Oregon State and Washington State finally have a schedule for

Friday it consented to a scheduling arrangement with Oregon State and Washington State that will see the 2 staying Pac-12 schools add six games versus MWC schools to their football schedules next season. It’s a relocation that supplies OSU and WSU a stopgap until their long-term future can be identified, while laying the groundwork for the possibility of a more long-term relationship between the schools and conference in the future.We break down how Oregon State and Washington State got to this

point and what the future holds for both programs in addition to the Pac-12 brand name. How did we get here?First of all, it took years of bad leadership under two commissioners– Larry Scott and George Kliavkoff– and a group of presidents asleep at the wheel to bring about the collapse of the Pac-12. Still, the Pac-12 would have kept its place in college sports had UCLA and USC not bolted for the Big 10. Their departure was the domino that ultimately led to the other 8 schools spreading to the Big 12, Big 10 and, lastly, the ACC, leaving Oregon State and Washington State without a conference when the music stopped.Editor’s Picks 1 Associated Given that early September, OSU and WSU have actually tried to lay the groundwork to restore the Pac-12. For a conference to exist, the NCAA needs “at least 7 active Department I members,” all of which need to sponsor males’s and females’s basketball, and for the conference to sponsor at least 12 Department I sports, to name a few requirements. However, the laws allow a conference a two-year grace duration in which it can exist without a minimum number of schools in the case of departures. Without that arrangement, it’s likely OSU and WSU would have joined the MWC as complete members. With it, however, the schools can run the Pac-12 as a two-team conference for 2 academic years with the hope of adding members down the line. The most obvious targets reside in the Mountain West.Despite months having actually gone by, OSU and WSU still do not have a complete accounting of what the financial image in the Pac-12 will be when the dust settles. Some of that won’t be figured out until the existing legal fight for control of the conference plays out. There are other aspects, too. There is pending litigation that will likely need the conference to pay tens of millions of dollars(most notably to Comcast ), and however things net out– with the departing schools being paid what’s still due to them– will shape how OSU and WSU move on.So, in the short-term, Oregon State and Washington State required to find a solution to fill a 12-game regular season next year, leading to the scheduling agreement.What will OSU’s and WSU’s schedules look like?The contract with the Mountain West includes 3 home games and three away games against MWC groups for both Pac-12 schools. This has no impact on games

that were already arranged– including games including MWC groups. WSU currently had games versus San Diego State and San José State lined up, in addition to games against Portland State and Washington. So, in addition to the game against Oregon State in Corvallis, the Cougars still have another game they require to line up.Oregon State will have the six MWC games, plus previously arranged games against Purdue, Boise State and Idaho State. Unlike with the Apple Cup in Washington, there hasn’t been a main announcement on if the Beavers will play competing Oregon next year, leaving two open dates still to be filled.One possibility that WSU athletic director Pat Chun did not dismiss is that OSU and WSU might play each other twice next season.

The agreement with the Mountain West adds three home games and three away games against MWC teams for both Pac-12 schools. James Snook-USA TODAY Sports What does this do for the Mountain West?The Mountain West had the utilize here and the result is an approximate payment of roughly$14 million from OSU and WSU to facilitate this agreement. That amounts to a little bit more than$1 million per game for each school to assist fill their schedules, adding a reasonably considerable amount to the MWC coffers.”We really think the competitive strength of schedule include that these two groups will give our league actually assists improve our placing for the broadened College Football Playoff,”MWC commissioner Gloria Nevarez said.That’s the case, naturally, just if the eventual MWC champion beats its Pac-12 opponent.What will take place to the Pac-12 brand name?It lives

on. The Beavers and Cougars will continue to utilize the Pac-12 logo on their fields, uniforms and wherever else it has remained in the past. However, there is an extensively held expectation that, ultimately, OSU and WSU will formally merge with the Mountain West schools.Neither Chun nor Nevarez wanted to amuse that possibility Friday, citing a concentrate on the short

term, however disallowing an unanticipated development

that makes the most sense. It’s just a matter of how it’s structured.Despite its lessened state, the Pac-12 brand name still carries worth, relative to the Mountain West, which is why there is potential for a so-called reverse merger. In this circumstance, the Mountain West schools would

move, as a group, in the opposite direction, enabling them to prevent paying a buyout. It’s extremely most likely this brand-new”Pac-Something”would still be run by the MWC management team.Where does the CFP go from here?For now, OSU and WSU are in a tough area. There is no expectation for the Pac-12 champ, if or however that’s figured out, to be eligible for among the expected five slots designated for conference champs. The possibility of either team being playoff worthy next season offered whatever that has happened seems remote, but if either remains in the mix, it would likely require to earn one of the at-large spots– like Notre Dame– and would not be eligible to host a game.Still, WSU coach Jake Dickert stated he thinks

this agreement offers the Cougars a much better chance to be appropriate for playoff functions than had they been required to set up a totally independent slate.What’s the most recent on all the court filings with OSU/WSU and the Pac-12? After an exceptional court gave control of the conference to OSU and WSU last month, the Washington Supreme Court provided a stay of that ruling while the court reviews the case and decides whether to take it, dismiss it or pass it on to the court of appeals for review. What that suggests in the short term is that the Pac-12 should have unanimity in all matters, preventing both OSU and WSU from making major choices about what to do with conference profits and the leaving schools from going nuclear and deciding to vote

to dissolve the conference entirely and disperse the remaining possessions. An accelerated rundown schedule to identify how the case will move forward will conclude by Dec. 12. What about the other sports?That’s still being ironed out and, perhaps, will be harder given the number of more games are played in sports besides football. Nevarez was unwilling to deal with the possibility of comparable scheduling contracts when inquired about it Friday, but sources told ESPN that conversations have actually happened. It’s likewise possible that OSU and WSU might discover temporary homes throughout other conferences for the time being, but the priority was to get something done for football.