Looks like there is no official Alumni Association pre game event for this one. Any ideas on Coug gatherings we should look out for?

It seems the idea of merging with the AAC in some fashion is the more lucrative path to go down. Not sure if I would give them the Pac-12 name and credits though.

I still feel, merging with the ACC and creating a 24 team, coast to coast super conference, is the way to go. The BIg-10 has pretty much stated this is their goal. Six, 4 team divisions.

First of all, I'm not talking about WSU's viability as an athletic program with this question. I'm talking about the University, academics, enrollment, etc.

Like everyone affiliated with WSU, I'm very concerned about the state of the university given what's recently transpired. On the other hand, I've started to pose questions about why some people are suggesting this is a potential death blow for the University. That seems like a total cop out. Yes, the finances are going to require a massive adjustment, but the University is still far and away the 2nd biggest and public school in the State (2x the size of WWU and 3x bigger than EWU and CWU). A tier 1 research school. A medical school.

Having been closely connected to WSU since the mid-1980s, I sometimes wonder if not having the P10/P12 umbrella to shelter under will force the school to expand their vision and become a different WSU that's more academically and student focused. The vast majority of the WSU student body are from Western WA, where rah-rah spectator fandom isn't a priority in most kids lives. Certainly not compared to other regions. Perhaps this will serve as a pivot-point for our University? The perfect time to thin our fat-cat administrators and work on rebranding the school.

It's supposedly in the very earliest possible explorative unofficial talks.

If true, what I don't get is how SDSU would be considered over Stanford, Cal, WSU.

As good as SDSU's football programs, basketball programs are, and as good as the TV area they have, SDSU is still a SMALLER Athletic Budget college, with LESS ACTUAL TV VIEWERSHIP RATINGS, and THEREFORE LESS VALUE then Stanford, Cal, WSU(4th in PAC 12 TV viewership, and top 25 national TV viewership ratings, tied with MIAMI).

And SDSU does NOT have the NATIONAL BRAND THAT STANFORD, WSU have, and therefore is of less value.

There is, was a reason why Stanford, WSU, Cal in a P5, while SDSU in the MWC, and that reason, is that Stanford, Cal, WSU, are WORTH more then SDSU.

Only possibilities that stand out in my mind, is either 1. Big 12 dumbly, wrongly think SDSU is of the most, higher value then Stanford, Cal, WSU. 2. Stanford and Cal not interested in Big 12. 3. WSU Bought the "OSU is committed to rebuilding the PAC 12" , HOOK, LINE, SINKER, and were so focused on that, and STILL either NOT engaging in selling talks with Big 12, as to why Big 12 should take WSU, OR THEY ARE DOING A DAMN PATHETIC SELLING JOB, AND ARE DAMN PATHETIC SALESMEN. 4. Certain Big 12 leaders, an or former PAC leaders, ala "Please take all 9 of us, except please don't take WSU, Ore St, with us", have a axe to grind with, about WSU. 5. ESPN, FOX are ignoring that WSU has the better national brand with higher TV VIEWERSHIP, etc, and thus wrongly think SDSU is better then WSU, and so are pressuring Big 12 to take SDSU over WSU, etc. 6. Certain Key leaders at ESPN, Fox, have a Axe to grind with WSU, and forcing ESPN, Fox to pressure, force Big 12 to take SDSU over WSU.

Those are the only possibilities I see, as BY THE NUMBERS, WSU, STANFORD, CAL, ALL HAVE MORE VALUE THEN SDSU.

If the BIG 12 takes SDSU over WSU, I hope that WSU beats SDSU and the rest of the Big 12 teams 100-0.

And WSU SHOULD ABSOLUTELY RUN UP THE SCORE IF THEY HAVE THE CHANCE.

THE ATHLETIC, is saying that OFFICIAL AUTHORITATIVE BIG 12 sources are DENYING IT, so maybe the Big 12 isn't taking SDSU over WSU, etc, but the big 12 easily could be having talks with SDSU, and DENYING it.

If Stanford Cal go their own way, and if Ore St, and SDSU goto Big 12, it could be very bleak prospects as the PAC 1 WSU.

At that point, WSU screwed, does NOT have the MWC, AAC merge under to keep PAC X brand, and instead goes to either MWC, AAC, and PAC 12/X DIES.

If that happens, hopefully WSU gets the 400 million, dead PAC assets.

Who is really at fault, besides Larry Scott?

Everyone who has cut Linear. Everybody who cut the cord.

