PULLMAN, Wash. – NCAA President Charlie Baker made a special trip here last weekmore than 2,000 miles from his home on the East Coast.
After taking up his new role in March, the former governor of Massachusetts was on a mission: to visit the ruins of conference realignment at Washington State University, much like how U.S. presidents often visit cities recently hit by hurricanes.
He wanted to help and show his support.
But how? Washington State is in crisis mode, as is Oregon State, the two schools left behind after the rest of the Pac-12 conference, realigned with the Big Ten, Big 12 and Atlantic Coast conferences starting of next year.
“We’re going to try to do what we can to help them deal with the situation as they move forward,” Baker told USA TODAY Sports in an interview during his Nov. 17 visit. “I also think after talking to a group of the student-athletes here, they really love this place. I think it would be unfortunate if we couldn’t find a way to help these guys find a way, with Oregon State.
The problem is, there’s not much he can do. Media companies and the people in charge of those other Power Five conferences decided which schools would be left without a place to sit after this latest high-stakes game of musical chairs. The NCAA president does not have the authority to change it.
But what he can do is listen – and then take what he learns in Congress. There was a lot to hear. Ask Pat Chun, Washington State’s athletic director, who said he invited Baker to campus to “get a feel” for how realignment would impact a school.
“It’s just another education for him on all the failures of our current model” in college sports, Chun said.
How did realignment impact Washington state?
After the collapse of the Pac-12, the Cougars and Beavers were orphaned and abandoned from the conference shelter that provided them with a regular schedule of opponents and revenue. They must now scramble to fill largely vacant athletic programs for next year, while hoping their athletes and coaches won’t abandon ship in uncertainty.
Besides, who is going to televise their football matches even if their schedule is busy? Where will the revenue come from to replace the $37 million they received in the Pac-12 in revenue sharing? Will they join the Mountain West Conference or let Mountain West teams join them?
“Since August 4 and even before that, it has been a very demanding task in what was already a very demanding job,” Chun said in an interview in his office.
A day that will go down in infamy in Pullman
August 4 is the date Chun often brings up, the day the Pac-12 collapsed with the announced departure of five schools to other leagues in 2024, including Oregon and Washington in the Big Ten.
Since then, his answer to many of the big questions about the future has been “to be determined” – to be determined – although some answers are starting to become clearer.
In football at least, it’s likely that Washington State and Oregon State will fill much of their schedule with six games against Mountain West teams. They will also face each other, alongside previously scheduled non-conference foes. Beyond that, the annual Apple Cup rivalry between Washington State and Washington will continue until at least 2028including Saturday in Seattle.
Basketball and other sports present entirely different scheduling problems after the dissolution of a league Washington State has been a member of since 1962.
“Football is a problem; volleyball is a problem,” Chun said. “The football (transfer) portal is already open. So these are real-time pressures and tensions in our sports program right now.
And the athletes?
During his trip, Baker spent time with Washington State athletes, including football player Ron Stone Jr. They talked about the impact of realignment.
“It’s just going to cause a lot of panic,” Stone told USA TODAY Sports. “A lot of people sign up to play Power Five Pac-12 football or any other sport and dreamed of playing in the Pac-12 and at the Power Five level. For many people, this has changed dramatically.
Stone is also aware of the risk of a mass exodus to Washington State in this new era of college sports. Since 2021, players are allowed to freely transfer to other schools. They can also now earn money through their names, images and likenesses (NIL), particularly in large television markets for teams hosting games on television. Why should Washington State athletes remain in limbo if they can make more money and play in a stable league elsewhere?
“It’s a lot of confusion and uncertainty for people,” said Stone, a Washington state official. “And uncertainty creates a lot of doubt. This is one of the biggest things we’ve talked about… When you combine the transfer portal and NIL with a situation like this, it has a major effect on what can happen in the future for many student-athletes here.
When asked if his teammates were considering a transfer, he replied: “Absolutely. I think people are just going to transfer in general. I think the transfer portal will be full every year at the end of every season just because of NIL.
Will they really be the Pac-2 Conference?
Yes, for now, and that’s part of the plan, Chun said. NCAA rules in the Football Bowl Subdivision allow a two-year grace period for schools in a league that has fallen below the eight-member minimum. When asked what the current goal was, Chun replied: “Give us as much time and options as possible, which would be two years at most.”
He said this period is beneficial because major college football remains unstable and could realign again within two years in ways that are impossible to predict today. That could mean Washington State ending up in another league or working with Oregon State to build a new sort of Pac-12 with the Mountain West.
Washington State and Oregon State won a key court decision recently when a state court judge gave them control of the Pac-12 board despite opposition from the 10 outgoing members. The state Supreme Court has since stayed that decision, but Chun called the decision a “half step forward.”
Taking control of the league means taking control of its assets and liabilities. After the other ten leave, that also means taking control of about $150 million in revenue, by Chun’s estimate. This will help close the gap over the next two years in a Pac-2.
What can the NCAA do?
Arguably the Pac-12 disbanded and essentially orphaned two schools because college football there is no one in charge ensure the general and national interest of sport. In a perfect world, someone like Baker could step in as college football commissioner and prevent what happened to the Pac-2.
However, it doesn’t work that way, largely because of a 1984 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that dissolved the NCAA. centralized power over television. “The Supreme Court ruled on this in 1984 and said they wanted this to be done at the conference level and not at the national level,” Baker said.
But Baker can pull the levers of power elsewhere – in Washington, DC. One of the reasons he was hired was to make his voice heard by Congress as the NCAA seeks legislative help on various fronts in a turbulent era in college sports, including seeking legislative help. national standards for NIL.
“The challenge on some of these issues is that it would be very difficult to do without some sort of congressional decision on this,” he said.
In the meantime, he can survey the rubble of realignment and listen to the fallout. And try to help. Either way.
“We’re going to try to be as flexible as possible,” Baker said.
“Terrible for student-athletes”
If it were up to Stone, the footballer, he knows what he would do.
“If I had my way, there would be no realignment,” Stone said. “Simply because it’s such a historic conference, with so many traditions and rivalries between different teams.”
He cites the departure of Cal and Stanford in the Atlantic Coast Conference for exemple. Next season, one or the other will play at Florida State, Syracuse, North Carolina State, Clemson, Pitt and Wake Forest. These games replace the easy trips they took in the Pac-12 to Los Angeles, Phoenix and other regional airports.
“It’s terrible for student-athletes,” Stone said. “You are making it very difficult for student-athletes to become students. »
Follow journalist Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: [email protected]
