Pac-12 Reportedly Adds Oliver Luck as a Consultant

The Pac-12 reportedly has hired respected college sports executive Oliver Luck, who also happens to be Andrew Luck’s father, as a consultant as the conference tries to figure out a future for the four remaining Pac-12 schools – Cal, Stanford, Washington State and Oregon State.

John Canzano reported the hiring of Luck, and his report included this excerpt regarding Oliver Luck:

He was a candidate for the Pac-12 commissioner job when George Kliavkoff was hired. Luck is a terrific back-channel operator who is deeply connected on a variety of levels. His initial task, I’m told by sources, is to evaluate the Pac-4’s assets and options

Luck’s most recent job has been as the executive director of the new football partnership between the ASUN Conference and the Western Athletic Conference. But he has also been an athletic director at West Virginia, which is alma mater, and an NCAA executive, among many other things. He was an NFL quarterback, and he knows Stanford through his son.

So what will Luck be trying to put together?

The options for the four remaining Pac-12 schools seem to be decreasing. The Big 12 and Big Ten don’t seem to be interested in them, the Mountain West does not seem to be a suitable option for Stanford, and the chance for Stanford and Cal to join the ACC appears to be dwindling since the ACC schools against the addition of the Bay Area schools seem to be adamant.

Florida State, Clemson, North Carolina and North Carolina State reportedly are the ACC schools against adding Cal and Stanford. That leaves Cal and Stanford one vote short of being invited, since 12 of the 15 ACC schools must approve adding the Bay Area schools. Those four ACC schools are not likely to change their minds unless there is a new development.

Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh and Louisville are the four ACC schools most enthusiastically in favor of inviting Cal and Stanford, but it may not matter.

"The notion that two of the very best academic institutions in the world who also play [Division I] sports could be abandoned in this latest chapter of realignment is an indictment of college athletics,” Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick told ESPN via SI.

Which leaves what?

There seems to be renewed interest in rebuilding the Pac-12.

We're just guessing, but the possibility of the Pac-12 merging with the American Athletic Conference or plucking schools from that conference might be the next path to explore. Tulane, SMU and Memphis are in the AAC and might be attractive to the Pac-12. So would Rice, although it would take a complete merger with the AAC to land that school since the Owls are in their first year in the AAC after leaving Conference-USA.

Adding AAC schools would mean a slight drop in football prestige for the conference, and it would require increased travel. But the travel would be less than travel to ACC schools, which apparently was acceptable to Stanford and Cal.

The Pac-12 could still try to add San Diego State, although the Pac-12 might have to buy out some of the Aztecs’ large exit fee from the Mountain West.

But, remember, things can change quickly in the realignment business.

Ross Dellenger of Yahoo notes that the NCAA requires an FBS conference to have at least eight members, although it allows a two-year grace period, so, in theory, the Pac-12 could operate as a four-team league for two years.

An important part of this story and one clarified by the NCAA with @YahooSports pic.twitter.com/2E6o2LyKnf
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) August 11, 2023

If nothing else, the addition of Luck gives the Pac-12 (Pac-4?) a credibility boost. But can he help save the Pac-12?

Cover photo of Oliver Luck by Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports

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