Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes believes the Pac-12 can be restored despite the latest rounds of conference realignment dismantling the league in recent weeks.
As it stands currently, the league will have four teams heading into the 2024 season—Oregon State, Washington State, Cal and Stanford—after Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah elected to move to the Big 12 while Washington and Oregon opted to join the Big Ten. USC and UCLA were already previously scheduled to join the Big Ten.
Despite the seismic changes to the conference, Barnes told The Athletic in a Q&A that Oregon State’s “priority” and “best option” is to rebuild the league.
“That’s certainly our goal,” Barnes, who said previously he was “furious” after the departures of Washington and Oregon, said. “I have been personally in touch with the other schools to ensure that we’re talking and meeting and moving the ball up the field. … They’re [the remaining schools] not entirely clear yet, but we’re getting there. …I’m hopeful that we’ll understand that soon, very soon. …We think it’s in the best interest of our student athletes and our fans to build back the Pac-12.”
While Barnes remains optimistic, he believes the Pac-12’s restoration starts with getting leadership in one accord, something he felt was clearly absent previously.
“I don’t think Pac-12 leadership was in touch with how folks felt,” Barnes said. “Look, we can talk about the pause and waiting later to do a [media rights] deal… but, ultimately, you need to be in tune with your members and understand the landscape very, very well. …I don’t think that work got done, in my opinion.
“…I think that’s something that we’ve got to decide on – the role of Pac 12 leadership. That’s something that needs to be determined in terms of this final year.”
