Report: Oregon State, Washington State Discussing Mountain West Scheduling Alliance

Oregon State and Washington State might continue to carry what’s left of the Pac-12 banner, at least in spirit, beyond 2023, according to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger.

Dellenger reported Tuesday “the two schools are expected to operate as a two-member conference at least for next year.” He added the schools have reached out to the Mountain West about a “scheduling alliance”:

After getting left behind by their Pac-12 brethren amid the newest round of realignment, Oregon State and Washington State have formed a united front. They’ve even gone so far as to sue the Pac-12 and Commissioner George Kliavkoff to effectively take control of the conference.

Dellenger noted how the Beavers and Cougars are incentivized to maintain a conference affiliation of some sort since they could potentially be considered independents within the context of the College Football Playoff. In that scenario, an at-large berth would be their only path to the playoff.

This isn’t the first time the Mountain West has been linked with Oregon State and Washington State, and all parties involved have something to gain through a partnership.

Becoming full Mountain West members would give the schools a level of stability in not just football but every other sport they offer. In terms of logistics, this is the most sensible landing spot as well since they’d get to stay in their broad geographic region.

For the Mountain West Conference, the Beavers and Cougars could bring a little more prestige and revenue. Then there’s the added benefit of possibly claiming the Pac-12’s branding depending on how the ongoing litigation unfolds.

Per Dellenger, a conference has two years to get back to the eight-school minimum required to be officially recognized as an FBS conference. It appears Oregon State and Washington State are willing to take every bit of those two years to weigh their options.