Mountain West Leaning Towards Folding Under PAC-12 Banner: REPORT

The Mountain West reportedly would like to fold under the PAC-12 banner with Oregon State and Washington State.

OSU and WSU are currently trying to get their futures figured out after the PAC-12's collapse. They're the only two programs without landing spots as of right now.

The most likely outcome is some kind of agreement with the MWC. Does that mean OSU and WSU join the MWC or do teams in the Mountain West move under the PAC-12 banner?

The latter option appears to be what MWC officials and programs would like to do, according to Front Office Sports.

An unnamed source told FOS that "the most commonly discussed idea is a reverse merger with Oregon State and Washington State" that would result in the new conference being named the PAC-12.

Washington State and Oregon State are looking for landing spots after the PAC-12's collapse. Could the Mountain West Conference be an option? (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Will the Mountain West Conference fold under the PAC-12 banner?

However, it technically might not be the PAC-12 as it's known today for several reasons. The biggest issues are figuring out how the MWC could obtain the PAC-12's intellectual property. FOS describes that process as "difficult, but not impossible."

The other major issue at play is Oregon State and Washington State stand to take the PAC-12's emergency fund. Will the programs give that up or split it with MWC members? Almost certainly not.

Will the Mountain West merge with Washington State and Oregon State? (Photo by Brian Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

FOS also reported George Kliavkoff isn't involved at all with the Beavers and Cougars as they plot future moves.

If the MWC merges with OSU and WSU under a new PAC-12 banner, the next hurdle would be a TV deal. The conference's current one pays members roughly $4 million annually. Adding Oregon State and Washington State won't boost the conference's value much, if at all. That means the Beavers and Cougars will start taking significantly smaller checks starting in 2024.

What will Washington State do following the PAC-12's collapse? (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

The good news is this situation has to be resolved before next summer. In reality, it probably has to be resolved before 2024. That means fans won't have to wait long to see how everything shakes out. Make sure to check back to OutKick for any updates as we might have them.