SPOKANE, Wash. — It's been more than two weeks since the University of California and Stanford University announced its plans to leave the PAC-12 conference, but the president of one of the remaining schools said he's already seen a change.
Washington State University (WSU) and Oregon State University (OSU) are the only two schools left in the PAC-12 conference. For the first time since the disband, WSU President Kirk Schulz spoke with the university's board of regents on the PAC-12 breakup. He touched on what's next for the university's athletics and how this has impacted the school so far.
"We want to be in a conference in a place where we can win conference championships," Schulz said. "We're hearing from a lot of different voices and groups, and right now, there's a lot of concern about just impact, people are unsure."
A Whitman County judge ruled Monday that departing PAC-12 members cannot meet to discuss the future of the conference. Oregon State and Washington State University want full control over PAC-12 decision making as the only schools committed beyond this school year.
WSU still has three conference options it's pursuing, which won't be surprising to fans and alumni. One would be to join the Mountain West Conference, another would be to join the American Athletic Conference, and a final option to rebuild the PAC-12. Schulz says before any decision is made, they need to consider all their options.
"We want to evaluate what's going to be best for WSU, what's gonna be best for our student athletes, what's going to be a good academic and athletic fit," he explained.
Schulz knows people are disappointed over what has happened over the last several months, but even though most of the teams have left the conference, he wants to remind everyone they'll still have games.
"Regardless of conference affiliation, next August, we're still playing Cougar football," Schulz said.
Schulz says people might feel a sense of loss matching up with the top-tier football schools but through some adjustment, the same atmosphere and tradition will stay the same.
"I appreciate our student athletes," he said. "They want to excel in the classroom, they want to excel in the field, they want to win championships, that's still going to be there."
Earlier this week a Whitman County judge ruled that departing PAC-12 members cannot meet to discuss the future of the conference. Oregon State and Washington State University want full control over PAC-12 decision making as the only schools committed beyond this school year.
To watch the full interview with President Schulz, use the player below:
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