Since news of the departure of eight of the Pac-12's members broke over the summer, the fate of Oregon State and Washington State has been a hot topic in college athletics.
However, a new report indicates the Beavers and Cougars and taking steps toward settling an uncertain future.
According to a Thursday morning report from Ross Dellenger of Yahoo! Sports, Oregon State and Washington State are in negotiations to create a football scheduling alliance with the Mountain West—an arrangement that could potentially pave the way for a merger down the road.
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Under a potential agreement, Mountain West teams would play seven conference games in 2024 and ’25 to go with at least one game against either the Beavers or Cougars. The two Pac-12 schools would nominally act as independents, ineligible for Mountain West honors.
Per Dellenger, the agreement would require a long-term commitment to the Mountain West from Oregon State and Washington State and language preventing the two schools from poaching “only a portion of [Mountain West] schools” at a future time.
The Beavers and Cougars—whose schools currently control the Pac-12's assets after a Tuesday court injunction—are a combined 12–8 in football this season.
