Arizona State president says Oregon, Washington no-showed Pac-12 meeting as grant of rights talks fell through

Friday morning, as the future of the Pac-12 came more and more into question, the league held a meeting as part of a “last-ditch effort” to save itself. The goal was to sign a long-awaited grant of rights and keep the nine schools together with rumors of two more departures swirling.

That, of course, didn’t happen. A few hours later, Oregon and Washington were off to the Big Ten. Then, three schools — Arizona, Arizona State and Utah — jumped to the Big 12. Suddenly, the Pac-12 became effectively the Pac-4.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Oregon and Washington “blew up” that meeting. Arizona State president Michael Crow said they weren’t there, and that kicked off the ensuing events of a historic day.

“(Friday) morning at 7 a.m. was another called meeting of the Pac-12 presidents & some schools didn’t show up,” Crow said, via OregonLive’s James Crepea. “So you might know that then therefore the conference was no longer viable. … Once Oregon & Washington decided to go to the Big 10 the (Pac-12) conference was no longer viable. You can’t be in a non-viable position for more than a few hours in our minds. We resolved that. You have two teams not present and no media contract, you’ve got to act.”

The sense was Arizona State wasn’t necessarily looking to jump ship and leave the Pac-12 for the Big 12. But between the media rights negotiations — which are now in their 14th month — and other departures such as Colorado, Crow said ASU was interested in the deal with Apple George Kliavkoff presented earlier in the week. In fact, Thamel reported Crow made it clear during Thursday’s Arizona Board of Regents meeting he wanted ASU to stay put.

“For these three schools, it’s been a fascinating chess match. Arizona, Thursday night actually was voted into the Big 12, but the final steps of that were gummed up because of an Arizona Board of Regents meeting,” Thamel said of Arizona, Arizona State and Utah on SportsCenter Friday night. “Arizona State President Michael Crow, who’s been there I believe since 2002, did not want to leave the Pac-12. He’s a staunch Pac-12 guy.

“He propped up and supported Larry Scott, the former commissioner who led the Pac-12 down his wayward path for way too long. And he, at the Board of Regents meeting, got in the way of progress, and that was one of the seeds of doubt of whether any of this realignment was going to happen.”

Ultimately, though, Crow felt it was in the university’s best interest to join Arizona and Utah in the Big 12. The conference made the announcement Friday night, confirming the moves. For the Pac-12, it meant five departures in the span of just a few hours as Oregon and Washington’s move to the Big Ten gained steam quickly.

“Oregon and Washington were playing footsies with the Big Ten, obviously. But [Michael] Crow’s petulance in that meeting was an obstacle,” Thamel said. “Obviously, everything changed for the league when Oregon and Washington blew up the morning meeting, went a few hours later to the Big Ten.

“And now, all of a sudden, there were calls with Utah and the Big 12 and there were calls with Arizona State and the Big 12. And by late dinner time, there had been a CEOs meeting where they let them both in after they both applied. So a wild day for the Big 12, which is now the Big 16.”