Oregon State AD 'furious' as Pac-12 was 'literally hours' away from staying intact
The fall of the Pac-12 happened quickly.
While rumors swirled about the conference’s viability for weeks, it appeared for a brief time on Friday that the nine remaining teams in the Pac-12 were going to stick together when they met to review the latest media rights proposal.
Instead, Oregon and Washington are off to the Big Ten while Arizona, Arizona State and Utah are joining Colorado in the Big 12.
The departures of the five schools leaves just Cal, Stanford, Oregon State and Washington State remaining in what’s left of the conference after the 2023-24 sports seasons. And according to Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes, the conference was “hours” from agreeing to the proposal.
“We were literally hours away from a deal that everybody could embrace,” Barnes told the Oregonian.
Instead, Oregon and Washington opted for reduced payouts from the Big Ten to join what’s now an 18-team super conference that spans from Seattle to Piscataway, New Jersey. Both Oregon and Washington said in their Big Ten announcements that they were committed to keeping their annual rivalry games with their in-state rivals going. But that’s likely of little solace to Barnes and Oregon State fans at the moment.
Barnes said that he was "furious" by the moves.
“I’ve never seen so many last-minute decisions and twists and turns as I’ve seen through this process,” he said to the newspaper. “Conference realignment just doesn’t make sense anymore. What this enterprise was built on was regionality and rivalries. That is gone. That is leaving the Pac-12. Some of the most special pieces about our model is regionality of competition and rivalries. Those things are forgotten.”
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In a statement shortly after it became very clear that the Ducks and Huskies were joining USC and UCLA in the Pac-12 next season, Washington State said in a statement that it was “disappointed” in decisions by teams in the conference to leave.
“We are disappointed with the recent decisions by some of our Pac-12 peers,” president Kirk Schulz and athletic director Pat Chun said in a statement. “While we had hoped that our membership would remain together, this outcome was always a possibility and we have been working diligently to determine what is next for Washington State athletics. We’ve prepared for numerous scenarios, including our current situation. With exceptional student-athletes, a strong Cougar tradition and incredible support from our fans, donors and alumni, we will chart the best path forward together.
Where do Cal, Oregon State, Stanford and Washington State go from here?
The best path forward for the four remaining schools could be the same for everyone or diverge in any number of ways. They could join forces with the Mountain West. They could go their separate ways. Maybe a school like Cal or Stanford explores life as an independent.
Stanford said in a statement after Oregon and Washington officially left the conference that its “primary focus at this time is analyzing the available options and making the best decisions for Stanford and our student-athletes. We remain optimistic about Stanford’s athletics future and remain committed to pursuing excellence in college athletics.”
Cal said it was “not watching and waiting from the sidelines.” But no matter what happens, don’t expect the futures of the final four schools to be decided as quickly as the futures for Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, Utah and Washington were on Friday.
“Together, [chancellor Carol Christ and athletic director Jim Knowlton] are evaluating a variety of options that will ensure our student-athletes can continue to thrive and that our intercollegiate athletics program can continue to excel in a manner consistent with our institutional values,” a Cal statement said.
