Oregon and Washington State are nearing an agreement to join the West Coast Conference as associate members next year in multiple sports, particularly men’s and women’s basketball, officials told ESPN, citing multiple reports. confirmed.
This is similar to what the schools agreed to with the Mountain West to play six football games with MW teams next year, but with a big difference. The Beavers and Cougars’ games against MW schools in football will not count toward the conference standings, but their games are expected to count toward the WCC’s other sports standings. They are also expected to be eligible to participate in the conference tournament and represent the WCC at NCAA championship events.
The deal, which has not yet been finalized, follows the Washington State Supreme Court’s decision last week not to review a lower court ruling that gave OSU and WSU control of the Pac-12 Board of Governors.
OSU and WSU intend to rebuild the Pac-12 and will maintain the conference’s branding on the football field next season despite operating as a two-team conference.
For a conference to exist, the NCAA requires “at least seven active Division I members,” all of whom sponsor men’s and women’s basketball, and a conference to have at least 12 divisions. It stipulates requirements such as being a sports sponsor. In the event of withdrawal, the bylaws allow a two-year grace period during which the conference can survive without a minimum number of schools.
The WCC agreement, like the football agreement, is seen as a short-term solution to buy schools time to rebuild the Pac-12. According to sources, there were similar discussions with MW regarding non-football partnership contracts, but negotiations broke down.