Beginning in 2024, Washington State\u2019s conference opponents won\u2019t include USC and UCLA. But that\u2019s the least of the Cougars\u2019 concerns regarding Thursday\u2019s stunning news.<\/p>\n
In two years, the Trojans and Bruins will ditch the Pac-12 and join the Big Ten. The Los Angeles schools\u2019 decision triggered a ripple effect that will be felt across the college football landscape.<\/p>\n
So, what does it mean for the future of the Pac-12 Conference and its remaining members, such as Washington State?<\/p>\n
WSU quarterbacking great Ryan Leaf echoed the sentiment that many Coug fans had expressed on Twitter throughout the day.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not good for the (Pac-12) and certainly not good for Wazzu,\u201d Leaf said via text message.<\/p>\n
Best-case scenario: The Pac-12 manages to survive despite losing its foothold in L.A., retains its existing members and adds a couple of new schools to the fold. The conference would presumably need to poach\u00a0from the Mountain West or the Big 12 \u2014 which will send Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC in 2025. A Pac-12\/Big 12 merger is another intriguing alternative that became a talking point among college football experts shortly after reports surfaced that UCLA and USC would be departing.<\/p>\n
But without the two flagship L.A. schools and all the TV revenue they produce, the Pac-12 and its remaining institutions are sure to take a financial hit if the conference stays alive. That doesn\u2019t bode well for WSU, whose athletic department reported an operating deficit of over $30 million in spring 2021.<\/p>\n
Worst-case scenario: The long-lived Pac-12 dissolves and its member schools are forced to find new homes.<\/p>\n
It wouldn\u2019t be so difficult for some of the league\u2019s more prominent universities, such as Oregon and Washington. Some national college football reporters have also suggested the Big 12 may pursue a few Pac-12 leftovers from sizable markets.<\/p>\n
That could leave the smaller-market teams\u00a0\u2014 namely WSU and Oregon State\u00a0\u2014 on the outside looking in.<\/p>\n
\u201cEssentially relegation,\u201d Leaf added.<\/p>\n
There is a real possibility that both fall from power-conference status in 2024 and have no other options but to join the Mountain West Conference. Of course, the WSU faithful would prefer the Big 12 if the Pac-12 were to crumble.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis won\u2019t be the last change we see. The big guys are getting bigger and the distance between the haves and have-nots will get farther apart,\u201d former Cougars football coach (1989-2002) Mike Price said over text. \u201cWe are all Cougs and we are proud of our record in the Pac-12 and our football history. WSU will always be our team and we will support them and cheer for them no matter what league we will be in. I don\u2019t think the sky is falling, but just a change of weather.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Pac-12 was \u201cextremely surprised and disappointed by the news coming out of UCLA and USC,\u201d per a lengthy statement issued Thursday evening by the conference office, which affirmed that it is \u201cconfident (the Pac-12) will continue to thrive and grow into the future.\u201d A WSU spokesman referred to the Pac-12 release when asked for comment.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n