The Washington State Cougars have reached an agreement with the Mountain West conference. Along with Oregon State, the Cougars would have been left in an odd position as the sole remaining members of the previously historic Pac-12. With the mass exodus from a conference that is doing well this year, a solution for all involved parties appears to have been ironed out.
Washington State Cougars Current Situation
With the television contract being the main source of contention, most schools opted to leave for other conferences. Leaving the Washington State Cougars and Oregon State in a position of being able to only schedule non-conference games, something that would be hard for teams to do at this point of the year. While operating functionally as a two team conference, a scheduling agreement has now been made with the Mountain West Conference.
All Mountain West teams will each play either Washington State, or Oregon State to fill out their schedule. While none of these matchups will count toward conference records, and neither Pac-12 team will be eligible for the championship game, it is the best temporary fix for the time being.
Washington State Cougars Immediate Impact
For a team that is losing two year starting quarterback Cam Ward this news will greatly help their chances with any incoming prospects that could potentially fill the void that he is leaving behind. With his potential departure for the NFL, or additional collegiate year playing for a different team, it becomes crucial to bring in or retain a quality replacement.
Either way for the Cougars, there will be a new signal caller under center next year. For any athlete, one that is either on the roster, or looking to potentially join, knowing that there is a plan in place, and solid scheduling potential will help. Regardless if the Washington State Cougars elect to bring in a new body, or stick with John Mateer, this new agreement will help whoever ends up leading this offense.
Washington State Cougars Potential Permanent Fix?
With this new arrangement, all parties will have a chance to see what will end up being the best path forward for their respective brands and effect on their student athletes. The Mountain West teams will be able to see if their standard of play can match up to what would have likely been mid-tier power 5 teams. If the scores are fairly even, and the competition looks like it does not drastically favor one side, either a merger or conference absorption could be in order.
In the meantime, depending on how other teams fair in their new realignment, if the Cougars are able to show that they are indeed noticeably better than their temporary contemporaries, than this will likely lead to other discussions. There would be the potential, especially from other regional schools, to break off, and join a Pac-12, feeling that they would be ready for stronger competition. The possibility of a new group of schools from across the country could then end up joining together to form a nationally strong conference is also in play.
Either way, at least for now, the Washington State Cougars have solved their scheduling issue. Will it also end up being their permanent answer?