The Pac-12 Conference has been dealing with a bevy of issues in the last 18 months but nothing potentially quite as damning as this. The Oregon State Beavers and Washington State Cougars have reportedly filed a complaint against the Pac-12 and commissioner George Kliavkoff.
The two programs are the remaining members of the conference that have not announced a departure from the Pac-12 and want to retain their rights. The following is a snippet from the filing:
Defendants’ actions have left Plantiffs with no choice but to bring this emergency temporary restraining order to preserve the status quo until a hearing can be had on a preliminary injunction. Plaintiffs are willing to schedule a prompt preliminary injunction hearing and conduct and conduct any needed discovery on an expedited basis.
The conference has seen 10 of the 12 members announce their departure within the previous 18 months. Oregon State and Washington State feel they should control the league’s Board of Directors as they are the only remaining teams once the college football season ends.
What is next for the Pac-12 Conference?
The Pac-12 Conference is one of the most recognizable brands in college athletics, and if Oregon State and Washington State control it, the brand lives. The biggest issue seems to be the distribution of the remaining assets. In the filing, it is stated the conference ended the 2022 fiscal year with $42.7 million in assets before including the equity from the Pac-12 Networks.
The CAA has a rule that any members who have publicly announced they’re leaving are ineligible for conference tournaments and championships. If able to gain voting rights, Oregon State/Wazzu could simply declare themselves the 2023 Pac-12 Championship Game participants. https://t.co/o2UfzRg8gi
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The Conference of Champions is also expecting a $50.2 million payout from the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament as well as shares from the College Football Playoff and Bowl contracts. The brand still could provide a ton of value to another conference wanting to take the next step, as it is possible a Group of Five conference uses it to step up in value.
The Pac-12 has some options for who will be the new commissioner if they get ahold of the control, as George Kliavkoff is not going to be sticking around. One name that should be considered actually works for the conference now in consultant Oliver Luck. He has a history with the conference as well as leading successful organizations, so he should be able to do well in that role if offered.