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College GameDay host Lee Corso angered both Oregon State and Washington State earlier this season when he called the game between the two the “no one wants us” bowl.
Now it appears the lone remaining members of the Pac-12 are going to get the last laugh.
Last month, a Washington superior court judge ruled that the two schools should have sole legal control over the Pac–12 conference, since the other members had committed to leaving following the academic year.
However, the judge also stated that the 10 schools which are leaving the conference must still be “treated in a fair and open manner” and cannot be harmed.
The judge has ruled in favor of Oregon State and Washington State. Their preliminary injunction has been granted, and they are now the only two voting members of the Pac-12 board. The other 10 schools must still be "treated in a fair and open manner" and cannot be harmed.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) November 15, 2023
Apparently Oregon State and Wazzu missed that part. Or they’re just choosing to ignore it.
Washington State And Oregon State Withhold Payment To Pac-12 Departees
Chris Vannini of The Athletic reports that the two schools are blocking Pac-12 revenue payments to the departing schools.
“The fight between the 10 departing Pac-12 schools and Oregon State and Washington State reached another level last week after the two remaining schools blocked the distribution of 15 percent of conference revenue, both sides confirmed to The Athletic,” Vannini writes.
“The December distribution has been in place for many years, though it is not explicitly written into the bylaws, a person familiar with the decision said. The decision by Oregon State and Washington State represents the first instance of the two schools preventing the distribution of money from this season amid their legal battle, even if temporarily, and the departing schools believe it could be a precursor to attempting to withhold more.”
Unsurprisingly, the 10 other schools are not a fan of this decision.
“A decision to distribute 15% of the more than $400 million in net revenues to the members now to support student athletes, as the Conference has always done in December, has nothing to do with the future of the Conference,” they said in a joint statement. “Instead, OSU and WSU’s refusal to agree to it shows that the two schools are abusing their position to injure our programs and athletes in violation of all prior precedents.”
It’s safe to say this battle is far from over. And it’s likely coming soon to courtroom near you.