Oregon State and Washington State, the last two teams of the Pac-12, could be close to leaving the conference too.
According to Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger, both universities have re-entered negotiations with Mountain West officials on a two-year football scheduling alliance. The development is being tabbed as potentially the first move toward a possible long-term partnership.
Sides are still discussing details, with talks expected to continue Thursday, but an agreement is believed to already be near. Yahoo Sports indicated that while the alliance is nearly set, a deal may not be finalized for at least a few more days.
Several different scheduling models are being considered, but the one most anticipate coming to fruition is a “7+1” format. This would see Mountain West teams play seven conference games, plus an additional matchup against either Oregon State or Washington State. Under this scenario, games against both universities would not count toward league standings.
Neither team would be eligible for the Mountain West Conference championship.
Mountain West home games against OSU and WSU will be broadcast on FOX and CBS Sports, while the two programs will likely discuss separate TV agreements with individual networks in addition to FOX and CBS Sports.
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