The unique scheduling agreement between the MW and the Pac-12 wasn’t renewed. How will that affect the Aggies?

The unique football scheduling agreement between the Pac-12 or rather what’s left of it (Oregon State and Washington State) and the Mountain West will end after this season.
The deadline for a one-year renewal of the agreement — which has MW teams lose a conference game this year in favor of a matchup with either Oregon State or Washington State — came and went on Sept. 1, according to multiple reports.
The MW, in a statement to the Associated Press, said, “for the 2025 season, the Mountain West and its member institutions are moving forward with their conference and nonconference schedules.”
Per The Athletic, the move wasn’t a surprising one, as the two conferences had grown distant of late.
The biggest reason, writes Chris Vannini, is money.
“Oregon State and Washington State would rather not pay so much for six combined home games,” Vannini writes. “The $14 million this year comes out to $2.3 million per home game, which is above the going rate for a nonconference home game. But it’s $1.16 million for each total game, home or away, if you prefer to count that way, at a time when OSU and WSU need games and there are limited options.”
Going forward, OSU and WSU will have to find ways to fill out their schedules, an approach that will likely include scheduling independents — the few that remain at the FBS level — working with former Pac-12 members, many of whom has holes to fill in their nonconference schedules, or dealing with MW schools on an individual basis.
AP’s Ralph Russo made note of the fact that the scheduling agreement between the Pac-2 and the MW included “millions of dollars in extra fees over the next two years if Oregon State and Washington State tries to add MW schools to the Pac-12.”
Leaders at both Oregon State and Washington State have stated on multiple occasions a desire to rebuild the Pac-12, but any attempt to add MW schools would cost a pretty penny for the Pac-12, if it were to happen in 2024 or 2025.
Currently, the MW is the more stable of the two conferences, by far, and per Chris Murray of Nevada Sports Net, as long as MW schools stick together the conference will likely survive, possibly even adding OSU and WSU if/when their attempts to revive the Pac-12 fall short.
“While San Diego State, Boise State, Colorado State and others in the conference have shown major interest in leaving the MW in years past, the league’s contracts and bylaws will make that difficult shy of a three-quarters vote to dissolve the conference,” Murray writes. “That remains the most dangerous outcome for some MW members as nine of the 12 football members could vote to leave the unlucky three behind while recreating a new Pac-12 with Oregon State or Washington State. Short of that, the MW continues to have the leverage despite the scheduling alliance being a one-year pact rather than the two many envisioned when first hatched.”
How does any of this affect Utah State?
Outside of nine MW schools abandoning the league in favor the Pac-12 brand (in that event, which nine teams would go to the Pac-12 and which would be left behind in the MW is a matter of debate), it is all about future nonconference schedules.
This season, the Aggies play at Washington State as part of the scheduling agreement with the Pac-12, an agreement touted to give MW schools more difficult schedules that could, in theory, impress of the College Football Playoff committee.
In 2025, per FBS schedules, the Aggies are full up with nonconference games against UTEP, Texas A&M, James Madison and McNeese State.
From there, there are openings in Utah State’s nonconference schedule, openings that could now be filled by either the Beavers or the Cougars.
In 2026, USU has only two nonconference games currently lined up — Idaho State and Utah.
In 2027, the Aggies will play both Oklahoma and Oregon and in 2028 USU has UTEP, Oregon and Temple lined up.
Of course those game could all go out the window depending on what happens with future conference realignment.
As things currently stand though, with the death of the Pac-12/MW scheduling agreement, things seems stable enough for Utah State and the MW.
“The Mountain West’s perspective is that it can take or leave a deal,” Vannini writes. “Without one, it can go back to eight conference games — something its coaches would prefer because of the unbalanced 4/3 home or away league schedule for 2024. It feels it has the leverage. No deal, however, would take away from the G5-leading “Power 5″ matchups talking point in 2025, a case the league has made this season for its strength of schedule.”