Two-year football scheduling alliance with the Mountain West
- Thread starter CougSinceBirth
- Start date
Just because I thought this was the likely outcome, does not mean I have to like it.
There is no one else to play. Unless they wanna play FCS, NAIA and d3 teams.
There's really no other option.
Neither WSU nor OSU are going to get any assistance from the Big 10, Big 12 or ACC - their newest members (the departing 10) are going to call in all their markers to shut that down.
I don't see why the ACC would care what Cal and Stanford think. They're basically probationary members.
With the MWC schedule being way easier then PAC 12 schedule, there is room for 2 Wisconsin types, and 1 easier team, instead of 0,1 Wisconsin types.
Also they are not done negotiating finalizing deal, so there is still time, room, so that WSU, OSU only play 6,7,8 MWC teams the 2nd year, and have room for 3 Wiscy types, and 1 easy game type.
That kind of schedule, combined with the MWC having good teams like BSU, Fresno St, SDSU, etc, and it's possible to have a schedule that is good enough, but not too hard, that if do well against, can get high enough ranked, etc, to get either a NY6 bowl or CFP spot.
It's not like WSU is filling up a schedule of the worst big Sky or worst MAAC, Sun Belt, worst C-USA, etc, teams.
It doesn't have to be as bad as you think it will be.
It's possible to put together a good schedule.
Whether WSU, OSU can put together good schedules or not remains to be seen.
Also they are not done negotiating finalizing deal, so there is still time, room, so that WSU, OSU only play 6,7,8 MWC teams the 2nd year, and have room for 3 Wiscy types, and 1 easy game type.
That kind of schedule, combined with the MWC having good teams like BSU, Fresno St, SDSU, etc, and it's possible to have a schedule that is good enough, but not too hard, that if do well against, can get high enough ranked, etc, to get either a NY6 bowl or CFP spot.
It's not like WSU is filling up a schedule of the worst big Sky or worst MAAC, Sun Belt, worst C-USA, etc, teams.
It doesn't have to be as bad as you think it will be.
It's possible to put together a good schedule.
Whether WSU, OSU can put together good schedules or not remains to be seen.
At the end of the day, playing against the MWC schools is going to be fine. It will be tough at first because our funding is going to drop dramatically and some jobs will be lost and we'll have less money for recruiting...but we'll get by. Hundreds of other universities manage to compete in the NCAA with much less money than we will still have.
I think this scheduling agreement is our best case scenario for the interim.
I think this scheduling agreement is our best case scenario for the interim.
Good Lord, there is nothing wrong with this whatsoever given where we're at currently. The devil is in details. Of course the MWC wants some assurances that this agreement is going to lead to a merger. They deserve that. What we need to find out is, how much is it going to cost in 2 years if we move in a different direction.
And for those of you scoffing at this, what did you think was going to happen? Additionally, I hope you aren't fooling yourselves into thinking this schedule is beneath us. We'll be playing the likes of Oregon State, Boise State, Fresno, SDSU, UNLV, and Air Force. If you think we're running the table against those teams, you've lost it.
Lastly, and for me, most importantly, is that the game day experience is going to be preserved. Home games in September and October when the weather is nice vs. the programs I mentioned above will be fun. Boise State, Fresno State, Oregon State, and SDSU will be every bit as challenging as most P12 games.
And for those of you scoffing at this, what did you think was going to happen? Additionally, I hope you aren't fooling yourselves into thinking this schedule is beneath us. We'll be playing the likes of Oregon State, Boise State, Fresno, SDSU, UNLV, and Air Force. If you think we're running the table against those teams, you've lost it.
Lastly, and for me, most importantly, is that the game day experience is going to be preserved. Home games in September and October when the weather is nice vs. the programs I mentioned above will be fun. Boise State, Fresno State, Oregon State, and SDSU will be every bit as challenging as most P12 games.
Try and be a big fish in a smaller pond. Great travel spots. Lets west coast kids see their families. Leaves us open for the potential collapse of ACC and others. I’m gonna choose to feel grateful for a decent landing spot rather than pissed. This is at least something to work with.
Jesus, no kidding. We should be kissing the feet of the MWC for agreeing to something like this on such late notice.
And as far as the average Cougar fan is concerned, and I'm talking about the 15-20K or so who actually attend games in Pullman, how much different is the game day experience vs. Oregon State, Fresno, SDSU, and Boise going to feel as opposed to Cal, Stanford, Arizona, ASU, and Colorado?
