beavertonvalleytimes
Evanson Says: Pac-12 is back, but where its going is to be determined Published 2:30 pm Tuesday, July 21, 2026 The Pac-12 is no longer an afterthought, punchline or thing of the past.
As of three weeks ago, the league thats been in purgatory since being picked apart by the vulturous big boys of collegiate sport roughly three years ago, officially announced the formal addition of Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, San Diego State, Texas State and Utah State as full-time members.
Add to the mix 12 affiliate members in five Olympic sports, and youve got a viable product built on the ashes of a once-proud league determined to earn its way back among the living.
Thats the good news.
The bad news is that, while back in an official capacity, the former Conference of Champions has a lot of work to live up to its former name.
How do they do it? Well, like it or not, money will dictate if and when it happens.
This isnt your dad or granddads collegiate athletics.
Gone are the days of a have not catching lightning in a bottle by way of intelligent recruiting and chemistry en route to the NCAA college football or basketball spotlight, and even the lesser sports such as baseball, softball, track and field, and/or volleyball require you showing players and coaches the money.
Thats not my opinion; its fact, and one neednt look further than the transfer portal for proof of such.
If youre good, theres a greener pasture for you.
Literally and figuratively.
And without a megadonor or NIL collective that can bankroll teams from the gridiron and far beyond, athletic departments will be chasing their tails opposed to their opponents in and beyond their conference standings.
New Oregon State Athletic Director Kevin Griffin seems to understand that and knows its up to him to spearhead the effort to consistently raise the funds to do just that.
The expectation is that we are going to compete and win in everything that we do, Griffin said after being introduced last month.
We dont have to sacrifice.
We can do all of those things together.
..
How are we going to fund all this? Thats the reason Im here and my job.
Well have the right team to do that.
Griffin and that teams goal will be to get and keep players and, equally important, get and keep coaches.
The Beavers will boast new stewards on both the football field and mens basketball court this coming school year and, sadly, their success may be tied directly to their departure unless Griffin can pull a rabbit from a proverbial hat.
Both coaches, footballs JaMarcus Shephard and mens basketballs Justin Joyner, stem from big-boy programs and, as a result, understand that winning at the highest level has always been about the Jimmys and Joes, but also that those same Jimmys and Joes are now nearly all about the Benjamins.
And while money has always played a pivotal role in collegiate athletics, that money is now on the table opposed to under it.
Players are getting paid, and if theyre not being paid enough, theyll find a school that will meet their demand.
The same has always gone for coaches but, in todays world, coaches are as much about their payroll as they are their paycheck.
Coaches want to win and, while their bank account matters in the short term, long-term riches are directly tied to their teams ability to reign supreme between the lines.
And how do you win in 2026 and beyond? You pay plain and simple.
According to The Sidelines NIL Market Index, Texas is the countrys richest program and will have roughly $65 million to spend on its athletic programs over the course of the upcoming school year.
Texas A&M is second ($62 million); Oregon is third ($58 million); Miami fourth ($56 million); and LSU rounds out the top-5 with $55 million.
Oregon State is 71st in those rankings and has a player budget across all sports of about $18 million.
Thats third among new Pac-12 schools (behind Boise State and San Diego State) and is roughly $3 million above the leagues nine full-time members.
That might make them competitive within the conference, but beyond it theyll be plankton in whats becoming a sea fraught with blue whales.
Thats a problem when it comes to keeping quality players, and an equally-sized one when it comes to keeping quality coaches.
If Shepard is good, hes gone.
If Joyner is good, hes gone as well.
Both are making pennies on the dollar when it comes to the going rate, and the dollar has never mattered more.
Shephard will make $1.6 million this season which wouldve ranked him around the 74th highest paid coach in the FCS.
Joyner will make $970,000 this season which would put him in roughly the same category as his universitys football colleague.
Both leave a lot of room for improvement, making both easy prey for much bigger predators which will be circling at the first sign of success in Corvallis.
The Pac-12 is back and, with a full complement of teams its already announced its new self to the NCAA world.
But if it wants to do so with authority, make a legitimate mark and establish itself among the countrys elite, it will have to show everyone in and around it the money, in addition to do the work necessary to get it.
Thats something easy to say, but doing it will be a lot harder good luck, Griffin.
Not here to tell you what to think, just here to get you thinking.
Wade Evanson is a regional columnist and sports reporter covering Washington and Columbia counties.
He can be reached at [email protected].