WSU and OSU seek PAC-12 board control

COLFAX — Following a two-and-a-half hour hearing in Colfax at the Whitman County Courthouse, Judge Gary Libey granted the request of Washington State University (WSU) and Oregon State University (OSU), control of the Pac-12’s governing board and power.

The case was on Tuesday, Nov. 14.

“We are pleased with the court’s common-sense decision today. It has always been our view that the future of the Pac-12 should be determined by the remaining members, not by those schools that are leaving the conference,” said WSU President Kirk Schulz and Director of Athletics Pat Chun in a joint statement following the hearing.

This decision came around two months after WSU and OSU were granted a temporary restraining order from Libey in the same courthouse. The restraining order was to prevent the Pac-12 commissioner, George Kliavkoff, from calling Pac-12 board meetings.

In the hearing on Tuesday, Nov. 14, Libey heard hearings from WSU, OSU and the University of Washington (UW).

UW was acting on behalf of the nine other schools who have motioned to leave the Pac-12 conference after the 2023-24 school year.

The 10 schools leaving the Pac-12 are: Stanford and the University of California, University of Southern California (USC), University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), University of Utah, University of Colorado, Arizona State University (ASU), the University of Arizona, and the University of Oregon.

WSU and OSU argued that the 10 departing schools should immediately surrender their seat on the conference board upon announcing their association with other conferences, as written in the conference bylaws.

These bylaws came into effect for both USC and UCLA. The schools both announced their departures from the Pac-12 in the summer of 2022, and have not had a seat in the conference board since. This was also the case when Colorado announced their departure in early 2023.

After the other seven schools announced their departures, they all argued they still deserved a seat on the board until they leave the conference.

“We are disappointed with the decision and are immediately seeking review in the Washington Supreme Court and requesting to put on hold implementation of this decision,” the 10 departing schools said in a joint statement following the hearing.

One day after the ruling, the Washington State Supreme Court issued a temporary stay of the injunction.

In short, the stay insures WSU and OSU will not take control of the board beginning on Monday, Nov. 20.

The state Supreme Court asked parties to file briefs regarding UW’s emergency stay request by Nov. 28, and a reply by Dec. 8.

However, the state Supreme Court is yet to decide if they will take the appeal filed by UW.

“The departing schools are only delaying the inevitable because the superior court clearly got it right: Under the bylaws, the Conference’s future must be decided by the schools that stay, not those that are leaving,” WSU and OSU said in a joint statement.

Amongst uncertainty of where WSU and OSU will be in the next two years in terms of conference, the schools are working hard coming up with football schedules for the next season.

To the surprise of some, WSU and UW have agreed on a five-year deal to continue their long-standing tradition of the Apple Cup football game.

Until last week, many thought the upcoming Apple Cup game on Saturday, Nov. 25, would be the last time the two schools played in football, as UW is set to leave the Pac-12 for the Big-10 conference in 2024.

On Sunday, Nov. 19, the two Washington schools announced they will continue the tradition for five more years.

After the game on Saturday, Nov. 25, in Seattle, the teams will play in 2024 at Lumen Field in Seattle, home of the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Sounders. This game will be played on Sept. 14, where both teams have an opening in their 2024 schedule.

In 2025 and 2027 the Apple Cup will be played in Pullman, and 2026 and 2028 will be played at Husky Stadium.

“The Apple Cup is one of the oldest and most renowned rivalries in all of collegiate athletics. We are pleased that we will be able to continue this beloved tradition for future generations of Coug fans,” said Schulz about the Apple Cup and wanting to continue the tradition of the game.