The drama isn’t done in college sports. Yes, the big dominoes fell on Friday when Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah left the Pac-12 to effectively kill the conference.
Maybe a zombie Pac-12 continues in a merger with the Mountain West, but that’s not what Cal, Stanford or Washington State wanted. It’s not what Oregon State wanted, either.
The Beavers are hoping the Big 12 Conference will look to the Northwest. It would be weird, but then again, hasn’t this whole soap opera been extremely bizarre to begin with? There have been reports the Big 12 is considering the possibility of expanding from 16 schools (with the Four Corners schools being newly added) to 18.
This gives Oregon State the hope it can find a power conference home instead of being relegated to the Mountain West. As everyone knows, however, Oregon State isn’t calling the shots here. It will basically do what it is told and go where it is forced to go. The Big 12 has to want OSU. The Beavers can make a presentation or pitch, but it’s not their final call, and they don’t have the pull to insist on how their future looks. It’s sad.
Let’s give you a sampling of the national reaction to Oregon State’s plight in what is now the Pac-4: