Watched the entire interview. Wow are we lucky to have such exceptional leadership! Especially enjoyed her comments on who she is looking for in staff - people who will challenge her and look outside the box. From experience this is EXACTLY what a CEO needs to avoid isolation and group think. Kudos to you for this interview, and to her for her precious time in communicating to your fans. And last but not least to my alma mater, one of the original and still loyal members of the Pac12. GO BEAVS!
George Klavidork, I heard, was trying to end the old conference, you know, the one he was working for. He literally was trying to get rid of the name and siding with the departing schools. He should've been fined millions and jailed for colusion. I can't believe he walked away free. Horrible human being.
John: That was a fantastic interview. Your questions were excellent, and Theresa Gould was very impressive. I greatly appreciated her focus on mission and values. Many of the schools who left the PAC 12 abandoned consideration of those important considerations. Excellent work.
Good stuff. I know WSU (me included) and OSU fans lamenting the breakup of the old conference, it's time to move forward. There are some quality schools in the league and basketball-wise, some have predicted it will be among the top 5 ot 6 conferences in America.
Only Oregon is a player in their new league and in all sports. I find that amusing as everyone thought their school was going to CFP, the NCAA tournament, and the College World Series. For a little perspective, national baseball power Stanford finished 2nd to the last in the ACC; Cal finished last. Previously Stanford had gone to 3 straight CWS, and Cal had gone to the CWS within the last 10 years. Those schools will get their money, but they'll never win in anything again and quickly become irrelevant, like CU, Arizona, and others. UW, who knows? They were last in men's hoops last year.
Let's make the most of the new Pac-12 and be like BSU in football some 10 to 15 years ago when they beat UO twice, split with UW, beat Georgia; and be like SDSU and Gonzaga in hoops, finishing 2nd in the NCAA tourney (GU twice).
Realignment has always been about eyeballs/$$, not increasing competition. Because with bigger conferences, there is always weaker teams to play and keep your W’s up!
Agree, but they will never be relevant again in anything, except UO. If I'm a Stanford baseball alum, I'm wondering why I'm donating. They flipped the bird at their legendary coach Mark Marquis to play on the east coast. What a joke. Get this, Stanford women's hoops is not good anymore. Amazing they're willing to sacrifice their legendary programs for this. I guess they're still good at Sailing.
They are becoming irrelevant because they can not recruit to a schedule that haves them on the east coast most of their seasons and the baseball recruits want to play against better competition.
I think Thursday night football built Boise State into a football powerhouse and I would hope the PAC 12 would use that format to build the league presence across the US. The SEC, etc. are going to continue to dominate Saturday so the PAC 12 needs other dates where they can dominate the time slot. I have been impressed by the viewership on CN so all is not lost.
This interview is worth the time to view. Very thorough and my only regret is that other former PAc12 members didn't stick around. Thanks to both of you.
Just as history will paint Scott and Kliavkoff as inept leaders whose fumbles scripted the demise of the PAC 12, history will anoint Gould and Barnes as the architects of not only its survival but its revival. Beneficiaries of their joint vision are not just the PAC 12, but all college athletics as the balance of power is evened out.
Thanks for the good interview. Hopefully there are more excerpts to come.
I am one of those still lamenting about the demise of the old PAC but I am moving on. This season I tuned in to more games of the NEW PAC than the old pac, and watched some very good, competitive football. I hope they get a traveling partner or 2 for Texas State. It would make scheduling easier and especially for the Olympic sports. I wonder how much longer the PAC headquarters will stay in the Bay Area, given no school reside there. One thing at a time! This has been a tough couple of years and I look forward for the lawsuits to end and we can just all about sports.
His foul comments make others want to stay far removed from his ideology. Nobody wants to be like him and thus everyone exhibits more polite behavior and banter.
They put together a pretty solid conference. The winner will go the CFP most years. OSU and WSU will have a much better chance of reaching the playoffs than UCLA, Cal, Stanford maybe even Washington.
Ms. Gould says the Pac 12 is now a "deep competitive top 5 conference". Seriously? I don't know anyone who thinks any of the marginal teams in the conference should be in a play-off conversation. Will they get there? Maybe, but I have my doubts. P.S. My wife is an avid/rabid Beaver fan and does not agree with me!
I think the ACC might get shutout of the playoff, unless they have an auto berth. Duke at 7-5 is playing for the league title vs. Virginia, who beat WSU by 2 points, thanks to back-to-back bonehead plays by a WSU RB.
Someone had a great comment on YouTube saying they need to change the shield/logo. It represents a bygone time when two jerks, Larry and George, destroyed a once-proud conference. It's time to leave that behind and get a new logo.
She’s a smart confident commissioner. Too bad she wasn’t calling the shots a few years back. Oh well, forward to 2026 and beyond.
Nice interview, John.
Thank you for being here.
Sure is a breath of fresh air after Kliavkoff and Scott. Those two put us where we are today. Gould sounds realistic and positive.
If Gould had been in charge the PAC-12 might not have broke up.
Watched the entire interview. Wow are we lucky to have such exceptional leadership! Especially enjoyed her comments on who she is looking for in staff - people who will challenge her and look outside the box. From experience this is EXACTLY what a CEO needs to avoid isolation and group think. Kudos to you for this interview, and to her for her precious time in communicating to your fans. And last but not least to my alma mater, one of the original and still loyal members of the Pac12. GO BEAVS!
Gould is in the right place at the right time. The new PAC-12 could not have happened if either previous commissioner had been involved.