It's funny how Coug fans have deluded themselves into thinking we're more on par with Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, UW, and Oregon than we are Boise State, Fresno, Oregon State and SDSU.
Last edited:
This is more akin to a runt fish getting put in the appropriate sized pond, and the aquarium keeper is no longer providing fish steroids to try to grow the fish to fit the pond.
I just want to say this to you judgy, self-righteous Cougs poo-pooing on anyone that isn't doing cartwheels over being a MWC team now:
get over yourselves. We've been fooling ourselves that we were a big boy for over 100 years. Speaking for myself, this is going to take some getting used to. I don't look down on the MWC, but I certainly never wanted the Cougs to be there simply because of the implications - its 2nd tier football played by 2nd tier schools on 2nd tier budgets. Not only that, there is no 2nd tier championship, just the honor of being cannon-fodder for all the first tier teams should we be "lucky" enough to get to play them.
I would have a completely different attitude on moving down to G5 if they had their own playoffs and championship with their own bowls, not ones aligned with the P4.
get over yourselves. We've been fooling ourselves that we were a big boy for over 100 years. Speaking for myself, this is going to take some getting used to. I don't look down on the MWC, but I certainly never wanted the Cougs to be there simply because of the implications - its 2nd tier football played by 2nd tier schools on 2nd tier budgets. Not only that, there is no 2nd tier championship, just the honor of being cannon-fodder for all the first tier teams should we be "lucky" enough to get to play them.
I would have a completely different attitude on moving down to G5 if they had their own playoffs and championship with their own bowls, not ones aligned with the P4.
I don't disagree, but WSU has been cannon fodder in the P8, P10, and P12 for decades.
I guess the idea is some kind of regional something or other for the non-revenue sports. Like the old NorPac for baseball.
This is good. Instant stability and seems like some wiggle room to land in power 5 later if that ends up being an option.
Men’s and Women’s Basketball and baseball are my main concerns. You can’t have 30 regional games Add in soccer and volleyball. Who are they going to play?
I think most of the departing 10 already called in their markers to get invited to the Big 10, Big 12, and ACC.
Very little....but a lot of that is because WSU has never invested any particular effort into having a game day experience.
I don't think WSU will run the table, but IF WSU either has Cam or Reed or Mateer as the starting QB, an if Schlenbaker, Pulasi come back, and if Kelly, Williams, etc, come back at WR, and even if 20,30,40,50 leave, if WSU then gets decent, ok, good replacements through the Portal, transfers, grad transfers, COVID year transfers(like Reed), JC transfers, etc, then WSU can, semi probably would beat about 85% of the MWC teams, an go about, between about 7-5,8-4 at worst, 8-4,9-3 at average, 9-3,10-2 at best
And against BSU, Fresno St, SDSU, Airforce, they would probably go 1-3 at worst, 2-2 at average, 3-1 at best.
And if WSU did go 9-3, 10-2, 11-1, the schedule would probably be good enough to go to a bowl like Holiday, Las Vegas, Alamo type bowl, NY6(Cotton, Fiesta, Peach), CFP, etc.
It's not like the MWC doesn't get anything like 2 P5(P4) level teams to beef up their schedule, so that they get a bigger better media deal, and so that they get bigger, better shots at bigger, better bowls, CFP, and get a bunch of money from the PAC 2, etc.
Hmmm maybe the MWC should kiss the feet of WSU, OSU, PAC 2, for doing all that for them.
Or better yet, maybe no feet kissing should happen, because it's mutually beneficial to both parties.
That's an interesting thought. Not sure you're right, but definitely a possibility
I find the timing of this interesting. This is being leaked just days after the court hearing. Wasn't one of UW (former Pac 10) lawyers main argument that they didn't know whether or not WSU/OSU were going to try to rebuild the conference and wouldn't just take the money and jump to the Big12? Release this news now as a way of saying, "Look, we're trying to add teams to a new Pac12."
There is now 0% chance we can get a P5 home game like that. MAYBE UW relents and agrees to continue the Apple Cup as a home and home, or maybe Oregon agrees to some kind of regional home & home series every once in a while, but other than that, good luck getting anyone to come to Pullman. I would have no interest in 1 and done body bag games with the Big 10.
I don't really care, personally. Nobody worth having was ever going to travel to Pullman anyway. The only body bag games I would be interested in would be against the departing conference teams for nostalgia reasons alone.
