Oregon State, Washington State now in full control of Pac-12
The two remaining Pac-12 schools – Oregon State and Washington State – scored a huge win in the courtroom Friday, thus giving them full control of the crumbled league and its assets.
The Washington Supreme Court denied the request by the Pac-12 Conference’s 10 departing schools to review a lower court’s ruling in the legal battle pitting Oregon State and Washington State against its own league.
What was at stake in Friday’s decision by the Washington Supreme Court was whether the stay would be lifted and the preliminary injunction that a Whitman County Super Court granted in November should take effect. By declining to review the case, the preliminary injunction is now in effect, and the so-called Pac-2 can chart a course forward for the Conference of Champions.
Oregon State and Washington State issued a joint statement that read: “We are pleased with the Washington Supreme Court’s decision today. We look forward to continuing our work of charting a path forward for the conference that is in the best interest of student-athletes and our wider university communities.”
This consequential development in what has been a protracted, contentious battle between the 10 departing schools and the remaining two schools throughout the fall. At the heart of the legal clash is which schools have voting power to determine the future of the league and control over a trove of lucrative assets, including some $60 million in NCAA tournament units.
The ruling comes just days after Pac-12 insider Jon Wilner reported that the Pac-2 blocked a roughly $61 million revenue distribution that would have provided each team $5 million. League assets for the 2023-24 year alone are valued at more than $400 million.
After Whitman County Superior Court Judge Gary Libey’s November ruling, the 10 departing schools asked the Washington Supreme Court to review the decision. The court on Nov. 16 issued a stay, which reinstated the temporary restraining order that was put into effect earlier in the fall. The TRO required league decisions to be made by all schools.
As the legal battle over control of the Pac-12 continues, OSU and WSU have finalized a football scheduling agreement with the Mountain West Conference for 2024. Additionally, OSU will continue to play rival Oregon in 2024 and 2025, and WSU will continue to play rival Washington through 2028.
Long term, the Pac-2’s conference affiliation remains an open question. But both OSU and WSU have repeatedly signaled that they would like to undertake the formidable task of trying to rebuild the Pac-12.