In the aftermath of Oregon and Washington leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes offered an adamant stance Friday night opposing the defections of both programs.
Barnes, Oregon State’s AD since 2017, stated during an interview with The Oregonian that he was “furious” to learn of the moves mainly due to the conference-wide implications going forward. The Big Ten’s decision to unanimously accept Oregon and Washington further damaged a shaky Pac-12 landscape that now has just four schools after losing Utah, Arizona and Arizona State to the Big-12.
“The great history and tradition of this conference has been severely damaged,” Barnes told The Oregonian’s Nick Daschel. “The best interest of the student athlete hasn’t been served. Traveling to the Eastern seaboard multiple times a year is not in the best interest of student-athletes.