Thanks for the history reminders John. The league is circling back to its roots.
George Klavidork, I heard, was trying to end the old conference, you know, the one he was working for. He literally was trying to get rid of the name and siding with the departing schools. He should've been fined millions and jailed for colusion. I can't believe he walked away free. Horrible human being.
John: That was a fantastic interview. Your questions were excellent, and Theresa Gould was very impressive. I greatly appreciated her focus on mission and values. Many of the schools who left the PAC 12 abandoned consideration of those important considerations. Excellent work.
Good stuff. I know WSU (me included) and OSU fans lamenting the breakup of the old conference, it's time to move forward. There are some quality schools in the league and basketball-wise, some have predicted it will be among the top 5 ot 6 conferences in America.
Only Oregon is a player in their new league and in all sports. I find that amusing as everyone thought their school was going to CFP, the NCAA tournament, and the College World Series. For a little perspective, national baseball power Stanford finished 2nd to the last in the ACC; Cal finished last. Previously Stanford had gone to 3 straight CWS, and Cal had gone to the CWS within the last 10 years. Those schools will get their money, but they'll never win in anything again and quickly become irrelevant, like CU, Arizona, and others. UW, who knows? They were last in men's hoops last year.
Let's make the most of the new Pac-12 and be like BSU in football some 10 to 15 years ago when they beat UO twice, split with UW, beat Georgia; and be like SDSU and Gonzaga in hoops, finishing 2nd in the NCAA tourney (GU twice).
Realignment has always been about eyeballs/$$, not increasing competition. Because with bigger conferences, there is always weaker teams to play and keep your W’s up!
Agree, but they will never be relevant again in anything, except UO. If I'm a Stanford baseball alum, I'm wondering why I'm donating. They flipped the bird at their legendary coach Mark Marquis to play on the east coast. What a joke. Get this, Stanford women's hoops is not good anymore. Amazing they're willing to sacrifice their legendary programs for this. I guess they're still good at Sailing.
…and water polo!
They are becoming irrelevant because they can not recruit to a schedule that haves them on the east coast most of their seasons and the baseball recruits want to play against better competition.
I think Thursday night football built Boise State into a football powerhouse and I would hope the PAC 12 would use that format to build the league presence across the US. The SEC, etc. are going to continue to dominate Saturday so the PAC 12 needs other dates where they can dominate the time slot. I have been impressed by the viewership on CN so all is not lost.
This interview is worth the time to view. Very thorough and my only regret is that other former PAc12 members didn't stick around. Thanks to both of you.
Just as history will paint Scott and Kliavkoff as inept leaders whose fumbles scripted the demise of the PAC 12, history will anoint Gould and Barnes as the architects of not only its survival but its revival. Beneficiaries of their joint vision are not just the PAC 12, but all college athletics as the balance of power is evened out.
Thanks for the good interview. Hopefully there are more excerpts to come.
I am one of those still lamenting about the demise of the old PAC but I am moving on. This season I tuned in to more games of the NEW PAC than the old pac, and watched some very good, competitive football. I hope they get a traveling partner or 2 for Texas State. It would make scheduling easier and especially for the Olympic sports. I wonder how much longer the PAC headquarters will stay in the Bay Area, given no school reside there. One thing at a time! This has been a tough couple of years and I look forward for the lawsuits to end and we can just all about sports.
Great article as usual, John!
Everyone laments it.
Gould is optimistic - believing the PAC 12 champ will make CFP appearances. Hope she’s right.
I think they can, but maybe not with more than 1 loss.
Hahahahaha Pac12 is FCS at best.
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."
Seriously are you proud of your posts?? Still waiting and hoping for John to revoke your subscription.
His stupidity cuts deeply in the mirror he stares at. An expert at sharing his own criticism, with….., himself. Post away, as you surely need it.
His foul comments make others want to stay far removed from his ideology. Nobody wants to be like him and thus everyone exhibits more polite behavior and banter.
In an odd way, he may be uniting us.
I just won’t be saying his name.
In football, yes, Pac12 is behind the 8 ball. But, not in basketball. The new Pac basketball I predict will be making nationwide noise.
Let’s give the new PAC some time to really assemble and start building up the conference. While they do that let’s give them some grace.
They put together a pretty solid conference. The winner will go the CFP most years. OSU and WSU will have a much better chance of reaching the playoffs than UCLA, Cal, Stanford maybe even Washington.
Yup!
Ms. Gould says the Pac 12 is now a "deep competitive top 5 conference". Seriously? I don't know anyone who thinks any of the marginal teams in the conference should be in a play-off conversation. Will they get there? Maybe, but I have my doubts. P.S. My wife is an avid/rabid Beaver fan and does not agree with me!
Your wife is smarter lol.
Isn't that how it usually is?
I think the ACC might get shutout of the playoff, unless they have an auto berth. Duke at 7-5 is playing for the league title vs. Virginia, who beat WSU by 2 points, thanks to back-to-back bonehead plays by a WSU RB.
Someone had a great comment on YouTube saying they need to change the shield/logo. It represents a bygone time when two jerks, Larry and George, destroyed a once-proud conference. It's time to leave that behind and get a new logo.
Suspect they will tweak the logo.
I understand what you say but I think the brand still carries too much value to mess with.
Plus I'm not sure that most people have as a primary association anything to do with Larry or George.
Pac12 looks like an FCS conference.
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."
Oh, goody another negative post from our resident idiot.
Spin. Lots of spin.
Great journalism here. Love the fact that you were in same place where conference was born 110 years ago..