The Pac-12 Conference is shrinking down to just two programs in 2024 as questions swirl about Washington State and Oregon State's departure. For now, Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff is still running the show, and after the Washington football program clinched a spot in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game by defeating Texas, Kliavkoff had a lot of different emotions.

After the thrilling win by the Huskies, the Pac-12 Commissioner expressed his feelings on what lies ahead and what could've been (h/t Brandon Marcello of 247Sports):

“Surreal. Its surreal. It's upsetting that some of our schools weren't more patient because if they saw what we were building it would have paid off.”

It definitely is a surreal moment, and now the Pac-12 Conference will have a program playing for the national title. And, odd enough, Washington football and Michigan will be a battle of future Big Ten programs.

George Kliavkoff on what could have been 

Pac-12, George Kliavkoff

It has been a rough year for Kliavkoff and the Pac-12 Conference with everybody except Washington State and Oregon State moving in 2024. But, after the Washington football program got the win, Kliavkoff had some more strong statements to share on what could have been for the Pac-12 (h/t Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports).

“Happy for the kids. They don’t deserve all the nonsense going on around them. We were focused on rebuilding football. Took 2.5 years. I wish it would have happened quicker. If some of our schools would have been a little more patient, it would have paid off.”

Kliavkoff surely has mixed feelings about the way the Pac-12 Conference is coming to a close, and after Washington football's success, it is only a reminder of what could have been. But, the media rights deal wasn't there, and Kliavkoff and others were playing hardball in an effort to find a more lucrative deal.

As a result, Washington, Oregon, UCLA, and USC moved to the Big Ten Conference, and Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State moved to the Big 12 with Cal and Stanford going to the ACC.

Now, the Huskies face Jim Harbaugh and Michigan in the national title game on January 8 in a battle of undefeated programs.