PULLMAN, Wash. — The tension is still evident at the Washington State University Athletic Department after the University of Washington announced last week that it would be going to the Big 10.
The move has left WSU in what remains of the Pac-12, painting an uncertain future for their relationship with their biggest in-state rival. And the school’s athletic director Pat Chun did not mince words when talking about the impact on the Cougs.
“The reality is the decision by one school in our state negatively impacts the school in the other part of the state, and that’s just the reality of what happened last Friday,” he told KIRO 7, describing the conversation UW had with him prior to their decision to leave the Pac-12 as “brief.”
That said, Chun also noted that his job “isn’t to sit here and well on what just happened.”
“It’s to ensure we have the best path moving forward,” he clarified.
One thing that remains uncertain now is the fate of the Apple Cup. Both schools have expressed interest in finding a solution that keeps the beloved cross-state rivalry game going, but no solid plans have surfaced as of yet.
Interestingly enough, there was a legislative attempt earlier this year by state Sen. Drew MacEwen that sought to ensure UW and WSU stayed in the same conference. At the time, it was dismissed as a “non-issue” by both schools, who intimated that they thought it would be a distraction.
Ultimately, the bill never made it out of its first committee conversation.
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