If nobody ever cut the cord, there would be over 100M linear subscribers. Fox or ESPN would offer, let say.... $40M per school.
Today, there are 50M linear subscribers. Linear is dying, and in 5 years, it will be dead. ESPN is in financial hardship, and has laid off 100 employees. Disney isn't doing well either. They actually would like to sell ESPN and ABC. Any takers?

Yes, I've moved on....but I see everyone on the planet blaming everyone else, except themselves.

We can stream all we want, but everyone who cut the cord......this is your fault.

Just read an ESPN article on a big investigation about multiple athletes betting on Iowa games. My reaction is "so what?" Same as I feel about Pete Rose. As long as you are betting for your team to win, why is this this such a sin? Hell it's a motivator to play harder. These rules are wacko, IMHO. And I don't even gamble on anything.

Edit - heh - after I posted I saw that I had posted the same thing in May. Goddam dementia......

If the Pac12 can provide evidence of collusion would a judge grant an injunction to hold the schools leaving hostage

Would not be forever but maybe 2 seasons.

I’d play that card all day long.

The EA Sports NCAA football franchise was one of my favorites in my younger days. Was pretty cool to get Wazzu into national prominence then beat out USC and Notre Dame for recruits during the “offseason”

The franchise is apparently coming back since the NIL came to be and players can now get their $$. Will be interesting to see if they include conference realignment and greedy schools making back channel deals to blow up conferences. In the name of making games more realistic this should all be part of the experience! Anyways, just some musings I had thinking about that game returning. What a world!

I have allot of hate for backstabbing schools and administrators.

WTF? How could this happen?

....word is 4 schools, Virigina, NC, Clemson and FSU are against it.

All 4 schools, by the way, are rumored to be candidates for the Big-10 and SEC respectively.

May force us into a P5 to keep ESPN/FOX from being drug through mud and regulated in Upcoming realignments. It’s being hinted that Cal and others may be prepping for this route and that many a lawyer are happy to take this on.

If your not watching, he's getting good pt for the Hawks right now.

And looking good.

Just a rumor at this point, but Chun is an Ohio guy. He worked under Smith in Columbus. They are looking for a school president as well. Could and probably is just speculation at this point. I know a'lot of blame is being put on a'lot of people's feet right now. It will be interesting to see what happens next.

No matter what, I hope you guys find a stable home for your athletic teams. Larry Scott deserves the majority of the blame imo.

From a marketing standpoint, having WSU & OSU competing in a league adjacent to UW & Oregon brings a fair amount of financial intrigue to competing networks and streaming partners. To what degree, I'm not sure, but if UW is playing Indiana and WSU is playing TCU or Arizona State, UW's viewership numbers will take a hit.

So the question is, at what point does a reduced share in the B12 outweigh a full share of the MWC? If WSU is offered a $15M partial share to join the B12, the knee-jerk reaction from most WSU fans will be, Hell yea, lets take it! Thing is, with travel considerations across all of our sports taken into account, the profitability of such a deal is murky.

Let's say the MWC is reshaped and some creativity is added to the mix. WSU and OSU are added, and there's an agreement formed to merge the WCC & MWC in all of the non-football sports, including Stanford and Cal. With the rise in women's sports popularity, along with the men's & women's basketball, baseball, and softball bump that Gonzaga, St. Mary's, Santa Clara, etc. would bring, I would imagine that would generate a fairly significant conversation with Apple and some of the linear partners. I'm talking about something to the tune of $10-$15M for WSU & OSU. I don't think that's out of the question.

UO-OSU over

nice letter to the editor (a lost art, imho) and think it speaks for Coug nation as well.

I'm struggling with the idea of "just blow up the MWC, cherry pick the best teams and leave the rest to wither and die... or whatever", since this is basically what just happened to us.

I also realize that in this current college/ semi-pro football environment, moral and ethical considerations have gone out the window if you want to play football on a nationally relevant stage.

I stated this when the NIL/ Portal implications became obvious, but I'd honestly be ok with football going D1 or going away completely. And by that I mean that I'd be mad as hell that its come to this, and extremely sad that 100+ years of tradition gets completely shit on by corporate greed, but when you look at it objectively you have to ask - how much is too much when it comes to funding a football team to the point of being competitive? Becoming non-compliant with Title IX? Chopping all other mens teams to maintain some compliance? Selling your soul to blow up other leagues, just to get the scraps the barons of industry leave to us?

Of course being relegated to the dregs of college football feels horrible, but is the alternative really any better? Or does it just delay the inevitable?