AAC Announces Decision On Oregon State, Washington State

Oregon State and Washington State won't be joining the AAC.

Stanford, Cal and SMU are heading to the ACC after weeks of deliberations, and that means the PAC-12 (what are we officially calling it now?) will only have Oregon State and Washington State left starting next summer.

There have been two main options on the table: Some kind of deal with the AAC or MWC.

Now, one of those options is officially off the table. AAC commissioner Mike Aresco officially announced the Cougars and Beavers don't have spots waiting in the AAC for them.

The AAC rules out adding Oregon State or Washington State. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

AAC shuts the door on Oregon State and Washington State.

"We have known that today's move was a possibility, which has allowed us time to investigate a number of options, including considerations of the larger group of institutions in the Pacific time zone. We have concluded, however, that the best way to proceed for our outstanding student-athletes is to not look westward," Aresco announced Friday morning.

You can read the full statement from Aresco reacting to SMU's exit below.

What happens next for the Beavers and Cougars?

The biggest question now for the last two PAC-12 programs is where do they go from here. The MWC always felt like a natural fit, and that's almost certainly going to be how this saga ends.

However, it's not that simple. Will OSU and WSU join the MWC or will the entire MWC attempt to fold under the PAC banner?

The PAC-12 is still technically a P5 conference on paper.....for now. That won't be the case by this time next summer.

The Washington State Cougars won't join the AAC. (Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

That means there will be some kind of merger or Oregon State and Washington State will join under the Mountain West banner.

From a leverage perspective, the MWC has all of it and the final two members of the PAC-12 have none of it. The Mountain West Conference has a TV deal and stability. The PAC-12 has neither, and we all just watched the circus that was the pursuit of a new deal play out over the past year. It was a disaster.

There's nothing to indicate a merger under the PAC banner will be any different.

Will Oregon State and Washington State join the MWC? (Photo by Brian Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

For now, there's a bit more clarity for the AAC, Oregon State, Washington State and the MWC. Now, it's time to find out how this all gets tied up in the end.