Mountain West had talks with Oregon St
The Mountain West Conference made pitches late last month to what are now the Pac-12’s last 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 verified Saturday.Stanford and California revealed Friday that they are bolting for the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2024. That leaves the Beavers and the Cougars alone in the Pac-12. Editor’s Picks 2 Related Eight other groups from the one-time
“Conference of Champions” formerly revealed strategies to depart next year. USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington are headed to the Big Ten, and Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah will play in the Huge 12. One possible choice for Washington State and Oregon was shut down Friday when the
American Athletic Conference released a statement that said “we have concluded that the very best method to continue for our outstanding student-athletes is to not look westward.”The Beavers and Cougars made it clear they are collaborating to find, or develop, a service. In addition to the Mountain West, the teams also might try to construct a brand-new Pac-12 with teams from that conference and/or others.The latest departures came as Washington State and Oregon 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 might be a precursor of what’s to come: Colorado State and San Jose State are in the Mountain West.Nevarez was attending the Rams ‘game versus the Cougars.Oregon State president Jayathi Murthy stated Friday that a choice for the Beavers likely would be available in weeks
, not months. Her hope was that the Pac-12 brand name can be kept in some way.”We continue to try to find alternatives that work for us, where the requirements of our students-athletes are taken care of, where our athletic and scholastic values line up, and where we can dip into the nationwide level and show up,”Murthy stated.”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 since of the focus on media rights and media valuations.”