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.”