SPOKANE, Wash. – Conference realignment continues to evolve as today it was announced that Washington State and Oregon State are set to join the West Coast Conference (WCC) as affiliate members starting next year and will play league games in all sports other than football and baseball.
According to a report from CBS Sports, the Cougars and the Beavers will be joining and playing WCC teams for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons. League presidents and athletic directors are scheduled to vote and approve the measure Thursday morning, barring any drastic changes.
For men’s and women’s basketball, the nine-school conference, which includes the Gonzaga Bulldogs, would increase to 11 schools next season. The conference schedule would also increase from the current 16-game slate to 18 or 20 games, sources told CBS. If this realignment is approved, the Zags, Cougars, and Beavers would all face off against each other in men’s and women’s basketball next year.
In football, WSU and OSU have already come to a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West Conference for the 2024 season. The WCC also does not sponsor football. Wazzu and Oregon St. are currently in a legal battle with the ten departing Pac-12 schools over revenue left behind when the current television contract expires on July 1.
This is a developing story; please check back for updates.
