What’s Next for the Pac-2? Washington State, Oregon State Have Limited Options

The latest round of NCAA conference realignment has left Washington State and Oregon State on the outside looking in as the Pac-12 has dwindled down to just two teams this summer.

Essentially stripped of their Power Five status, Washington State and Oregon State appear to only have a few options after the American Athletic Conference (AAC) said it will “not look westward” for expansion. The pair can either join the Mountain West Conference (MWC), rebuild the “Conference of Champions” from scratch, or go independent.

Although the departure of Stanford and Cal to the ACC on Friday seems like a nail in the coffin for the Pac-12, there’s still a glimmer of hope for the conference’s survival. As The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel pointed out, there could be several major financial incentives for keeping the Pac-12 brand alive: around $90 million in NCAA men’s basketball tournament units over the next six years, about $80 million in College Football Playoff revenue for the last two years of the current contract, and about $80 million for the last two years of ESPN’s deal with the Rose Bowl.

“We’ve had a number of conversations about what our path forward might look like in retaining the Pac-12 and its potential assets and status,” Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes said on Friday. “And those are items that certainly weigh into the decision of others to want to want to be part of a new Pac-12.”

Not to mention the sentimental value that comes along with the Pac-12 legacy. Among the chorus of voices mourning the potential collapse of the Pac-12 is Summer Sanders, an eight-time NCAA champion during her two years at Stanford.

“I am so sad that the world of college sports is changing so dramatically,” Sanders wrote on Facebook. “I am not mad, I am just sad. I will forever hold onto my wonderful memories of being a proud Pac-10 athlete. Always staying up for our ridiculously late games while living in NYC.

“Please take care of these athletes,” Sanders added. “Please continue to understand that Olympic athletes need the NCAA model to fulfill their dreams. My NCAA experience included the greatest moment in my swimming career… our championship in 1992 as a team.”

The best case scenario for the Pac-12 might involve stealing from both the Mountain West (Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Air Force, Colorado State) and the AAC (Tulane, Memphis). But even if they strike out on rebuilding from the rubble, there’s a chance that they could survive as a two-team conference in 2024-25 and 2025-26. Conferences must have at least eight members, according to NCAA bylaws, but they’re allowed a two-year window to rebuild. Notably, Mountain West members become free agents in 2026.

“We’re trying to figure out the best path forward while simultaneously pursuing other opportunities,” Oregon State president Jayathi Murthy said on Friday. “Preserving the Pac-12 in some form, we believe, helps continue more than 100 years of sports history and tradition. It’s really important to us.”

Oregon State does not sponsor swimming and diving, but Washington State sponsors a women’s program that is in jeopardy of losing Power Five status barring a miracle.