Pac-12 relegation model might open doors for MWC to collaborate amid merger reports in CFB conference realignments

The Pac-12 Conference does not have a bright future right now, as they only have two programs after July 1, 2024.

The Washington State Cougars and Oregon State Beavers are looking to keep the conference alive. There's an interesting scenario that could happen with a merger between them and the Mountain West Conference.

Just like European soccer leagues, the Pac-12 could be looking into a relegation model where teams begin to cycle in and out depending on the production of each program.

That could be a difficult thing to navigate considering how schedules are created, but let's dive into some models they could use to get going and use that to the advantage of leveraging the Pac-12 Conference.

Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes discussed the potential of this model in a joint press release.

"As you think about the fuutre of even media rights, I think a sort of relegation model, either in unequal distribution, a contraction of teams and/or peer relegation will take place. I think it's coming.

"In terms of the model itself, I think there's some merit to look at some form of hybrid model that does support that. We see it working in a similar fashion in Europe, and certainly it's worthy of our study."

That could be something worth discussing for the Conference of Champions, so let's take a deeper dive into how this model would go.

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How would the Pac-12 look with a relegation system?

The Pac-12 Conference has an interesting situation and a merger with the Mountain West Conference that could involve a relegation model.

The Mountain West has 12 members, or 14 with Oregon State and Washington State included. If they agree this type of model, having a relegation system where they have the bottom two teams "out" of the conference for a season would be interesting.

The revenue model would also be interesting, as they could agree to a merger and have different distribution levels for teams in the conference and outside. All 14 teams would remain in the conference in terms of revenue and distribution, but the levels would be different.

That gives the Pac-12 leverage to be at the forefront of a new wave of college football. It could also entice other programs to join and use the Mountain West name for the secondary conference if they have enough teams to have a secondary conference.