Report: Oregon State, San Diego State engage in 'very preliminary' discussions with the Big 12

The dust settled over the weekend on what was a very hectic end to the week when it came to conference realignment. Now, as we head into this week, the carousel could be starting right back up based on the latest on Oregon State and San Diego State from Jason Scheer.

According to Scheer, an editor and publisher at Wildcat Authority, those schools could be the next two programs up to bat in realignment. Per a tweet of his from Sunday night, the Beavers out of the Pac-12 and the Aztecs out of the Mountain West could end up as the 17th and 18th programs for the Big 12, tying them with the Big Ten for the most in the nation.

“Hearing Oregon State and San Diego State have had very preliminary talks with the Big 12 over the last 48 hours,” Scheer tweeted. “Key word is preliminary and it would be at discounted rates.”

The Athletic’s Max Olson responded with a contradictory report later on Sunday night.

“The Big 12 is not discussing adding Oregon State or San Diego State at this time, two conference sources tell TheAthletic.”

Oregon State currently stands as one of the Pac-12’s final four teams. Their in-state conference rival, the Oregon Ducks, were one of the five schools, alongside Washington, Utah, Arizona, and Arizona State, who took off for other leagues to end last week.

As for San Diego State, they’ve been a part of the Mountain West since the turn of the century. Ironically enough, the Aztecs were once considered an option for the Pac-12 as an individual school as well as part of a potential merger between the two leagues. Instead, they could end up jumping ships themselves with another one of the Conference of Champions’ own.

Again, Scheer pointed out that these conversations are very early on and exploratory at best. Even so, we could see more conference movement out west, and an even stronger Big 12, if this report continues to gain any more traction moving forward.

Pac-12 releases statement following departure of 5 member schools to Big Ten, Big 12

The Pac-12 isn’t dead yet, but this feels like a eulogy. On Friday, the conference released a statement following the decision of several programs to leave the league.

“Today’s news is incredibly disappointing for student-athletes, fans, alumni and staff of the Pac-12 who cherish the over 100-year history, tradition and rivalries of the Conference of Champions. We remain focused on securing the best possible future for each of our member universities,” the Pac-12 wrote on Twitter.

After a stunning 24 hours, the league is down to four teams in 2024: Stanford, California, Washington State , and Oregon State. The landslide began after the conference leaders met on Friday and could not agree on a Pac-12 Grant of Rights that would be satisfactory for everyone.

The four schools yet to sign a deal with another conference are reportedly shocked by the rapid development. While options are limited for the remaining programs, Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger claimed the schools are considering a merge with the Mountain West Conference.