Pacific Northwest News

Opinion: Pac-12 a conference of champions or conference of appeasement?

FILE - In this Nov. 7, 2013, file photo, Oregon defensive back Terrance Mitchell (27) walks next to a Pac-12 logo on the field at Stanford Stadium during an NCAA college football game against Stanford in Stanford, Calif. The Pac-12 has proposed changing NCAA rules to allow college athletes to use their names, images and likenesses for their non-athletic business ventures. The Pac-12's proposal will be taken up by the five autonomous conferences (Big Ten, Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference) and could be voted on at the NCAA convention in January. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) - In this Nov. 7, 2013, file photo, Oregon defensive back Terrance Mitchell (27) walks next to a Pac-12 logo on the field at Stanford Stadium during an NCAA college football game against Stanford in Stanford, Calif. The Pac-12 has proposed changing NCAA rules to allow college athletes to use their names, images and likenesses for their non-athletic business ventures. The Pac-12's proposal will be taken up by the five autonomous conferences (Big Ten, Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference) and could be voted on at the NCAA convention in January. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

Opinion: Pac-12 a conference of champions or conference of appeasement?

The Pac-12 Conference shouldn't replace the chaos caused by the impending departures of USC and UCLA with more chaos, writes Rick Metsger, a former state senator and former KOIN-TV sports editor. The conference should be willing to separate football from the rest of its sports to preserve the best experience, educationally and athletically, for student athletes.

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