PULLMAN, Wash. — It's been more than a year since the Pac-12 as we know it disintegrated, when in early August 2023 the Universities of Oregon and Washington announced they were leaving. So began a mass exodus that left Oregon State and Washington State Universities as the sole members of a crumbling conference.
In September of that year, the two schools sued the conference and its commissioner, George Kliavkoff. OSU and WSU argued they should be the only ones on the governing board for the Pac-12 as all other schools planned to exit at the end of the season.
"It's been very clear for the last 14 months that members who announce they're leaving and joining competitors can no longer be members of the board or make decisions on behalf of the conference," attorney Eric MacMichael argued in Whitman County court.
On September 11, 2023, Whitman County Judge Gary Libey granted a temporary restraining order for the two schools, barring the other 10 from participating or holding meetings for conference business until he could rule on the lawsuit.
In mid-November, that ruling came down: OSU and WSU were the only governing members of the Pac-12. Judge Libey also ruled the other 10 schools must be invited to meetings, but in a lame duck status without the ability to vote or make conference decisions.
The Washington State Supreme Court later declined to review that ruling.
"We still have to work on what our football schedule looks like and what our conference partnership or alignment might look like," said WSU President Kirk Schulz after learning the Pac-12 could move forward as the "Pac-2."
Days after the court ruling in December 2023, WSU and OSU announced a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West Conference for the 2024 football season.
In February 2024, the renaissance of the conference made history: Teresa Gould was appointed commissioner, the first female to head a Power Five conference. She replaced Kliavkoff, who days before had "mutually" parted ways with the conference.
On September 12, about a year after the legal fight (and win), the new Pac-12 announced it was adding four teams from the Mountain West: Fresno State, Boise State, Colorado State, and San Diego State.
"I'm so happy, I'm so proud for our fan base, our alumni, our donors," said San Diego State athletic director John David Wicker about the ability to rebuild the Pac-12.
Days later, Utah State became the seventh member of the growing conference. Around the same time, rumors about the Zags joining began circulating.