OSU, Wazzu reach scheduling pact with MWC

Kyle Bonagura, ESPN Staff WriterDec 1, 2023, 01:06 PM ET

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• Covers the Pac-12.
• Signed up with ESPN in 2014.
• Participated In Washington State University.The Mountain West Conference has actually concurred

  to a scheduling agreement with Oregon State and Washington State that will see its football teams play seven conference games plus an additional contest against either the Beavers or Cougars next season.Oregon State and Washington State will each play six MWC challengers in 2024, 3 in your home

  and three on the roadway. The games will not count toward the MWC standings, and neither school is qualified for the conference championship game.The 2 schools will pay the Mountain West a combined$14 million as part of the scheduling agreement

  , a source told ESPN, confirming a Yahoo Sports report. “The scheduling agreement will expand the Mountain West footprint and boost our national brand, while offering our student-athletes with brand-new opportunities, all in line with our strategic top priorities, “Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez stated in a declaration.”The scheduling arrangement strengthens the league’s non-conference schedules, and we look forward to having Oregon State and Washington State belong of the 2024 slate.”Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes said in a declaration that, together with the 6 MWC matchups, the group will also face 5 Power 5 challengers and one FCS school.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated Friday’s announcement discussed football only, though sources informed ESPN that conversations in between the MWC and the two Pac-12 schools are expected to result in comparable scheduling arrangements in other sports, consisting of basketball.With the transfer portal window for football set to open Monday, there was more seriousness to settle an arrangement for football to supply clarity for what next year’s season will look like.The scheduling agreement comes as Oregon State and Washington State continue to battle in court for control of the Pac-12, which the schools have actually made clear they mean restore. The Pac-12 collapsed this year when 8 schools– Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, Oregon, Stanford, Utah and Washington– followed UCLA and USC’s lead from a year earlier in revealing they were leaving the conference.Last month, a Washington state exceptional court granted Oregon State and Washington State control of the Pac-12. That ruling was stayed by the state’s supreme court, which is figuring out whether to take the case on an appeal.If Oregon State and Washington State take control of the Pac-12, it’s possible down the line there will be a more formal merger with the Mountain West under the Pac-12 brand name. That likely would not take place for at least 2 years, accompanying completion of the Mountain West’s existing media rights contract. Sources worried to ESPN that the complexity of such a merger makes forecasting with much accuracy how or when that could come together.”We are still focused on re-building the Pac-12, and continue to prioritize the student-athlete experience at Oregon State, “Barnes said in his declaration.