Just like that, the Pac-12 has been reduced to the Pac-2. Oregon State and Washington State will be the last two standing in the conference after Stanford and California announced Friday they are bolting for the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2024. There's speculation the Beavers and Cougars may join the Mountain West Conference or lead an effort to absorb some Group of Five teams into a new Pac-12.
Oregon State and Washington State face uncertainty in what s left of the Pac-12 apnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from apnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Washington State athletic director Pat Chun blasted the “poor leadership” that has led the Pac-12 to the brink of extinction on Wednesday and said the Cougars have earned the right to be part of a Power Five conference as the chances of that happening appeared unlikely. Meanwhile, Pac-12 members California and Stanford have been looking for an escape hatch to a Power Five league, reaching out to officials with the Big Ten and its schools even as the Atlantic Coast Conference ponders building out a West Wing, too. Two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that Cal and Stanford have been in contact with Big Ten officials and members of the conference in recent days, but the Big Ten has not so far been moved toward adding two more West Coast schools to go along with Southern California, UCLA, Oregon and Washington, which are set to join in 2024.