From the Pac-12’s dissolution and coaches/administration departing to the first men’s basketball NCAA Tournament appearance since 2008, this athletic year has been a roller coaster with no end.
My first instinct as a fan is to panic and rant about my dissatisfaction with the state of the athletic department as a whole, however, the reality of the situation is that WSU Athletics is at a fork in the road, not a dead end.
A two-year scheduling agreement with the Mountain West for football and the West Coast Conference for basketball, volleyball, soccer and a slew of other sports, respectively is not ideal, but this time is an opportunity for expansion and growth as much as it is a chance to slip between the cracks.
WSU and OSU leadership announced the two schools’ plan to rebuild the Pac-12.
This plan is ideal for an avid Pac-12 fan like me, but the execution seems like an unachievable uphill battle.
The main issue with this plan is the acquisition of a television/media deal, as I don’t see the future conference receiving a sustainable deal without schools from major television markets.
Adding teams from the Mountain West would simply not be enough, as most teams are in smaller media markets (Wyoming), or are overshadowed in their market (San Jose State).
There are a couple of teams that could give this plan life though, such as Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State and UNLV.
These programs all sit in decent-sized media markets, with my optimism directed toward UNLV and Fresno State specifically.
UNLV, located in Las Vegas, is part of a market ranked 40th nationally.
The Las Vegas market is exploding due to professional sports teams moving to the Las Vegas area, which I see turning into a sports powerhouse in the future.
Fresno State is located in the Central Valley region of California, which has a population of about 6.5 million people.
The sheer amount of people in the region surrounding Fresno bodes well for viewership and Fresno State has invested heavily in their sports programs for the future, showing commitment from their athletic department.
Outside of the Mountain West, the state of Texas/ the American Conference seems to be the only logical area with division one colleges that the Pac-12 could add.
Schools in the American that would present a viable media market for the Pac-12 would be UTSA, North Texas, Rice and Memphis.
UTSA, North Texas and Rice are all located in the state of Texas, which has a large population known for being rabid football fans.
University of Memphis is located in the city of Memphis, TN, which has a metro population of nearly 1.2 million people.
Sadly, the addition of these schools and media viewership are all moving parts within this plan and I find it hard to see everything working out perfectly.
I hope that it all works out for the Cougs, though.
Another point of positivity is both WSU and OSU announced Monday that they have agreed to a $65 million payout with the 10 departing Pac-12 schools.
If my limited math background serves me right, that is $32.5 million for the Cougs in gross income, which is not a minuscule amount.
This severance package could help minimize the debt that the WSU athletic department is in and help the outlook of the financial situation moving forward.
With the Taylor Sports Complex under construction and increasing construction costs for future projects, this timing could be perfect.
Overall, this is a do-or-die situation for WSU Athletics.
There is no room for failure, as there’s only a two-year window to figure out the future of WSU.
Officials within WSU Athletics need to act diligently to secure the future of the school for the student-athletes, the student body and the fanbase nationwide.
Anything short of a future in a conference with a media deal and a sustainable plan for the future is a failure by our ‘leaders’ that society jumps at any chance to praise.
