NFL
By: Brock Vierra
It is clear that the Pac-12 is dead. Not dying, dead. Oregon and Washington are headed to the Big 10 barring something crazy, Arizona and Colorado have been approved to go to the Big 12 with Arizona State and Utah expected to follow them by the end of the week. Washington State is now left in this limbo that will most likely lead them to the Mountain West. Now at first, this seems like a step down considering the Pac-12 is a power five conference but in actuality, the Mountain West is gearing up to be the main hub of west coast football.
Yes, the Big 10 has acquired the big dogs but they will always be rooted in the Great Lakes region. The Big 10 isn’t about the throwaway over 100 years of tradition for the new guys and if you don’t believe me, watch how much attention Fox puts on The Big Game versus the Victory Bell. More importantly for Washington State, they would have a clear road to the College Football Playoff.
Even though the Cougars have reached tremendous highs, they haven’t won a conference title since 2002 and they have yet to appear in a Pac-12 Championship Game. Despite the fact they have one of the best QBs in the nation in Cam Ward, the Cougars don’t look even remotely close to competing in the Pac-12 this year and since 2009, they’re 2-11 against in-state rivals Washington.
Moral of the story is that regardless of reason, WSU hasn’t been able to compete at the level they should while Washington has exceeded theirs. However, this is a birth of a new beginning and perhaps the catalyst needed for Jake Dickert to jumpstart his head coaching career. Since Mike Leach left Pullman, the Cougars have been desperately trying to find themselves. They haven’t had a bowl win since 2018, they’ve averaged seven wins in the post-Leach era while continually failing to win against ranked conference opponents.
Upon entry into the Mountain West, they would be the big dogs in the conference and an undefeated record would grant them an automatic entry into the college football playoffs. Now this isn’t a given when you remember that they got smoked by Fresno State in the LA Bowl but a new conference means new opportunities to recruit and everyone wants to join a winning program.
For Washington State, their relationships with FCS programs could make them the gateway from the FCS to the FBS in this era of the transfer portal. Yes, we know about Cam Ward and Incarnate Word but Eastern Washington, Montana, Montana State, arch-rival Idaho, and the Dakotas are all within Washington State’s grasp and trust me when I say that the pool of talented players has been criminally untapped as other programs focus on FBS transfers.
The Mountain West also has a well-established TV deal and WSU’s history in cultivating an environment that kids from west-coast and Polynesian backgrounds can assimilate into easily plays right into their hand. Washington State has a long history of sending players to the pros, especially at the QB position with Drew Bledsoe, Ryan Leaf and Gardner Minshew representing the Cougars. Abraham Lucas has established himself as one of the best right tackles in the NFL and some Ws on the schedule could be the difference in acquiring the underrated high school talents in the state of Washington.
The best part is that there wouldn’t be a major change in travel. Boise State is just a state over, if Oregon State joins then that’s two border programs and the accompanying programs outside of Hawaii is within a three hour plane ride give or take. The Mountain West is the perfect conference for their pass happy attack, they would be the premier program and though the upfront conference money may be less, the potential bowl money would make a dehydrated person salivate. Long story short, embrace the current suck because when tomorrow comes, it brings bountiful gifts. Sometimes things truly are a blessing in disguise.
Check out Team NBS Media’s premier college football show on YouTube, The College Football Forecast comes out with new episodes every Saturday and check out my show The Hot Seat. I sit down this week with Omar Borja of the Hardware Podcast to discuss Army Football.
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