Oregon State and Wazzu could have a Power 4 home in either the Big 12 or the ACC, if the conference survives the ongoing lawsuits with FSU and Clemson, according to longtime college football radio host Greg Swaim.
"Wazzu and the Beavers do have a great shot to get back into a power conference, if either none of the ACC teams are able to get out, and then the Big 12 invites the pair," Swaim wrote. "Of course if the ACC loses two or more teams, they may well be making a call to Pullman and Corvallis."
Swaim first floated the idea of the Big 12 extending an invite to the Beavers and Cougars back on May 2. The Big 12 is home to four Pac-12 teams from a year ago and, unlike the Big 10, doesn't have any AAU accreditation requirements.
With that said, the Big 12 may be preoccupied with raising the money necessary to convince FSU, Clemson, and perhaps four other ACC schools, to join the conference; opening the door for an ACC jump.
Oregon State and Wazzu part of ACC contingency plan in case it loses major members
The ACC has a problem: FSU and Clemson, along with a handful of schools that the Big 12 will be circling like sharks, make most of the money for the conference. If those schools leave, there will be a dramatic re-imagining of the conference.
The ACC could counter this by furthering itself as a national brand and adding Oregon State and Wazzu. Luckily, it appears that this is on the table. PressBox DC's Jim Williams tabbed the Beavs and Cougs, plus Memphis, Tulane, UConn, and USF, as potential contingency plan replacements.
The Pac-2 may not be long for this world. Oregon State and Wazzu are somewhat hot commodities in this era of mass realignment, and at least two conferences have their eyes on them.