Pac-12 implosion imminent as Washington State and Oregon State attract MWC's interests in the latest conference realignment wave

The Pac-12 implosion over the last 18 months has revealed the inability of the conference leaders to stabilize the league. They will have lost 10 of the 12 teams currently with the conference this season once the media deal expires on July 1, 2024. With just the Oregon State Beavers and Washington State Huskies remaining, the two need to figure out their future.

College football insider Jason Scheer posted about the Mountain West getting closer to adding some teams from the Pac-12 implosion.

"Momentum increasing for Oregon State and Washington State joining the Mountain West sooner than later."

The Pac-12 implosion could benefit the Mountain West Conference as they can expand their brand with a pair of Power Five teams going forward.

What does the Pac-12 implosion mean for the Mountain West?

The Pac-12 implosion has a major ripple effect on college athletics. It proves that collegiate athletics on the West Coast is difficult to excel with so much going on. It highlights the lack of leadership to continue one of the most popular conferences in the country.

However, this situation can be used to Mountain West Conference Commissioner Gloria Nevarez's advantage as she potentially can scoop up a pair of programs to grow the MWC.

In an interview by Eric Prisbell on On3, she responded to whether there is a path towards becoming a Power Five Conference:

"That's an interesting question because there are three different categories. Autonomy, CFP (College Football Playoff), and FBS. Autonomy is just the ability to vote on different languages. The real key piece here, where the revenue is - it is CFP status. And the CFP is a separate corporation governed by the Board. ... But the way the votes are weighted right now, it would be an uphill battle." H/t On3

The Pac-12 implosion provides the Group of Five conference with a chance to to become a West Coast representative. Every other part of the United States has a conference representing it, save the West Coast and the MWC. Although this would be viewed as the weakest Power Five conference, it could grow into something special.