(09-23-2023 12:02 PM)bullet Wrote: (09-23-2023 10:47 AM)PlayBall! Wrote: (09-23-2023 08:25 AM)Garden_KC Wrote: (09-23-2023 08:23 AM)PlayBall! Wrote: (09-23-2023 08:17 AM)Garden_KC Wrote: I hope they can keep the [PAC] name alive and bring it over to the MWC.
But I'm not optimistic.
You should be. That's the odds-on scenerio, after WSU+OSU get full control, settle the PAC's fianance + personel issues, and get final word from BY/BigXII.
Tight timeframe to do all of that.
No rush -- OSU and WSU have two years. Until then they can do a scheduling alliance with the most likely future partner, if they make the terms favorable.
However, if whoever of the PAC10gone didn't challenge the PAC's withdrawal rules recently (thus OSU+WSU's would have near-absolute rule now of the PAC-12), this could have been handled yesterday.
They (WSU/OSU admins) claim they can put together a schedule as late as late fall, but I think that would be pushing it. Thanksgiving? That would be really late.
And independence would basically decimate their programs. Everyone good would transfer in all the sports. They wouldn't be able to recruit. There would be no chance for NCAA championships. It is not really a feasible alternative. Even Notre Dame requires a conference for sports other than football.
I think their only choice at this point is joining with the MWC. The only questions are the structure it takes.
We've been down this road before. There still is time to put together an independent, or quasi-independent, schedule for 2024, although time is starting to run low.
Both Oregon State and Washington State have three OOC games scheduled for 2024, which should be unaffected by realignment. Schedule each other, and they're up to four games apiece.
From there, the following FBS programs all have at least one open date remaining for 2024:
Boston College
Duke
North Carolina State
Rice (2 dates)
Northwestern
Rutgers
FIU
Army (2 dates)*
UConn
Notre Dame
Central Michigan
Boise State (already scheduled to play Oregon State, would have to schedule Washington State)
Nevada
New Mexico
UNLV
Utah State
Cal
Stanford
UCLA
Washington
Auburn
* Based on current schedule. If Army joins the AAC, those dates likely will be subsumed by conference games. However, that also means that Army will have to schedule six additional games on the schedule, which will free up an additional date for the affected opponents. Cancelled games figure to come from among Ball State, UConn, Syracuse, Dartmouth (FCS), Rice, UNLV, UMass and Wake Forest. This assumes that Army will keep both Air Force and Navy, and that Army-Navy game will be OOC.
In addition, a number of previously scheduled OOC games for 2024 become conference games as a result of realignment. Not sure how these will be treated. They are:
Arizona-Kansas State
Baylor-Utah
BYU-Utah
Finally, the Indiana-Louisville game has been cancelled. Indiana says that it will pick up an FCS opponent. Not sure what Louisville's plans are, so they may get an open date as well.
It's a tight fit, but there are more than enough games available for both to put together a full schedule. The bigger problem may come for basketball and olympic sports.
Note: none of this is to suggest that independence is a long-term option for either Oregon State or Washington State. Long-term, I think a merger with the Mountain West is the only option, unless the Big XII or ACC has a change of heart (both unlikely.) But I do think an independent or quasi-independent schedule may be a stopgap necessity in the short term.