Does Utah State have a case for Pac-12 membership?

Chris Samuels, Deseret News

If it is possible, feelings of optimism and pessimism are running concurrently within the hearts of most residents of Cache Valley right now.

Late Wednesday night, news broke that the Pac-12 — currently consisting of only Oregon State and Washington State — is expanding by adding four current Mountain West schools:

Boise State

Colorado State

Fresno State

San Diego State

The four schools will join the league in 2026; the conference must add at least two additional schools by that same year in order to retain its status as an FBS conference.

The MW will receive a windfall with the realignment — upward of $111 million per Geoff Grammer of The Albuquerque Journal — thanks to exit fees for the four programs that are leaving, plus a fee required by the MW of the Pac-12 for poaching its schools.

On one hand, the Broncos, Rams, Bulldogs and Aztecs leaving the MW feels like something of a death knell for Utah State’s current conference.

The Mountain West was, arguably, the best non-power conference in the country — an argument can be made for the American (AAC) — but the loss of four notable programs relegates the MW to a tier beneath the AAC and in all likelihood the Sun Belt, putting the league on par with the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and Conference USA.

And yet, the influx of cash, significant cash at that, could offer the MW a chance to successfully pivot and maybe add schools that could help stabilize the league.

Realistically though, the fate of the MW isn’t the most pressing issue on the minds of Aggie fans and fans of any of the eight remaining MW schools.

Potential Pac-12 membership is.

Nearly every remaining MW team will want to join the Pac-12 now, as it promises to be the best — on paper — Group of Five (or six, depending on your view of the Pac-12) conference in the country.

So…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/does-utah-state-case-pac-225241781.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2024-09-12 22:52:41

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