WCC Temporarily Adds Pac-12 Schools In Latest Realignment Move

SALT LAKE CITY – BYU’s old conference home, the West Coast Conference, has added the two remaining Pac-12 schools.

It’s the latest bizarre chapter in conference realignment.

Oregon State and Washington State will be affiliate members of the West Coast Conference in 12 sports for two years, beginning with the 2024-25 academic year.

The WCC welcomes @BeaverAthletics and @WSUCougars as #WCCsports affiliate members across 12 sports, beginning in 2024-25.

🗒: https://t.co/eAqEIW9poJ pic.twitter.com/H6kGvufWNW

— West Coast Conference (@WCCsports) December 22, 2023

Part of the affiliate membership will include competing in men’s and women’s basketball. Baseball is one of the notable sports that OSU and WSU will not compete in the WCC. Oregon State boasts a national powerhouse baseball program that is exploring the possibility of going Independent.

The West Coast Conference doesn’t offer competition in football. So Oregon State and Washington State have lined up a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West Conference.

Oregon State, Washington State join WCC as affiliates in 2024-25

WCC has nine institutions after the departure of BYU to the Big 12 Conference this season. Adding Oregon State and Washington State as affiliates will increase that number to 11 competing schools.

BYU was part of the WCC from 2011 to 2023.

The Beavers and Cougars will have access to the WCC’s automatic bids to NCAA Tournaments through WCC Championships. Plus, they will be part of the WCC’s media rights agreements.

The two Pac-12 schools continue to explore long-term solutions

“As we explore long-term solutions for the Pac-12 Conference and Washington State University, we appreciate Commissioner Stu Jackson and the West Coast Conference for their partnership in providing 10 of our programs affiliate membership,” said Washington State Director of Athletics Pat Chun. “The WCC allows an opportunity for our 10 teams to have access to championships as well as high-level competition. We are grateful to our student-athletes and coaches who have been patient and supportive as we work through the best path forward for WSU.”

“This affiliation agreement provides short-term clarity for 10 of our programs and guarantees that our student athletes and coaches can continue to compete for conference and national championships,” said Oregon State Vice President and Director of Athletics Scott Barnes. “We appreciate Commissioner Stu Jackson and the WCC for their partnership. This agreement represents an important step in our strategy to preserve options for the future viability of the Pac-12 conference. Our highest priority continues to be the success of all OSU student-athletes, starting with their ability to compete – and win — at the highest level possible.”

Oregon State and Washington State are the final two remaining schools in the Pac-12 Conference. Ten of the 12 institutions in the PAC are departing on August 2, 2024, for the ACC (Cal, Stanford), Big Ten (Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington), and the Big 12 (Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah).

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X and Threads: @Mitch_Harper.

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