Which teams benefit most from Oregon State's coaching drama?

With Oregon State out a head coach following a sudden and surprising “mutual parting of ways” with Gary Andersen, a coaching search will begin in Corvallis. The college football world won’t stop or mourn Andersen, however, as some schools see the situation as an opportunity. Below are five programs that will benefit most from the uncertainty that has taken hold inside the Beavers’ program.

RELATED: Oregon State fans react to Gary Andersen's sudden departure

Oregon and Oregon State are obviously operating on different levels for the time being, but whenever your in-state rival is forced to carry an interim head coach for half a season, things are good on the home front. The Beavers didn’t pose a massive threat to the Ducks on the recruiting trail before. Now, however, losing a prospect to the other FBS school in the state will be rare. Uncertainty has a way of absolutely killing recruiting and uncertainty currently rules in Corvallis.

This may say more about the state of the Oregon State program than it does about anything else, but the Beavers have found themselves going toe-to-toe with BYU in Northern California and beyond in recent cycles. It’s not that the two are traditional recruiting rivals or anything of the sort. It’s just that BYU will be at least a little relived that there isn’t yet another Power 5 program sifting through the third-tier prospects in California and Arizona. If it’s one less team attempting to wade in the Cougars’ pool, the BYU fans will certainly welcome it.

Washington State and Oregon State find themselves locked in recruiting battles every year because of the school’s similarities in geography, prestige and conference affiliation. With the Cougars on the rise, however, this will compound the momentum. A snapshot comparison of the programs reveals Wazzu to be the more stable, improving situation. It won’t be hard to sell recent history and the disarray at Oregon State to the players that may have chosen the Beavers in the past.

The recruiting battles between Arizona State and Oregon State aren’t super frequent but they often times offer the same prospects. Arizona State will take any break it can get on the recruiting trail, as the program seems to be staring down possible coaching uncertainty of its own. It’s why anything that levels the playing field will be welcomed with open arms in Tempe. Recruiting to ASU isn’t easy right now, but it’s certainly made easier with one conference foe spending the rest of the season without a permanent head coach.

Boise State likes to recruit the state of Oregon and they’ve done so relatively well in the past. Andersen was doing a better job prioritizing in-state talent overlooked by Oregon and other Pac-12 schools and taking the commitments of some prospects that otherwise may have landed in Boise. The state of Oregon isn’t exactly overflowing with talent but things there should now open up for Boise State, which has used it to supplement its recruiting in the past.