Mountain West and Pac-12 relationship is at an end. How will it affect the Utah State Aggies?

Washington State players run onto the field before an NCAA college football game against Utah, Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022, in Pullman, Wash. The Cougars and Oregon State Beavers scheduling agreement with the Mountain West will end after this season. | Young Kwak

The unique football scheduling agreement between the Pac-12 or rather what’s left of it (Oregon State and Washington State) and the Mountain West will end after this season.

The deadline for a one-year renewal of the agreement — which has MW teams lose a conference game this year in favor of a matchup with either Oregon State or Washington State — came and went on Sept. 1, according to multiple reports.

The MW, in a statement to the Associated Press, said, “for the 2025 season, the Mountain West and its member institutions are moving forward with their conference and nonconference schedules.”

Per The Athletic, the move wasn’t a surprising one, as the two conferences had grown distant of late.

The biggest reason, writes Chris Vannini, is money.

“Oregon State and Washington State would rather not pay so much for six combined home games,” Vannini writes. “The $14 million this year comes out to $2.3 million per home game, which is above the going rate for a nonconference home game. But it’s $1.16 million for each total game, home or away, if you prefer to count that way, at a time when OSU and WSU need games and there are limited options.”

Going forward, OSU and WSU will have to find ways to fill out their schedules, an approach that will likely include scheduling independents — the few that remain at the FBS level — working with former Pac-12 members, many of whom has holes to fill in their nonconference schedules, or dealing with MW schools on an individual basis.

AP’s Ralph Russo made note of the fact that the scheduling agreement between…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/mountain-west-pac-12-relationship-000235070.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2024-09-05 00:02:35

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