The Pac-12 is currently in absolute shambles as eight universities have left the conference this summer. Washington State is one of the four remaining Pac-12 schools, and president Kirk Schulz opened up on the difficulty of dealing with this entire saga, reports ESPN's Pete Thamel.
“It's like a breakup; it's awkward. No one wants to sit there for too long.”
Kirk Schulz stresses that all options are on the table now as he and the Washington State administration considers what is best for the future of their athletics programs. In general, Schulz believes that the conference realignment that is happening across the country is bad for collegiate athletics.
“College athletics is at its worst with this realignment stuff. Everyone is truly looking out for themselves. What it also does is changes behavior and people stop being honest with each other.”
Although Schulz is not a fan of what is happening in college sports, there is no doubt that he and WSU have to recognize the reality of the situation. They are joined by Oregon State, California and Stanford as the four remaining Pac-12 schools, although it is uncertain how much longer the Pac-12 will even be a conference for.
UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington will be joining the Big Ten for the 2024 seasons, while Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, and Colorado are set for the Big 12. Eight programs out the door leaves administratives like Kirk Schulz wondering what could possibly be next for schools like Washington State. Stay tuned into more updates regarding the continued downfall of the premiere conference on the West Coast of the United States from over the last century.