Commentary: Why Pac-12 expansion is both wise and underwhelming for WSU
SEATTLE – “Chaos is a ladder. Many who try to climb it fail, and never get to try again. The fall breaks them. And some are given a chance to climb, but they refuse. They cling to the realm, or the gods, or love. Illusions. Only the ladder is real. The climb is all there is.”
So said Littlefinger, outlining the consequences that accompany the pursuit of power in the fantasy epic “Game of Thrones.” Of course, he also forecast the future of college football, where programs unapologetically climb over each other – scratching, spitting, kicking, abandoning their brotherhoods – in search of what, exactly?
Media-rights revenue.
Sweet, sweet stability.
Meanwhile, the climb isn’t all there is for Washington State.
Unfortunately for its fans.
On Thursday morning, the Pac-12 Conference – i.e., Washington State and Oregon State – announced the additions of Mountain West pillars Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Colorado State, each of whom will join the conference for the 2026-27 academic year. The move simultaneously douses speculation that WSU and/or Oregon State are awaiting a lucrative lifeline from the Big 12 or ACC.
For fans, that’s an undoubtedly difficult reality to take; the Cougars and Beavers may never reach a higher rung. The chance to climb isn’t coming.
Last week, Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes insisted during an interview on “Canzano and Wilner: The Podcast,” that “we have five Power Five conferences. We’re one of them. (There aren’t) four. We need to be ready to pounce.”
On Thursday, the Pac-12 pounced, but it didn’t prove his point. That isn’t a criticism of WSU or OSU, who made prudent moves to improve the Pac-12 and legitimize the conference. Nor is it a shot at Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Colorado State – all prideful institutions with impressive résumés.
But why does it feel underwhelming?
Because the Pac-12 as you knew it is probably never coming back.
Because life at a lower rung seems disappointingly permanent.
Still, though they took a tumble, the Cougs could conceivably benefit from college football’s slippery steps. WSU and its fans should be rooting for continued chaos, specifically pertaining to the possibly imploding ACC. Though former Pac-12 partners Stanford and Cal are technically tied to their new conference through the conclusion of its media-rights contract in 2036, lawsuits by Florida State and Clemson could upend everything.
Should they be able to eventually escape the ACC’s grant of rights agreement, might Stanford and Cal consider returning to a conference on the West Coast?
For now, that’s little more than a Pac-12 pipe dream. But considering how quickly college football continues to change, it’s not an impossibility either.
“Chaos, right now, is opportunity,” WSU athletic director Anne McCoy told CBS Sports on Wednesday.
As for more immediate opportunities? We can find a few.
The Pac-12 – which needs two more members by summer 2026 – poached four Mountain West programs but left one winner off the list. It should amend that error and add UNLV, planting a flag in a Las Vegas media market that offers obvious value. Remember, the Runnin’ Rebels won nine football games last fall and knocked off Big 12 newbie Houston 27-7 on the road Aug. 31, and its men’s basketball program has a history of significant success.
Besides Stanford and Cal, the other options – Memphis, UTSA, Tulane, Air Force, etc. – offer more sense than sizzle. But with a roughly $250 million war chest won in the Pac-12 split, and a two-year grace period to rebuild its ranks, the Pac-12 has resources to survive.
Obviously, big questions surrounding membership and a critical media-rights deal remain unanswered. Barnes’ assertion that the Pac-12 remains a Power Five conference depends on the result. But for now the Cougars and Beavers can improve their optics in one other significant way:
They can win this weekend.
Remember, not so long ago, when that’s what mattered most?
They can beat the in-state rivals – Washington and Oregon, respectively – who threw their future into chaos all to reach a higher rung. Who, by following USC and UCLA to the Big Ten, knowingly left a 109-year-old conference to crumble.
The Cougars can unleash a crimson flood to Lumen Field.
They can prove the climb isn’t all there is, by claiming the Apple Cup on Saturday.
“Whatever our best is as a fan base, it needs to happen this weekend,” WSU coach Jake Dickert said Monday, after his Cougars pummeled Big 12 member Texas Tech in Pullman last weekend. “If you’re (angry) from what happened (with UW leaving the Pac-12), show up. If you’re excited about it, show up. Whatever happens, show up.
“Be there, be loud and show what our best is as Cougs. That’s all I ask. Hopefully, just like from our football players, we’ll deliver every chance we get.”
At this point, the Cougars can’t hope to climb.
They can win as consolation.