Pac-12 sends message during two-team event: We are not dead

LAS VEGAS – In a conference room adjacent to the pool area of the Bellagio Hotel and Casino, the beleaguered Pac-12 Conference sent a message to the small crowd of reporters and supporters who had come to listen:

The Pac-12 is not dead.

There are two schools left – Oregon State and Washington State.

So “Welcome to the fight.”

That was the theme of Pac-12 football prep media day on Wednesday – the first since all 10 other league members dropped out in search of more money, more television exposure and more stability in the Big Ten, Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conference.

“We got left behind for nothing,” Oregon State defensive back Jaden Robinson said Wednesday.

And now it’s time to fight for their future as two orphans of the Conference of Champions. But what happened to them still stings after they were left out and not invited in college football’s last realignment.

“We have a bar in the back,” Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould told the crowd. “Yes, we are drinking tonight during this event. And I dare say that if anyone has earned the right to drink, it’s the Pac-12, OK?”

The crowd laughed in response. Then came some tough questions, like what comes next.

So the Pac-12 still exists?

Yes, a big reason the league held this event in Vegas was to make that clear and to trumpet the motto, “Welcome to the fight.” About 100 people showed up, including maybe a couple dozen reporters.

Yogi Roth, a former television commentator for the now-defunct Pac-12 Networks, hosted the event and interviewed players and alumni from both schools, including former Oregon State running back Steven Jackson and two former Washington State quarterbacks, Jack Thompson and Ryan Leaf.

Thompson talked about how “pissed” he was about what happened. Leaf predicted that at least some of the departing schools would eventually return after the next wave of realignment.

“It’s perhaps one of the most opportunistic things that could have come out of you keeping the Pac-12 brand,” Leaf told supporters of the two schools. “But you know what? You’re going to come back … when the new College Football Playoff changes in two years or whatever it looks like, OK? And you’re going to be the foundation for it.”

Still, the scene offered quite a contrast. Across the highway in the same city, the Big 12 had rented Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders, to use for its own two-day media event this week – a presentation for more than 500 media members to get a taste of the upcoming football season featuring all 16 Big 12 teams, including four that decided to leave the Pac-12 last year.

Hoping to capitalize on this attention, the two Pac-12 teams rented space in the Big 12’s media hotel (the Bellagio) and sent invitations to reporters.

How does the two-team league work?

In football, the two teams have reached an agreement with the Mountain West Conference to fill much of their schedule, but the clock is ticking under Gould, who is on a two-year contract for good reason.

Under NCAA rules, the Beavers and Cougars can continue as a two-team league for up to two years before deciding their next course of action, such as a possible merger with the Mountain West Conference under the Pac-12 name.

That’s because leagues in the Football Bowl Subdivision must have a minimum of eight members. If they don’t achieve that, they are given a two-year grace period and are allowed to continue using and owning the Pac-12 name and logo.

Gould is often asked about the future, but says there are no foregone conclusions. She notes that the possibilities are numerous and unpredictable as college sports weather the turmoil of realignment aftershocks and litigation paving the way for college players to be paid for the first time.

“Most of our time right now is being spent assessing the national landscape, keeping our ears open to what’s going on with all the movements and changes in our industry, and then being really alert and really prepared,” she said.

In the meantime, there is hope

Oregon State and Washington State have always been considered fighting underdogs with fervent fans in sports, and now comes perhaps their biggest battle yet.

It helps that the league has a “war chest” of about $265 million to finance operations and capital expenditures. This includes the “normal” Pac-12 revenue from the Rose Bowl, the College Football Playoffs and the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

“We’re not licking our wounds,” Washington State head coach Jake Dickert said. “We’re licking our lips because now we have a chance.”

Leaf, the former Cougars quarterback, seemed to get a little emotional about it on Wednesday.

“I don’t think anyone knows a better way to bounce back than the Cougs and Beavs, just because we get knocked down so often,” Leaf said. “And this is a perfect example of that.”

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