Report: Oregon State, Washington State to join West Coast Conference in all non-football/baseball sports

Oregon State and Washington State appear to have found a new conference for the next two years in sports other than football and baseball. Per CBS Sports, the two are headed to the WCC.

Matt Norlander wrote the news Wednesday afternoon that the two last remaining Pac-12 squads will move to the WCC in, namely, basketball, as well as all other sports aside from football and baseball.

“Oregon State and Washington State are in line to join the West Coast Conference as affiliate members and play league games — with the exception of football and baseball — against WCC schools for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons, sources told CBS Sports.”

The decision is not final yet, though, as Norlander reports that league representatives will vote on the matter Thursday morning.

“Barring any major drastic action that is not anticipated, league presidents and athletic directors are scheduled to vote and approve the measure on Thursday morning, a source said.”

The two schools made a similar deal in football with the Mountain West.

Details on MWC deal

Back in early December, the Mountain West Conference finalized a scheduling agreement for 2024 with Oregon State and Washington State.

“The Mountain West Conference announced today a football scheduling agreement for the 2024 season between the Mountain West, Oregon State University, Washington State University, and the Pac-12 Conference,” a press release from the Mountain West Conference read.

“Next season, all 12 MW teams will play seven traditional Conference football games in addition to one contest against either Washington State or Oregon State for a total of eight games (four home and four away). The games against OSU and WSU will not count toward the conference standings, and neither Pac-12 school is eligible for the MW championship game. The Mountain West is currently working on the football schedule and will release matchups soon.”

Per a report earlier in the week from Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, the scheduling alliance is built around a 7+1 format, and neither Oregon State nor Washington State will be eligible for the MWC Championship Game.

“The agreement, for now just one season, is expected to include a fee of about $14 million paid to the Mountain West. … The alliance is built around what’s termed a ‘7+1’ format where Mountain West teams play seven conference games — not eight — plus one game against either Washington State or Oregon State. There is an option to extend the deal to the 2025 season as well,” Dellenger wrote. “The two Pac-12 members will not be eligible for the MWC championship and will compete as quasi-independents under the Pac-12 banner. Those Mountain West schools with previously scheduled non-conference games against one of the two schools will play the other as well during the same season.

“While there is not expected to be a contractual requirement for a long-term merger between the two entities, there is an intent and understanding of full-time membership for OSU and WSU in the Mountain West or a merger.”