2012 in Provo and now lead the overall series by one game, 6-5.
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Very interesting. $3.2 mil is a lot of whack, particularly for a school now outside the P4.
What does “Oregon State will have no ticket commitment guarantee” mean? That they’re not on the hook to sell x number of tickets? Or that they’re not getting a slice of, say, 10-12-15k tickets?
There’s a lot of beaver in Vegas, and I would think Oregon State would show out big for a holiday weekend at the beginning of the season.
Oregon State doesn´t have a ticket commitment guarantee because they already know that 90% or more of Allegiant stadium will be royal blue during the game.
Both
You are correct on that one BYUfan Provo, UT would be much, much closer than Corvallis, OR
Smart move by Oregon State. In a challenging conference realignment landscape, securing a major payday for a single game is crucial for athletic department funding. https://calgaryprayertimes.com/value-of-friday-prayer-in-islam/ A necessary strategy for financial stability.
Be there to cheer for the cougars or just be there to see some beavers in Vegas. Tough choice! Oh Welp! You can get both if you’re lucky.