Oregon State and Washington State have reached an agreement in principle with the 10 departing Pac-12 schools on revenue distribution for 2023-24, ending a legal battle over control of the conference.
The agreement among the 12 schools comes after the Washington Supreme Court declined to review a lower court decision that granted control of the Pac-12 board of directors to the two remaining schools.
As part of the agreement, the 10 departing schools will forfeit an undisclosed portion of revenue distributions over the rest of the 2023-24 school year and have provided “specific guarantees against potential future liabilities,” per ESPN.
“In September, as the two remaining members of the Pac-12 Conference, Oregon State University and Washington State University were forced to act swiftly to protect the future viability of the Pac-12. Thanks to the determination and strength of Beaver Nation and Cougar Nation and the excellence of our student-athletes, coaches and staff, we are now closer to achieving our goal,” OSU president Jayathi Murthy and WSU president Kirk Schultz said in a joint statement. “Today’s news marks a huge victory for our universities and a significant step toward stabilizing the Pac-12 Conference and preserving its 108-year legacy.”
The Pac-12 will retain all its assets and future revenues, the presidents said.
The agreement allows all the schools to move forward, and give Oregon State and Washington State a clearer financial picture as they try to rebuild the Pac-12.
In another statement, the departing schools said they will work out the final details in the coming days.
“For now, we are grateful to resolve this dispute and look forward to competing against each other over the next several months in the Pac-12,” their statement said.
Meantime, Oregon State and Washington State announced a scheduling alliance with the Mountain West Conference to play six MWC opponents in football during the 2024 season. The schools are also close to finalizing an affiliate agreement with the West Coast Conference to host most of its other sports, most notably men’s and women’s basketball, ESPN reported.
In September, Washington State and Oregon State sued the Pac-12 and commissioner George Kliavkoff over control of the conference and more than $400 million in revenue generated in the 2023-24 school year. At issue is whether the 10 schools leaving the Pac-12 for other conferences should have a say in how the conference operates — or what happens to its assets.
Whitman County (Washington) Superior Court Judge Gary Libey issued an injunction prohibiting the conference and its board of directors from recognizing any schools other than Washington State and Oregon State. The University of Washington on behalf of the 10 departing schools appealed the ruling to the Washington Supreme Court.
In declining to review the case, the court left Washington State and Oregon State in control of the conference’s governing board.