When you think of ‘College GameDay‘ staples, you think of Lee Corso’s headgear picks. You think of the guest pickers and you think of the atmospheres. But you also think of Ol’ Crimson.
The Washington State Cougars flag has become a background fixture for the show for almost 20 years. It became such a vital piece of the puzzle for the show that the network even made sure that its appearance streak continued… eight years ago!
And so, on Saturday, Ol’ Crimson waved yet again on the Worldwide Leader. And it did so for the 291st consecutive time. However, quite fittingly, given the landscape of the sport, the venerable flag did not wave by itself. No, standing beside Ol’ Crimson was an Oregon State Beavers flag.
Ol' Crimson – the Washington State flag – just made its 291st consecutive appearance on College GameDay.
Fittingly, an Oregon State flag emerged beside it.
"I think that's a Big Beav, ain't it?"
"I think it's Ol' Beav!" pic.twitter.com/Bgj3Ou4JNZ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 23, 2023
ESPN’s Rece Davis acknowledged the flag on air, and he and Pat McAfee propagated a name for the Beavers flag. Eventually, Rece went with “Ol’ Beav.”
This is on the nose for many reasons. The state of college sports and conference realignment has thrown so many things into wack. Namely, the Pac-12, which is teed up to almost completely dissolve at the end of the season. The conference nearly landed a media rights deal with Apple, only to see things fall through. George Klaivkoff didn’t fare much better than Larry Scott in rescuing the conference. Four of its cornerstones will leave, as Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington are bound for the Big Ten. And while Pat McAfee bemoaned the conference’s ‘unfathomable’ demise, it leaves Washington State and Oregon State in a puzzle.
The schools have defiantly suggested that they may go at it alone. That would be quite the sight, as is everything in college sports these days.
Having said that, Ol’ Crimson and an Oregon State flag flying together on ‘College GameDay’ really helped paint a picture of the state of things these days, didn’t it?