I don't see this as the MWC being benevolent. It's being reasonable but protective of its interests. The Mountain West's media deal is up in 2026. It doesn't want the Pac-2 picking among its schools to try to build a more powerful "Pac" by ditching some of the lower-end MWC schools. If it refused to be reasonable on this scheduling alliance, and did not extract the concession that the Pac-2 won't face significant penalties for doing those kinds of selective additions, that kind of sifting through and ditching some of the weak schools for better ones could be expected to happen, and the Pac-2 also could still contact a lot of these schools individually to work out non-con games in the next couple of years. I also believe I saw it reported that the financial terms are good for the Mountain West and its schools.
I view this as the MWC being reasonable, but it's not doing anyone a favor. It's probably getting the better end of this, at the margin. All it really is giving up is agreeing to schedule a relatively desirable set of football games for its schools, getting a promise it won't be raided, and is getting compensated well for it. It's being set up for a merger prior to the 2026 season with a new, slightly bigger (for them) media rights deal, and I'm sure Narvaez will be angling to be the commish of this conference.
This isn't to say the Pac-2 schools are getting taken advantage of. They need to set a schedule, this is a way to do so that makes a lot of sense for everyone, they lack better alternatives, and I doubt they really would have wanted to raid the better MWC schools to try to get some minor upgrades (e.g., trying to woo Rice or Tulane) anyway.
I view this as the MWC being reasonable, but it's not doing anyone a favor. It's probably getting the better end of this, at the margin. All it really is giving up is agreeing to schedule a relatively desirable set of football games for its schools, getting a promise it won't be raided, and is getting compensated well for it. It's being set up for a merger prior to the 2026 season with a new, slightly bigger (for them) media rights deal, and I'm sure Narvaez will be angling to be the commish of this conference.
This isn't to say the Pac-2 schools are getting taken advantage of. They need to set a schedule, this is a way to do so that makes a lot of sense for everyone, they lack better alternatives, and I doubt they really would have wanted to raid the better MWC schools to try to get some minor upgrades (e.g., trying to woo Rice or Tulane) anyway.
There are plenty of 4-8, 5-7, 6-6, 7-5, 8-4 teams like Nebraska, etc, that would agree to do 1 home game, in Pullman, and 2 games in Nebraska.
Wisconsin did a home game in Pullman.
Teams like Minnesota, Michigan STATE, KSU, Oklahoma St, Texas Tech, TCU, Baylor, Missouri, Mississippi ST, Ole Miss, Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, Nebraska, Rutgers, Northwestern, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Wisconsin(They already did it once), Maybe Tennessee, Maybe Miami, and any 5-7, 6-6, 7-5 team, etc, WOULD ALL PROBABLY AGREE TO DO 1 FOOTBALL GAME IN PULLMAN, in exchange for 1 or 2 road games.
Ohio State, Blue Blood, Tier 1 types: Yeah, they wouldn't go to Pullman.
Tier 2, semi blue bloods(Wisconsin, Tennessee), types, semi maybe, semi probably not, visit Pullman
Tier 3, Nebraska, Michigan St types, semi probably visit Pullman.
Tier 4, TCU, Baylor, Oklahoma St, etc probably visit Pullman
Tier 5, Minnesota, KSU, Texas Tech would visit Pullman
Tier 6, like Rutgers, would go to Pullman
Just because a team is P5, P4, does not mean that they are a blue blood that would not visit Pullman
The scheduling agreement does not stop, penalize, etc, the PAC 2 from bribing, going after Memphis, USF, Tulane, Rice.
It only prevents the PAC 2 from only taking BSU, Fresno St, SDSU, UNLV, etc, and even then if the PAC 2 are willing to take the penalty, they could still only take BSU, Fresno St, SDSU, etc.
Relegation needs to be part of the PAC 2 has to take all MWC teams.
The PAC 2 needs a way to FLUSH the weakest MWC teams out of PAC to make room for Memphis, USF, Tulane, as Memphis, USF, Tulane are way the HELL better then New Mexico, New Mexico St, Hawaii, the weakest MWC teams. The PAC also needs room to raid teams like VANDY, Iowa St, ACC LEFT OVERS(If ACC disintegrates).
That's the only way that BOTH the MWC teams, PAC 2/X get a 19 mil per team media deal, and hybrid G5/P5 status, and a piece of the NY6, CFP, Holiday, Las Vegas, Alamo, etc, pie.
