As the Pac-12 prepares to relaunch next summer, conference leaders, university presidents and media partners described a rare “blank slate” moment -- one defined by rebuilding, brand equity and establishing long-term relevance amid a shifting college sports landscape.
At SBJ’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum yesterday, Oregon State President Jayathi Murthy, Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould, Fresno State AD Garrett Klassy, Octagon SVP William Mao and The CW President Brad Schwartz outlined how the rebuilt conference has repositioned itself and why its stakeholders view the moment as opportunity rather than recovery.
Murthy recalled the chaos in the fall of 2023, when Oregon State and Washington State were left as the conference’s final two members. “It fell apart quickly in front of our very eyes and what a kick to the stomach,” she said. She noted that the fallout of the conference rippled far beyond campus. “This was ... the entire ecosystem built around OSU ... all our fans, all our alums.”
Now, with about six months until the conference officially relaunches, she said that attention has turned entirely toward rebuilding rather than rehashing the pain. “You’ve got yourself a beautiful bouncing baby Pac-12 and we’re off and running,” she said.
For Gould, who assumed leadership at the height of the upheaval in February 2024, felt that the decision came down to conviction. “There were certainly a lot of people in that spring that said, ‘You’re going to captain the Titanic. I said, ‘No, I’m going to jump in the foxhole and fight for student athletes ... to find the path forward and the bright future that they deserve.’” Taking the role, she added, became “the most meaningful and impactful work that I’ve ever done.”
That sense of purpose resonated with incoming members such as Fresno State. Klassy said that joining the new Pac-12 aligned with the school’s long-term ambitions. “We represent 3 million people in the Central Valley … and we just felt like Fresno State’s student athletes deserved a national platform." He added that the chance to build a conference without legacy constraints was also appealing. “We don’t have to worry about 30 years of bad habits. We get to build a conference based on the modern student athlete experience,” he said.
Media rights deals -- which the conference has inked with CBS Sports, The CW and USA Sports to this point -- were a central pillar of the rebuild, and they demanded a level of flexibility uncommon in traditional negotiations. Mao, who advised the conference, described it as “pitching an airplane as you’re building it.” With no incumbent partners or existing packages, the conference had freedom to reshape its media model from scratch -- but that also meant managing a constantly shifting puzzle. He credited The CW as an early believer. Mao: “They made it very clear ... that they wanted to be part of the future.”
Schwartz said that the network saw the partnership as a brand-building opportunity. “Two years ago, there was zero hours of sports in the history of The CW and next year we’ll have 500 hours,” he said. The Pac-12, he added, offered a chance to grow together. “We all became huge Washington State fans ... huge Oregon State fans.”
A major differentiator in negotiations was Pac-12 Enterprises, a conference-owned broadcast production arm. Gould called it a “state-of-the-art multimedia production” asset that allowed the conference to offer partners both content and production. “No other conference in this country owns and operates anything like [it],” she said.
Basketball, both men’s and women’s, will also be a priority. Gould highlighted the strength of the conference’s incoming programs and the viewership they already deliver. Schwartz noted The CW will air the Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Tournament on broadcast for the first time.
To close out the session, panelists reflected on what has made the rebuild meaningful. Schwartz said, “It’s really been working with Teresa ... and then seeing the results and doubling down.” Klassy pointed to the “clean slate” and the conference’s potential as a “challenger brand.” Murthy called the experience “the most interesting and exciting thing I’ve ever done ... the power of vision, the power of mission.” Gould said that the defining reward has been the reaction on campuses. “Student athletes are just unbelievably excited and proud about the opportunity. ... It felt to me like mission accomplished,” she said.
