FOOTBALL KICKOFF
OSU scheduling offers fans unique travel opportunities
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CORVALLIS, Ore .— Debbie Campbell and Leanne Jones squeezed together, smiling as Debbie's husband, David, snapped a photo with his phone, another memory of a week well spent.
Those three, along with Leanne's husband, Hank, had settled into their seats about the 35- yard line at Reser Stadium more than an hour before kickoff between Oklahoma State and Oregon State Friday night.
The game was the centerpiece of a week-long trip to Oregon — the first visit for three of the four.
Corvallis was only a brief stop on their trip that also took them to Eugene, Newport and suburban Portland.
Season ticket holders for Cowboy football, they make all the home games. But road trips like this one are special.
With Oklahoma State's focus on improving the top line of its non conference scheduling, fans could have a better menu of options when looking for a fun road trip.
Boise State, Arizona State, Oregon and Arkansas are on the future opponent list that Oklahoma State deputy
athletic director Chad Weiberg has been working on.
He doesn't take credit for the Corvallis trip, which was booked by his predecessor, Dave Martin.
Sign son the wall surrounding the field proclaimed it the “Best college town in the Pac-12.”
Still, it provided a unique and scenic setting for a football game.
The campus sits in a mostly flat area, with mountains and thick trees visible in nearly every direction. Dorms and apartments are stacked like Monopoly houses, scattered among the university buildings.
“It seems like a nice area,” David Campbell said. “The people have been really nice.”
A couple thousand Oklahoma State fans made
the journey — one of the longest trips OSU has ever made for a nonconference game.
When Weiberg is looking for opponents, he knows he has to take that factor into account. Asking fans to make cross-country journeys year to year won't go over.
Of course, that's not the only factor Weiberg has to consider.
There' s the competition factor, coaches' input, financial impact and other issues.
“We try to approach it with some strategy involved, but knowing that sometimes, that's just a best-case scenario ,” Wei berg said. “Sometimes that doesn' t workout, and you' ve got to look at what the options available are.
“Everyone is trying to do the same thing, and everyone' s criteria is a little different.”
The Campbells, who live in Stillwater, last made a nonconference road game when the Cowboys opened the 2013 season against Mississippi in
Houston.
Along with the Joneses, who are from Edmond, they try to plan big road trips when they
can make it more than zipping to a football game and back.
“We were kind of looking to getaway anyway ,” back end of a home-and-home, with Arizona State coming to Stillwater in 2022.
2025 at Oregon: Back to the Pacific Northwest, this time to face the Ducks. Oregon returns the favor in 2026.
2027 at Arkansas: The Pokes and Hogs renew their rivalry in 2024 in Stillwater as part of what is now a four-game set.
2033 at Arkansas: Weiberg admits he'd rather not schedule games this far out, but OSU's dealings with Arkansas have gone well, and the series is a fun one for fans. Hank Jones said. “Oregon is a beautiful state to visit, so we decided with the long Labor Day weekend, it was perfect.”