SPOKANE, Wash. — The future of the Pacific-12 (PAC-12) Conference remains uncertain after the University of Colorado announced their departure from the conference, and Washington State University (WSU) fans are worried the Cougars might be headed in the same direction.
WSU is one of the oldest members in the conference, joining back in 1917. With the changes the PAC-12 conference is going through, however, some fans are worried other schools might leave.
"We're just going to have lower level talent teams coming in and replacing these teams right now," said Jeff Fiebelkorn, a die-hard WSU sports fan.
Fiebelkorn is worried if teams leave, WSU is not going to get the nationwide attention or funding it deserves.
"There's not going to be as much TV exposure," Fiebelkorn said. "You're not going to see them facing these big schools on Saturdays, any SEC schools, the BIG 12, the BIG 10."
One PAC-12 analyst says this might not be the case. It could actually could go in WSU's favor.
"If the league is able to stay together, Washington State will have an opportunity to try to move themselves up and get closer to being a conference contender," said Spencer McLaughlin, a PAC-12 analyst.
McLaughlin leads a podcast on LockedOn Sports about the PAC-12. McLaughlin believes Colorado's announcement adds to the conference's bumpy future.
"Everything that we keep hearing from the PAC-12 messaging wise, everything that continues to be said, we just go in a completely different direction," he said.
KREM 2 reached out to WSU for comment but they directed us to a statement from the PAC-12 that says in part, "We are focused on concluding our media rights deal and securing our continued success and growth."
No teams will leave the conference until the 2024-2025 season. Washington State has their first football game of this upcoming season on September 2nd against Colorado State.
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