And I don't see WSU, OSU finishing in the last 1,2,3 spots, for 2,3,4 straight years to get relegated down, out of PAC.
The MWC teams, needs to see that they either don't have the weakest MWC team goto PAC, or Relegation model, etc, in order to get the best overall money, deal, etc, for most MWC teams overall.
If the MWC conference insist on catering to the most weakest, pathetic team in the MWC, by insisting that team goto PAC, without either Relegation or some other system to weed them out, they will only hurt themselves.
If the weakest, most pathetic teams in MWC want to be in PAC, then they have to prove they can win, prove they are worthy of being in the PAC, or they get KICKED OUT of PAC, or don't get to join PAC.
Make joining PAC, staying in PAC, getting kicked out of PAC a performance based system like Relegation. That's the ONLY way that ALL MWC teams get to join PAC.
The PAC needs to be able to show MWC, Gloria that.
And if PAC can't show, get MWC to see, agree to that, then either WSU, OSU, PAC 2 are SHETTY salesmen, or the MWC, Gloria, etc, are illogical, unreasonable.
Doesn't matter. We haven't announced that we're leaving the conference. In fact, it's announcing how we're not leaving the conference. Even if we do merge, we'll do it well after August 1, 2024, so we're not violating the bylaws at all.
Agree, but don’t think the ACC has open dates. The Big12 does and I imagine they are not going to help osu and wsu out.
Oregon Stater here. Congrats on the big win in Colfax! Nice to have WSU as a partner!
Regarding scheduling football the next two years, I just came across this, published earlier today:
Pac-2 Scheduling Alliance with the Mountain West...Not So Fast
Without having a subscription (although I'm tempted now!), here's the key thing I saw in the teaser:
BeaverBlitz has learned that Oregon State is looking at a 2024 schedule that would include 5 Power Four conference programs, 6 Group of Five programs and an FCS opponent. Previously released schedules had the Beavers playing Purdue, Boise State and Idaho State in 2024. Coaches have already been telling recruits that the team will be playing an independent schedule.
The writer of the article is Angie Machado. In a nutshell, Angie is as well connected as anyone with Oregon State sports, and she's been around for years. Very, very high chance she got this right.
By the way, I would be seriously disappointed if WSU & OSU "just joined" the Mountain West Conf. Basically, we would be turning ourselves into G5 schools.
There are schools in the MWC that would like to move up to a better conference, like SDSU, Fresno St., & Boise St. It would be absolutely appalling if a handful of schools in the MWC, like Nevada, New Mexico St., and Wyoming, were allowed to prevent OSU, WSU, SDSU, Fresno St., & Boise St. from getting together to form a better conference.
Regarding scheduling football the next two years, I just came across this, published earlier today:
Pac-2 Scheduling Alliance with the Mountain West...Not So Fast
Without having a subscription (although I'm tempted now!), here's the key thing I saw in the teaser:
BeaverBlitz has learned that Oregon State is looking at a 2024 schedule that would include 5 Power Four conference programs, 6 Group of Five programs and an FCS opponent. Previously released schedules had the Beavers playing Purdue, Boise State and Idaho State in 2024. Coaches have already been telling recruits that the team will be playing an independent schedule.
The writer of the article is Angie Machado. In a nutshell, Angie is as well connected as anyone with Oregon State sports, and she's been around for years. Very, very high chance she got this right.
By the way, I would be seriously disappointed if WSU & OSU "just joined" the Mountain West Conf. Basically, we would be turning ourselves into G5 schools.
There are schools in the MWC that would like to move up to a better conference, like SDSU, Fresno St., & Boise St. It would be absolutely appalling if a handful of schools in the MWC, like Nevada, New Mexico St., and Wyoming, were allowed to prevent OSU, WSU, SDSU, Fresno St., & Boise St. from getting together to form a better conference.
I'm skeptical that we'll ever see Memphis or Tulane in a rebuilt PAC-12 conference. Rather than traveling across the country to join us, those schools will probably wait for Florida St., Clemson, and North Carolina (St?) to leave the ACC.
But I definitely agree with mikalalas that WSU & OSU does not want to share a conference with the weakest MWC teams.
Angie is smoking hot. Damn. Buddy beyond that, Beggers can't be choosers. We are beggars right now.
Didn’t we have the third most league wins under Leach from 2015-2019 or something like that? Yes, a fairly short time period, but we shouldn’t run down our overachieving results. We should have been in last place EVERY year. We certainly weren’t.
