Like it or not, the new age of college football is here

It's worth mentioning that at least the game is continuing for at least the next five years. It won't be the final week of the season or have conference implications, but it's at least going to be played. Other rivalries, such as Missouri-Kansas or Texas A&M-Texas, were also lost to conference realignment, but the two aforementioned have been revived.

But it's not the same and it may never be again. 

Washington State has been left to pick up the pieces of the Pac-12 after 10 schools departed, leaving the Cougars and Oregon State without a home. Time will tell if Washington State remains at the Power 5 level, but it already trails 76–33–6 in the Apple Cup. It appears the gap between it and Washington is about to widen even more.

The game isn't the only change for fans.

Washington's move to the Big Ten puts it squarely in the new age of streaming. The conference signed a $7 billion deal in 2022 with three networks for its games, including Peacock, which will exclusively air four games in the first three weeks of the season. 

A Big Ten fan must pay $5.99 per month on top of the cost of cable if they are hoping to have access to every game. That's the new reality for fans; more money to watch and a tougher time to stay organized on where games will be shown.

Is all of this for the betterment of the sport? For the fans, it's certainly not.

On the final Saturday of the 2024 season, Washington State fans will most likely still be with family during the holiday weekend. They will still feast and enjoy the company, but when it's time for Cougar football, it won't be the same. Instead of the Apple Cup game, WSU will host Wyoming, a team it has faced only seven times in its history.

The new age of college football is here and some have been left behind.