NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates 
On the Palouse this Saturday night, the Pac-2 Bowl will unfold.
The remaining two members of the imploded Pac-12 conference, Oregon State and Washington State, meet in a game of top-25 ranked teams. Amid a slew of giant matchups this weekend, the Pac-2 battle is sliding beneath the hubbub despite the stakes.
The Cougars are 3-0, ranked No. 21 and have taken down Wisconsin with FCS-turned-Power Five dual-threat quarterback Cameron Ward. The Beavers are 3-0, ranked No. 14 and have allowed 33 points in three games with former Clemson QB D.J. Uiagalelei manning the offense.
But it’s off the field where so much interest in these two programs lies. As they team up for a court fight over the Pac-12’s survival, their future conference affiliation hangs in doubt.
Will they dissolve the Pac-12 and join the Mountain West?
Will they merge with the Mountain West under the Pac-12 banner to preserve the league and its assets?
Will they rebuild the Pac-12 by plucking other Group of Five members?
Or … Will they do something unconventional, creative and, some might say, altogether eccentric. Will they leap with both feet into a pool of uncertainty, overhaul how college conferences are structured and remake the industry’s long-standing model?
“We have to think differently,” said one Mountain West athletic director who wished to remain anonymous. “We’re always trying to fit things in a box and we are always late to the party. How do we get in front of this?”
The Pac-2’s answer, some believe, should be to create a two-conference partnership with the Mountain West around a model similar to European soccer leagues, using a relegation and promotion system for football (and potentially other sports).
Could the Pac-12 survive in a new format? (Yahoo Sports illustration)
The goal is to create high-stakes matchups, scheduling…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football-pac-12-mountain-west-promotion-relegation-234810955.html?src=rss
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2023-09-19 23:48:10
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
