Oregon State's 'best option' is ‘rebuilding the Pac-12,' Beavers AD says

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When the Pac-12 experienced a mass exodus in early August, only four teams remained committed to the conference beyond 2023-24. 

Oregon State, Washington State, Stanford and California are all that remain of the once-storied conference as UCLA, USC, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah prepare for their final seasons in the Pac-12. 

The Oregon State Beavers take the field against the Oregon Ducks at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore., Nov. 26, 2022. (Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard/USA Today Network)

The future of the conference is very much in the air as rumors swirl that Stanford and Cal could join the ACC. 

For Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes, keeping the Pac-12 is the focus.

"For us, our priority, again, is keeping the Pac-12," Barnes told The Athletic in a Q&A. "We think it’s in the best interest of our student-athletes and our fans to build back the Pac-12. We have inserted ourselves in every conceivable conversation, every feasible conversation at the Power 5 level. And I would say that our best option is rebuilding the Pac-12.

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"Obviously, (Group of 5) options are out there. But that’s not our priority." 

Barnes said Oregon State has been "working really closely" with the remaining four schools, and he has "personally been in touch" with the universities.

After Oregon and Washington announced their move to the Big Ten, Barnes said he was "furious" as he watched the Pac-12 crumble. 

An Oregon State helmet on the back of a bench during a Pac-12 game between the Oregon State Beavers and