Washington Supreme Court denies Pac-12 review, grants Oregon State and Washington State full control

The future of the Pac-12 took another step forward on Friday. The Washington Supreme Court denied the conference’s review — granting Oregon State and Washington State full control.

Last month, the court issued a stay of the preliminary injunction until the emergency stay could be ruled upon Friday. Oregon State and Washington State are the last two teams standing in the Pac-12 after a groundbreaking round of conference realignment, which saw 10 teams leave the conference over the offseason.

Under conference bylaws, the two schools argued, the departing members forfeited their votes because they announced their departures. That led both universities to take the conference to court, where a judge initially granted a preliminary injunction. The departing members then filed an appeal, which led to Friday’s decision.

As part of the denial, Oregon State and Washington State will control the Pac-12’s assets through the end of the case. That includes the some $60 million in NCAA Tournament units, On3’s Eric Prisbell reported.

What could be next for Oregon State, Washington State and the Pac-12

The Pac-12’s future came into serious question over the last year, starting when USC and UCLA announced their plans to leave for the Big Ten in late June 2022. Then, in summer 2023, the rest of the dominoes fell.

Oregon and Washington are joining USC and UCLA in the Big Ten, while the “Four Corners” schools — Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah — are bound for the Big 12. Then, Cal and Stanford accepted invitations to join the ACC.

While NCAA rules state a conference must have a minimum of eight teams, there is a two-year grace period. That means the “Pac-12” could stay around for two years with just the two teams, and Oregon State and Washington State took a big step toward trying to keep things together when they finalized a scheduling agreement for football with the Mountain West.

“This is a unique and unprecedented opportunity for Oregon State and Washington State to play against highly competitive Mountain West football programs in 2024,” Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez in a press release. “The scheduling agreement will expand the Mountain West footprint and enhance our national brand, while providing our student-athletes with new opportunities, all in line with our strategic priorities.

“The scheduling agreement strengthens the league’s non-conference schedules, and we look forward to having Oregon State and Washington State be a part of the 2024 slate.”

Then, on Thursday, CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reported Oregon State and Washington State are “in talks” to join the Mountain West for the 2024-25 basketball season. Details are scarce, but the path forward for non-football sports appears to be coming into focus, as well.