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Kyle Bonagura, ESPN Staff Writer
The Mountain West and Pac-12 conferences did not come to an agreement before Sunday’s deadline to extend their football scheduling beyond the 2024 season, sources confirmed to ESPN.
While it’s theoretically possible to circle back, the most likely scenario will be for Oregon State and Washington State to build fully independent schedules for the 2025 season.
“There’s too big a gap [between the parties],” a source told ESPN.
The lack of an agreement stems mostly from the Pac-12’s priority to be flexible for more sea changes in college athletics over the next year. Financial factors also played a role, sources told ESPN.
There is not believed to have been any substantial talks for either Oregon State or Washington State to join one of the remaining four power conferences, sources said.
This year, all 12 Mountain West schools will play seven conference games, plus either OSU or WSU as part of an agreement that was struck in December, following the collapse of the Pac-12 that left it with just two members. As part of that deal, the Pac-12 paid the MWC roughly $14 million.
OSU and WSU will participate as affiliate members of the West Coast Conference in most of their remaining sports — including basketball — for the next two y ears.
The news was first reported by the Wilner Hotline.