{"numbering":"no_numbering","slides":[{"title":"Scott, Pac-12 "mutually" part ways","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/GettyImages-823086698.jpg","credit":"Getty Images","published":1611203756,"caption":"

After the Pac-12 revealed Wednesday night it was parting ways with longtime commissioner Larry Scott, the search is on for Scott’s replacement.

This is a long overdue move for the conference as the league has fallen behind its Power 5 peers in recent years, especially from football and men’s basketball standpoint, and the need for fresh leadership became dire.

The league said in a statement that a national search will “immediately commence.”

Here’s a look at some of the names being floated around as Scott’s successor.

"},{"title":"Gene Smith ","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/GettyImages-1068458144.jpg","credit":"Getty Images","published":1611203910,"caption":"

The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach and Yahoo! Sports Pete Thamel both reported that Ohio State Senior VP and Athletic Director Gene Smith could be a possible candidate for the Pac-12 vacancy. Smith, who is in his 13^thyear at The Ohio State University, was named “one of the most powerful people in collegiate sports.”

The 61-year-old oversees one of the most successful collegiate programs in the nation, which includes 36 fully funded varsity sports teams with more than 1,000 student-athletes competing at a high level in the Big Ten Conference and NCAA championships.

Before joining The Ohio State University, Smith served as a director of athletics at Arizona State, Iowa State, and Eastern Michigan universities.

"},{"title":"Oliver Luck","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/GettyImages-1206134247.jpg","credit":"Getty Images","published":1611203945,"caption":"

Former CEO of the XFL and WVU Athletic Director Oliver Luck is another name in the mix.

After starring as quarterback for the West Virginia University Mountaineers from 1978-81, Luck returned nearly four decades later to serve as athletic director. During his tenure, he presided over major changes to the program, including the shift from the Big East Conference to the Big 12.

In 2014, he departed WVU to start his new job as executive vice president of regulatory affairs for the NCAA. It was there he was noticed by WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon who shared his ideas of relaunching the XFL in 2020. On June 5, 2018, The XFL announced that Luck would be the league’s Commissioner & CEO. XFL 2.0 shuttered in April 2020.

"},{"title":"Bernard Muir","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/GettyImages-1286222769.jpg","credit":"Getty Images","published":1611203997,"caption":"

Bernard Muir has been at the helm of the Stanford athletic department for nearly a decade. Muir took over in 2012, and The Farm hasn’t been the same since

Under Muir’s leadership, the school has continued a run of unprecedented excellence: The school has earned the Learfield IMG College Director’s Cup, given annually to the most successful athletic department in the country, for an incredible 25 years in a row. The school has also won at least one championship in each of the last 44 academic seasons. According to the school’s athletic website, that is the longest such streak in the country.

The Cardinal has won 23 NCAA championships and 31 national titles overall since Muir stepped foot on campus, turning Stanford into one of the most successful and consistent athletic programs in the country.

His time at Stanford gives him a ton of first-hand knowledge of the Pac-12 as a whole, knowledge that could be useful in helping him take the conference to new levels.

"},{"title":"Gloria Nevarez","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/GettyImages-1211716000.jpg","credit":"Getty Images ","published":1611204049,"caption":"

Gloria Nevarez has been the commissioner of the West Coast Conference (WCC) since 2018 and is one of 10 female conference commissioners in Division I Athletics.

According to the WCC website, Nevarez “Has shaped nearly every facet of the internal and external operations of the Conference.” She has enacted major rebranding of the conference, expanded national television contracts, and added long-term sponsorship for the annual men’s and women’s conference basketball tournaments.

Her overhaul of the conference’s television contract led to nearly doubling the national exposure of WCC’s men’s basketball, helping add to the work Mark Few has done as head coach making Gonzaga a national powerhouse.

She also has extensive knowledge of the Paci-12. Prior to ascending to the top of the WCC, Nevarez spent eight years serving as the senior associate commissioner and senior woman administrator for the Pac-12 conference. She oversaw all conference championships, except for football, and played a major role in “officiating, scheduling, television issues management, event management and the student-athlete experience.”

Building the WCC into a national brand is no small feat, and the fact she has put that wheels in motion and expanded the conference’s reach in just two years is incredible. Her record speaks for itself, and her work with the Pac-12 in the past means she could hit the ground running.

