Getty Image / William Mancebo
The Oregon State Beavers are still apart of the Pac-12 and the program is wrapping up it’s $162 million stadium renovation.
Considering with what’s transpired for the Pac-12, this project may just make the Beavers the biggest losers of the conference realignment.
According to Front Office Sports, Oregon State’s stadium renovation is nearly complete and it includes a ton of awesome features. Reser Stadium will include “360-degree open concourse, doubled concessions, 250 new TV screens, a sports bar, and fire pits.”
Overall, the new additions sound amazing and should make a great experience for Beavers fans attending home games.
Even so, the timing of the renovation is difficult to ignore.
Sports economist Michael Leeds of Temple University claims “This is just a body blow. This is really the worst possible news at the worst possible time,” per Front Office Sports.
With that said, it’s not all bad news for the Beavers.
Front Office Sports reports, “The stadium’s remodeling was majority funded through donor contributions totaling $100 million and $45 million in bonds that must be repaid over 35 years through revenue from football and other stadium ventures. Its annual debt service interest is projected to be $2.6 million a year.”
So, despite the Pac-12 falling apart, Oregon State should still be able to afford their stadium renovation regardless.
On top of that, there’s a chance the program gets picked up by a conference that is currently thriving. However, school president Jayathi Murthy claims he wants Oregon State to help rebuild the Pac-12, per Central Oregon Daily.
“In the letter Murthy said he is committed to preserving the conference, and says OSU is doing everything they can to ‘stabilize and rebuild.'”
If that’s the case, maybe the newly renovated stadium can become the staple of the Pac-12. Even so, that may just be wishful thinking from Jayathi Murthy.
Only time will tell what Oregon State will do, but for now, they’re staying in a dying conference.