Oregon State, Washington State Once Again Control Pac-12 After Judge’s Ruling

The Pac-12 may be running on fumes, but that doesn't mean it isn't going out without a bang.

On Friday, the Washington Supreme Court denied a motion filed by the 10 schools set to exit the Pac-12 Conference. That ruling essentially handed back control over the conference to Oregon State and Washington State. The initial ruling by a lower court had confirmed that OSU and WSU would be placed in control, which was reinstated by the Supreme Court decision Friday.

READ: JUDGE RULES OREGON STATE AND WASHINGTON STATE EXCLUSIVELY CONTROL THE PAC-12 CONFERENCE

According to the initial ruling, once the 10 departing schools announced their intention to exit, they ceded voting rights. USC and UCLA had already been excluded from voting in board meetings after their decision to jump to the Big Ten Conference.

The 10 schools, including USC and UCLA, had filed their case to the Washington Supreme Court to stop the lower court's ruling from coming into effect. The emergency stay the Court issued, ensuring that all 12 schools had to work together, is now officially finished. And there are massive implications, depending on how vindictive Oregon State and Washington State administrators want to be.

LAS VEGAS - A general view of the PAC-12 logo at midfield before the PAC-12 Football Championship football game between the Oregon Ducks and the Utah Utes at Allegiant Stadium on December 3, 2021. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Pac-12 Revenues Now Under OSU, WSU Control

The ruling does require the two remaining Pacific Conference schools to treat the others in a "fair, open manner."

But as the two sole voting members of the Pac-12 board, OSU and WSU could, in theory, withhold revenues from 2023-2024 before the other 10 schools officially exit. In their initial reaction, the presidents of the two schools said only that they were "pleased" with the decision.

“We are pleased with the Washington Supreme Court’s decision today,” said OSU president Jayathi Murthy and WSU president Kirk Schulz in a statement. “We look forward to continuing our work of charting a path forward for the conference that is in the best interest of student-athletes and our wider university communities.”

This ruling opens up future legal concerns, if OSU and WSU handle revenue distributions in a way that the 10 schools don't approve of.

Yet again, the collapse of the Pac-12 Conference feels like an extremely avoidable mistake. But the "Departing-10" made their bed, and now the Cougars and Beavers get to lie in it.