PULLMAN, Wash. — A sea of crimson and grey is something fans felt it from the moment they stepped on Washington State's campus on Saturday's game day.
"It's a pretty tight knit community and we enjoy it down here. We have a great day on game days," Brad Bachmeier said, a Cougar fan.
The first game of the season couldn't have come sooner for Bachmeier.
"It's been a long time," he said. "It's great. We're glad to be back tailgating."
It's also a very special home opener. The Cougars hosted their first home game with a non-conference power 5 opponent in 25 years.
"We just have a strong bond. And it doesn't matter where you are, what country you're in. Go Cougs," said Cougar fan Kelly Patterson.
A sold out crowd unlike any other. Especially when this might be the last season the school's in the Pac-12.
"I think it's a fiasco. I really wish that we could have stayed the Pac-12. It's a shame," Michael Brandon said, who showed up to the tail gate with his inflatable hot tub.
Brandon thinks WSU's heading to the Mountain West conference: "I gotta admit, though, having San Diego State or going to Hawaii, wouldn't be so bad, right? But yeah, it doesn't it doesn't compete with the Pac-12."
The conference news disappointed Chris Rubio, whose son is on the football team.
"Not only you don't get to get the big matchups, but then you're not going to get the big recruits," Rubio said.
He hopes the changes the conference's dealing with doesn't impact the team. But he's not worried.
"The Cougs are gonna be fine," Rubio said. "They have such a huge crowd base."
He says the Cougar fanbase is big and here to stay.
Many fans say it's a wait and see game to see what happens with the Pac-12. So for now they're enjoying every moment with their beloved Cougars.