Cal, Stanford accept invitation to ACC; Washington State won’t be considered in AAC expansion

Whatever the future holds for Washington State as it relates to conference realignment, it’s no longer one that will include Cal and Stanford.

The erosion of the Pac-12 Conference continued Friday morning when Stanford and Cal, two of four remaining schools in the conference, formally accepted invitations to the Atlantic Coast Conference, along with Southern Methodist University.

Washington State can no longer anticipate annual matchups with two of its longest-standing conference rivals beyond the 2023-24 sports season. The Cougars have played 83 football games against California since 1919 and 72 against Stanford since 1936. The ACC’s acquisition of both Bay Area-based universities further limits the Pac-12’s ability to rebuild around a small group of remaining schools.

With USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington bound for the Big Ten in 2024-25, and Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Arizona State splitting for the Big 12, there was still some optimism that Washington State, Oregon State, Cal and Stanford could form a new high-major conference out West, potentially while protecting the Pac-12’s brand and history.

Rumblings of the ACC’s interest in Cal and Stanford surfaced a few weeks ago and the conference’s presidents officially voted to expand the ACC’s footprint on Friday morning, extending invitations. The ACC vote wasn’t unanimous, with at least two schools, North Carolina and Florida State, voting against conference expansion.

“The departures from the Pac-12 by Stanford and California do not come as a surprise,” WSU’s athletic department said in a statement Friday morning following the latest Pac-12 defections. “The collegiate athletics landscape continues to be fluid. The WSU Student-Athlete Advisory Panel and Athletics Advisory Committee have been meeting regularly to provide feedback on the competitive home that best suits WSU’s interests.

“Washington State has been in ongoing contact with Oregon State University as we move forward. We will continue to fight for Washington State as we explore options to secure the best possible future for Cougar Athletics.”

During a news conference Friday morning, Oregon State president Jayathi Murthy described Cal and Stanford’s decision as “regrettable” but “not unexpected.”

The American Athletic Conference, composed of schools in Central and Eastern time zones, had previously considered expansion possibilities – potentially including Washington State and Oregon State – but commissioner Mike Aresco clarified in a statement Friday morning the AAC would no longer explore options on the West Coast.

“We have known that today’s move was a possibility, which has allowed us time to investigate a number of options, including consideration of the larger group of institutions in the Pacific time zone,” Aresco said. “We have concluded, however, that the best way to proceed for our outstanding student-athletes is not to look westward.”

By process of elimination, WSU’s future may be more certain than it was 24 hours ago.

One path could be rebuilding some version of the Pac-12, along with OSU, by inviting schools from the Mountain West Conference and AAC.

In that scenario, the Pac-12 would require eight members by 2026 in order “to meet critical NCAA requirements,” according to Jon Wilner of the Bay Area News Group.

If the Pac-12 stays intact, conference bylaws suggest that WSU and OSU would be entitled to the conference’s remaining assets and revenue, a potentially lucrative move for both schools.

If WSU and OSU depart for another conference, such as the Mountain West, then assets such as NCAA Tournament units guaranteed to the conference, an emergency reserve fund, Pac-12 Networks infrastructure and various sponsorships, would be distributed to all 12 schools.

New Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez, who was previously commissioner of the West Coast Conference and has extensive background with the Pac-12, told WSU’s athletics advisory committee that the Cougars would be welcomed into the Mountain West “with open arms.”

Nevarez visited Pullman Aug. 24 with University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes, the chair of the Mountain West board of directors.

WSU’s football team opens the 2023 season against a Mountain West opponent, visiting Colorado State in Fort Collins for a 4:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday.

One potential hurdle that may come with reconstructing the Pac-12 could be securing a media rights deal next summer. Linear networks such as ESPN, CBS or Fox, or streaming services such as Apple or Amazon are unlikely to partner with the conference without knowing who its members will be.

WSU President Kirk Schulz or athletic director Pat Chun didn’t directly address the situation on Friday, but OSU’s Murthy called the conference landscape “pretty complicated” and indicated the Beavers hope to identify a solution in the near future.

“Obviously, sooner is better than later,” she said.