Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff speaks during the Pac-12 Conference NCAA college football Media Day Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
The Pac-12’s future remained in doubt Friday as the university presidents met remotely but were unable to agree on a media rights contract, extending an existential crisis that enveloped the conference 13 months ago.
Commissioner George Kliavkoff faced a series of obstacles as he tried to salvage the 108-year-old league, the most serious being the Big Ten’s sudden pursuit of Oregon and Washington.
The conference that raided the Pac-12 last summer, grabbing USC and UCLA, showed no interest in additional West Coast expansion until this week.
The Big Ten presidents are scheduled to meet this morning to discuss membership invitations for the Pacific Northwest duo, according to the Associated Press.
If the Ducks and Huskies depart, the Four Corners schools (Arizona, ASU and Utah) are expected to accept invitations from the Big 12.
That would leave Stanford, Cal, Oregon State and Washington State to rebuild the gutted conference or find another home, perhaps in the Mountain West.
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Originally published at Jon Wilner