Mountain West pitched Oregon State and Washington State in recent weeks
The Mountain West Conference made pitches late last month to the Pac-12’s final two members after realignment, Oregon State and Washington State.
Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez made presentations to Washington State on Aug. 24 and to Oregon State on Monday, Associate Commissioner Javan Hedlund confirmed Saturday.
Stanford and California announced Friday they are bolting for the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2024. That leaves the Beavers and the Cougars alone in the Pac-12.
Eight other teams from the onetime “Conference of Champions” previously announced plans to depart next year. USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington are headed to the Big Ten, while Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah will play in the Big 12.
One possible option for Washington State and Oregon was shut down Friday when the American Athletic Conference released a statement that said “we have concluded that the best way to proceed for our outstanding student-athletes is to not look westward.”
Both the Beavers and the Cougars made it clear they are working together to find, or create, a solution. In addition to the Mountain West, the teams also could attempt to build a new Pac-12 with teams from that conference or others.
The latest departures came as both Oregon State and Washington State prepare to open their football seasons. The Cougars were at Colorado State on Saturday and the No. 18 Beavers visit San Jose State on Sunday. Both games could be a harbinger of what’s to come: San Jose State and Colorado State are in the Mountain West.
Nevarez was attending the Rams’ game against the Cougars.
Oregon State President Jayathi Murthy said Friday a decision for the Beavers likely would come in weeks, not months. Her hope was that the Pac-12 brand can be retained in some way.
“We continue to look for options that work for us, where the needs of our students-athletes are taken care of, where our athletic and academic values align, and where we can play at the national level and be visible,” she said. “But jumping from a conference was never the first option, making the conference work is always where my heart and my mind lay. And I’m sorry that a top-20 football team ends up where we are because of the focus on media rights and media valuations.”
AAC looks at Army
The American Athletic Conference has been in contact with Army as it looks for a replacement for Atlantic Coast Conference-bound SMU, two people with direct knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press on Saturday.
The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the AAC was not making public its internal strategy.
ESPN was first to report the American’s interest in adding Army as a conference member.
AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco has spoken with Army athletic director Mike Buddie about a football-only membership, and the school has shown interest in joining after almost 20 years as an independent in that sport, the people said.
Army competes primarily in the Patriot League for its other sports.
Army’s rival, Navy, is member of the American Athletic Conference.
Army and Navy play the second week of December annually, a standalone game for major college football the week after conference championship games have been played.
The two people who spoke to the AP said Army-Navy is likely to remain a nonconference game if the Black Knights were to join the AAC.
