OLYMPIA, Wash. — A decision on an emergency motion by the University of Washington to block a legal decision that gave Washington State University and Oregon State University control over the Pac-12 board of directors could come sooner than previously scheduled.
The Washington State Supreme Court accepted a request by OSU and WSU to move up the deadline for parties to respond to UW’s emergency motion to stay the order to Nov. 22, and move up the deadline for a ruling to Dec. 4.
Judge Gary Libey found the conference needed to apply the same standard of what it means to issue a notice of withdrawal to the 10 departing members now as it did when UCLA, USC and Colorado left.
According to the conference’s bylaws, schools give up their vote on the board when they submit a notice of withdrawal from the conference. UCLA, USC and Colorado left before the other seven departing members, and all were either excluded from board meetings or voluntarily offered that they wouldn’t participate in accordance with the conference bylaws.
WSU and OSU argued they would suffer “significant harm” if the preliminary injunction was stayed for the original schedule.
It’s worth noting that the NCAA football transfer portal opens on Dec. 4, the day a ruling is now scheduled. College football analysts expect WSU and OSU would like certainty on their futures before the transfer portal opens in order to avert an exodus of talented players.