"},{"title":"Burke Magnus","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/Screen%20Shot%202021-01-20%20at%208.43.26%20PM.png","credit":"Getty Images","published":1611204168,"caption":"

Magnus has served as Executive Vice President of ESPN since May 2015 overseeing “all of the company’s program acquisitions and rights holder relations, content strategy and scheduling across professional and college and amateur sports.” In December 2020, he also assumed control of ESPN’s “original content and films division” which includes the 30 for 30 series.

The poor television money was one of Larry Scott’s greatest failures with the Pac-12 failing to agree to a deal with Direct-TV resulting in the conference ranking last among the P5 conferences for television revenue. Magnus has sat at the other end of table many times, most recently closing ESPN’s acquisition of the SEC football rights for $55 million per year beginning in 2024. That deal drowned out the “de-facto Pac-12 North Championship between Oregon and Washington being cancelled” story out of the news cycle.

"},{"title":"Dan Radakovich","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/GettyImages-1193920046.jpg","credit":"Getty Images","published":1611204230,"caption":"

The Clemson athletic director has helmed that position since December 1st, 2012 and oversaw the Tigers’ leap from fringe-BCS Bowl team to national power and two-time National Champion. He signed an extension through 2024 in April 2019 and helped ink a 10-year, $58 million deal with Nike that included all varsity sports.

Since taking over, Clemson’s yearly athletic revenue nearly doubled from $69 million prior to his arrival to $120 million in 2019. He also signed Dabo Swinney to the highest paying contract in college football history: a 10-year, $93 million extension.

"},{"title":"Greg Byrne ","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/GettyImages-507914740.jpg","credit":"Getty Images","published":1611204269,"caption":"

Greg Byrne, who grew up in Eugene, Oregon, currently serves as the athletic director at the University of Alabama. Before joining the Roll Tide, the 49-year-old served as athletic director of the University of Arizona from 2010-17 and Mississippi State from 2008-10 following two years as associate.

He’s also held associate director of athletics positions at the University of Kentucky and Oregon State University.

Byrne has a solid track record of success and more than 20 years experience in the athletics field. He has consistently found success in fundraising and leading programs with a strong emphasis in academic excellence.

"},{"title":"Ray Anderson","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/GettyImages-1229985199.jpg","credit":"Getty Images","published":1611204320,"caption":"

Ray Anderson was named Arizona State University’s Vice President for University Athletics and Athletics Director on Jan. 9, 2014 after previously serving as the NFL's executive vice president of football operations from 2006-13.

Anderson is a board member of the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame, a member of the NCAA Football Oversight Committee, Chair of the new Ad Hoc NCAA Football Competition Committee, and most the Green Sports Alliance Advisory Board.

"},{"title":"Rob Mullens ","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/GettyImages-846634870.jpg","credit":"Getty Images","published":1611204369,"caption":"

Matt Prehm of 247Sports posted he believes the Oregon athletic director deserves to be inside the consideration set but did not report that he’s in the running. However, it’s easy to see why one would speculate Mullens could be an attractive option. He hired Mario Cristobal, Dana Altman and Kelly Graves, the last of those two being the greatest coaches in program history and has overseen Oregon’s Nike partnership which elevated the Ducks into a national brand.

Mullens is in his tenth year in Eugene and has served as chairman of the College Football Playoff Committee for two years.

"},{"title":"Bill Moos ","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/GettyImages-1175029978.jpg","credit":"Getty Images ","published":1611204411,"caption":"

Bill Moos served as assistant and associate athletics’ director after Washington State before taking over as athletics director as Montana, Oregon, WSU again, and now Nebraska since 2017.

Some notable achievements include overseeing the 2002 renovation of Autzen Stadium and the construction of Moshofsky Sports Center while at Oregon, signing a ten-year marketing agreement with Nike while at WSU and overseeing Nebraska’s volleyball program winning the NCAA Tournament, Moos’ first national championship as an administrator.

"},{"title":"Literally anyone else…","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/USATSI_13757419%20%281%29.jpg","credit":"IMAGN","published":1611205831,"caption":"

Larry Scott’s tenure was riddled with controversy, which included the payment of large-sum bonuses during to conference executives while the Pac-12 was laying off employees. Scott was also the highest paid commissioner despite the conference’s financial struggles. Pac-12 officiating was also often under fire.

While Scott came with expansive credentials when he took was hired, the next commissioner should have vast experience running collegiate athletic programs. That person should also be adept in TV contract negotiations or outsource it to help make the Pac-12 more profitable.

"}]}

10 possible candidates to be Larry Scott’s successor as Pac-12 Commissioner