George Kliavkoff ousted as Pac-12 commissioner as just two schools remain

As the Pac-12 nears its end, the remnants will be steered by a new commissioner .

George Kliavkoff is out as the commissioner of the Pac-12, with the conference announcing his last day will be Feb. 29. It was a mutual decision to part ways, according to the conference.

The decision to remove Kliavkoff was widely expected as spring sports begin in what will be the final months for the Pac-12 as the college sports world knows it. Kliavkoff, who took over the league in 2021, has been the scapegoat of the dying conference, as UCLA and Southern California decided to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten in 2022, which triggered a mass exodus.

With two of its biggest universities gone, Kliavkoff was searching for a new media rights deal that would ensure the conference would have some stability. But university presidents, as well as Kliavkoff, severely mismanaged the process. As a result, Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah left for the Big 12, while Oregon and Washington joined the Big Ten, leaving Oregon State and Washington State as the sole members.

The two remaining schools took legal action against the departing schools for control of the conference, and in December, the Washington state Supreme Court declined to review the Pac-12’s appeal of a lower court ruling that gave full control of the conference to Oregon State and Washington State, a legal victory for the Cougars and Beavers. With complete control, Washington State and Oregon State were able to oust Kliavkoff as they try to rebuild the conference.