The Washington State Cougars have revealed their 2024 football schedule, which includes six home games and a neutral-site contest.
Following the departure of 10 teams to other conferences, the Washington State Cougars and Oregon State Beavers will play as the only two remaining members of the Pac-12. NCAA bylaws stipulate that conferences must have at least eight members. However, there is a two-year grace period if a conference falls below the eight-team threshold.
As a result, Washington State and Oregon State will have to operate their football programs as if they are Independent teams, even though they are technically still members of the Pac-12.
Washington State previously had three non-conference games scheduled and recently announced the continuation of its Apple Cup rivalry game with the Washington Huskies, which is next slated for Sept. 14, 2024 at Lumen Field in Seattle, Wash.
The Cougars are set to open the 2024 season at home against the Portland State Vikings on Aug. 31 before traveling to face the San Diego State Aztecs on a date to be determined. Washington State also had an existing home matchup slated against the San Jose State Spartans on Sept. 21.
A new addition to Washington State’s schedule is a home matchup with the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Sept. 7. Texas Tech was previously scheduled to play at Oregon in 2024, but conference realignment had other ideas. The Washington State-Texas Tech game in 2024 will be the first of a home-and-home series, with the return game at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas, slated for the 2032 season.
In addition to those five contests, Washington State will play fellow Pac-12 member Oregon State in Corvallis, Ore., on Nov. 23.
As a result of a football scheduling agreement between the two-team Pac-12 and the Mountain West Conference, Washington State will play an additional six contests against Mountain West opponents. In order to schedule those games, the Mountain West reduced the conference matchups for its teams from eight to seven. Additionally, the Mountain West matchups against both Washington State and Oregon State will not count as conference games for any of the participants.
The six Mountain West opponents added to Washington State’s football schedule in 2024 include Hawaii, Utah State, and Wyoming at home and Boise State, Fresno State, and New Mexico on the road. Dates for those games will be announced in conjunction with the release of the 2024 Mountain West football schedule early next year.
The 2024 season will be the fourth for Washington State under head coach Jake Dickert, who took over the program on an interim basis after seven games in 2021. Dickert has a 15-16 overall record at the school and a 9-13 record in Pac-12 contests.
2024 Washington State Football Schedule
- 08/31 – Portland State
- 09/07 – Texas Tech
- 09/14 – Washington (at Lumen Field)
- 09/21 – San Jose State
- 11/23 – at Oregon State
- TBA – Hawaii
- TBA – Utah State
- TBA – Wyoming
- TBA – at San Diego State
- TBA – at Boise State
- TBA – at Fresno State
- TBA – at New Mexico