Washington
Washington State, Oregon State Reportedly In Serious Trouble As Future Plans In Doubt
Washington State and Oregon State might not be bound for the Mountain West in the near future.
The Cougars and Beavers are the last two remaining PAC-12 programs following the conference imploding. The rest of the once-powerful conference split for the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC.
WSU and OSU were left dangling in the wind, and eventually reached a scheduling agreement with the MWC. The belief has been that there would be some kind of merger.
A popular theory has been that the MWC will be folded under the PAC-12 banner (I have a Las Vegas dinner riding on a bet that this won’t actually happen), or that the Beavers and Cougars could join the MWC.
Will Oregon State and Washington State join the MWC? (Photo by Brian Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Washington State, Oregon State face uncertain future.
It might be time to tap the brakes on those theories, according to a new report from CBS Sports. The interest might not be there as originally thought, but not from the side you’d think. The MWC reportedly has cooled on the idea of some kind of merger.
CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd reported the following, in part, on the situation Oregon State and Washington State are in:
“On the surface, it makes sense for the best Group of Five conference to take in the last two Power Five schools remaining from the realignment chaos.
But after a week of speaking to industry sources during various media days, there seems to be momentum toward the Mountain West cooling on inclusion of Oregon State and Washington State. Such a move has been portrayed as expansion, a merger or a reverse-merger. (Although, it’s hard to envision who reverse-merges with whom.)
The Mountain West has a scheduling agreement with both teams for the 2024 season with a mutual option to continue the partnership in 2025. Might as well make that a Mountain West option because it’s becoming clear the conference doesn’t necessarily need or even want the Beavers and Cougars on a full-time membership basis.”
To be clear, there’s still plenty of time for something to happen and as Dodd pointed out himself, a merger is certainly possible. However, if the MWC has cooled on the idea of adding the final two PAC-12 teams, then they’re both in pretty big trouble.
What other options are out there? The answer is there really aren’t any. Perhaps they could try to poach other small schools from around the country, but that’s a plan that seems destined to fail.
The main reason why is TV money. If MWC schools stay where they are, then the duo would have to go hunting in regions of the country that aren’t close at all. That makes travel expensive, and the conference still wouldn’t have any real TV value.
What will happen to Washington State and Oregon State? (Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
It’s been a “MWC or bust” mentality seemingly since the PAC-12 imploded, and if the Mountain West isn’t returning the feeling, then it might be time for fans to start getting very nervous. Let me know what you think at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.
Washington
!$+∇√$[+[!LIVESTREAMs!]+] Washington Capitals vs Vegas Golden Knights Live Free Streams On Tv Channel 2026-03-29
Washington Capitals vs Vegas Golden Knights
HERE’S (*WAY TO WATCH*) Washington Capitals VS Vegas Golden Knights Free LIVE 2026-03-29 Rose Bowl Parade 2026 live: Rose Bowl Parade 2026 look to seize control of thrilling Rose Bowl Parade 2026. Every team in the Rose Bowl Parade 2026 has two wins apiece as we go into the final two game weeks. Rose Bowl Parade 2026 will host Rose Bowl Parade 2026 at Live NHL mAtch Durban’s Kings Park Stadium with the Rose Bowl Parade 2026 a single point ahead of Rose Bowl Parade 2026 in the standings and just one behind leaders Rose Bowl Parade 2026.
Washington
In deep-red Washington County, a surge in Democratic candidates
Washington
North Dakota National Guard heading to Washington duty
BISMARCK — About 60 North Dakota Army National Guard Soldiers will be sent to help the District of Columbia National Guard under a joint task force starting in April.
Most soldiers are from the 131st Military Police Battalion, which is headquartered in Bismarck, according to a release.
The support will be given as part of the effort that began on Aug. 11, when several states activated members of their National Guard to support local and federal law enforcement in Washington under the President Donald Trump’s
executive order 14333,
which declared a crime emergency in the nation’s capital.
The support is a federal mission under the command of the D.C. National Guard, which supports civilian agencies and local law enforcement to reduce crime and minimize property damage.
“Safeguarding the citizens, federal workers and elected leaders in our nation’s capital is a matter of national security, and we appreciate these Soldiers volunteering for this important mission,” said North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong in a release. “We know they will represent our state with the skill and professionalism that military leaders everywhere have come to expect from the North Dakota National Guard.”
The battalion is expected to be in Washington for about three months.
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.
-
Sports1 week agoIOC addresses execution of 19-year-old Iranian wrestler Saleh Mohammadi
-
New Mexico6 days agoClovis shooting leaves one dead, four injured
-
Tennessee6 days agoTennessee Police Investigating Alleged Assault Involving ‘Reacher’ Star Alan Ritchson
-
Technology7 days agoYouTube job scam text: How to spot it fast
-
Minneapolis, MN3 days agoBoy who shielded classmate during school shooting receives Medal of Honor
-
Science1 week agoRecord Heat Meets a Major Snow Drought Across the West
-
Texas1 week agoHow to buy Houston vs. Texas A&M 2026 March Madness tickets
-
Politics1 week agoSchumer gambit fails as DHS shutdown hits 36 days and airport lines grow