How much will Oregon State and Washington State earn if they join MWC in the latest conference realignment wave?

The Oregon State Beavers and the Washington State Cougars are looking for their new home as the Pac-12 implodes. They are the final two teams that have not officially left the Conference of Champions, and their current media rights expire on July 1, 2024.

Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez attended Washington State's game in Week 1. However, in a move to MWC, the Beavers and the Cougars will see a significant decrease in media rights revenue.

The MWC is in a six-year contract with CBS Sports and FOX Sports, signed in 2020 for $270 million. That equates to about $4 million annually for each program, and with the addition of two programs, it will be interesting to see what the numbers become, as it should increase revenues a bit.

It seems as if the idea of where these teams will end up will be figured out soon, as Oregon State President Jayathi Murphy hoped. Her mindset was to retain the Pac-12 brand.

"We continue to look for options that work for us, where the needs of our students-athletes are taken care of, where our athletic and academic values align, and where we can play at the national level and be visible. But jumping from a conference was never the first option; making the conference work is always where my heart and my mind lay. And I'm sorry that a top-20 football team ends up where we are because of the fouc on media rights and media valuations." H/t ESPN

Is Washington State and Oregon State the best fit for the Mountain West Conference?

Right now, most of the notable schools have already found a home to a new conference for the 2024 season. With Stanford, SMU, and California officially joining the Atlantic Coast Conference last week, there is still time for Washington State and Oregon State to join a conference.

MWC seems to be a great fit because, unlike the trio of schools, the Beavers and Cougars may not want to hold money for several years. Despite being talented enough to be a Power Five program after Oregon State was ranked 16th in the most recent AP Poll, there may not be enough space to add them.

This will be interesting as the money would decrease significantly and boost the Mountain West as a legitimate college football power. They would become the big fish in a small pond.