2 Pac-12 teams to get a grace period until the summer of 2026 in hopes of reviving the soon-to-be late Power Five conference: Reports

Although the Pac-12's future in college sports remains uncertain, the conference has secured its existence for the next two seasons until the summer of 2026. This comes as a result of the two-year grace period provided by the NCAA to meet the membership requirements.

The two remaining teams in the conference, Oregon State and Washington State, haven't hidden their intention of rebuilding the league following a mass exodus during the offseason. The two universities are currently considering operating a two-member conference in 2024.

According to journalism professor at Murrow College and WSU Athletic Advisory Committee member Matt Loveless, the idea of a two-team conference is currently being discussed. However, it's worth noting that the threshold for gaining access to championships is higher.

"On the idea of operating as a 2-team conference: The NCAA confirmed WSU/OSU are allowed that grace period to be a two-team "Pac-12" until summer of 2026. The threshold for championship access, however, is higher," he tweeted.

In the case of basketball, it typically requires a conference to have at least 6 teams, while for non-basketball sports, 5 teams may be the requirement. Access to championships is a crucial factor for Washington State and Oregon State, which will make them explore some options.

What are the options available to Oregon State and Washington State?

According to Loveless, there are two potential options to address the issue. The first one is seeking a waiver from the NCAA, which involves presenting a case that the minimum threshold issue was beyond their control and demanding an exception from the threshold rule.

The second option is operating an affiliate membership, which involves participating in league play in other conferences on a sport-by-sport basis. This will be something similar to the "Notre Dame model." The Pac-12 is expected to seek an affiliate with Group of Five conferences.

Affiliate membership provides the advantage of having a complete regular season schedule of conference play and access to conference championships, including the conference's automatic qualifying status. However, it's important to note that in many cases, affiliate members may not have voting rights on the conference's advisory board.

How will the Pac-12 address its future ahead of 2026?

To ensure survival, the Pac-12 has to be in shape before the two-year grace period elapses in 2026. One option for the conference is to embark on an expansion process, by adding teams from the Group of Five leagues in the next two collegiate athletic seasons.

With the grace period in place, the Pac-12 does not need to rush into forming an alliance with the Mountain West Conference or the American Athletic Conference. Evidently, the expansion will cause another shakeup in the landscape of college sports.