Oregon State and Washington State have not agreed on an extension with the Mountain West to continue its scheduling partnership for football beyond this year.
The two remaining Pac-12 teams will now be faced with filling out their schedules as an independent team would next year.
The backstory: Oregon State and Washington State were left in the dust by the other Pac-12 teams, who departed for the Big 10, Big 12 and ACC.
- Left without a new conference of their own to go to, the two teams negotiated an agreement with the Mountain West to fill out their 2024 schedules.
- They agreed to a deal that sees all 12 Mountain West teams playing seven conference games plus one game against either Washington State or Oregon State.
- The games against the two Pacific Northwest schools do not count to the conference standings for the Mountain West teams, and neither of them will be eligible for the Mountain West Championship Game.
- The agreement had an option to extend through 2025.
The big picture: “The football scheduling arrangement with Oregon State and Washington State was a one-year agreement,” the Mountain West told the Associated Press. “For the 2025 season, the Mountain West and its member institutions are moving forward with their conference and non conference schedules. Our focus remains on the current season and our exceptional teams.”
- ESPN reported that the Pac-12 teams and the Mountain West are too in terms of finances to come to an agreement.
- The 2024 scheduling agreement currently has the Pac-12 paying around $14 million to the Mountain West.
What we’re watching: Oregon State and Washington State have two years to keep the Pac-12 at just two teams, under NCAA rules.
- The NCAA will not allow the Pac-12 to operate with just two teams after the 2025 season, with this year and next year serving as a de facto grace period for the teams to find their place in the future landscape of collegiate sports.
- The Pac-12 needs to expand to at least eight teams in order to remain in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest tier of college football under the NCAA.
