Oregon State AD Says Relegation Model for College Football 'Worthy of Our Study'

Oregon State is open to the possibility of a conference with a relegation model.

The university has been left in the dust alongside Washington State as a result of the mass exodus from the Pac-12 Conference. The conference is set to have just those two teams in 2024, with four schools leaving for the Big Ten, four leaving for the Big 12 and two leaving for the ACC.

As the two remaining schools look to secure a future, the idea of a merger with the Mountain West Conference and perhaps other Group of Five conferences to form a system involving relegation has come to the table. Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes said that his school is interested in the idea.

"As you think about the future of even media rights, I think a sort of relegation model, either in unequal distribution, a contraction of teams and/or peer relegation will take place. I think that's coming," Barnes said in a joint news conference with presidents and athletic directors from OSU and WSU on Thursday. "In terms of the model itself, I think there's some merit to look at some form of hybrid model that does support that. We see it working in a similar fashion in Europe, and certainly it's worthy of our study."

This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.

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