Who is Oliver Luck? Pac-12 Commish-contender hired to evaluate status of Pac-4 future

Who is Oliver Luck? Well, he is a footballer who has the herculean task of trying to save the Pac-12 from going under. He has been part of the leadership of NFL Europe, the Houston Sports Authority, the NCAA, and the XFL at some point.

College football insider Jim Williams reported the news that Luck would be helping out the Conference of Champions.

"Former @WVUfootball AD Oliver Luck (who should have been the Pac 12 commissioner) has been hired to explore the Pac 4 options. Luck will look at ways 2 keep the conference alive including adding at least 4 more teams, mergers w/ the MW or American. He is a creative force & knows all the conference leaders and most of the network excutives well"

That is all good to hear but who is Oliver Luck and how is he going to change the fate of the Pac-12 at this juncture?

Who is Oliver Luck and why did the Pac-12 wait so long to hire him?

Oliver Luck has worn a lot of different hats over the course of his career. He has been part of the college football game for a while, as he was the West Virginia Athletic Director from 2010 to 2014 and worked as the Executive Vice President for Regulatory Affairs in the NCAA from 2014-2018. Luck has a lot of experience with different leagues and making them improve.

It is quite possible that people answer the 'who is Oliver Luck' question by simply knowing him as the father of former Stanford and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. Maybe that is a reason he took this job, as Stanford is one of the four teams whose its future not clear.

The second part of the question is a bit of a head-scratcher, as the move to hire Luck feels a little late. Maybe after USC and UCLA decided to leave for the Big Ten, this move would have made more sense. This more feels like the Conference of Champions is looking for an answer from Oliver Luck on how to move forward.

Jim Williams outlined in his tweet what the next step likely is, which is a merger with the Mountain West. That way, the Pac-12 survives and gets an influx of programs hungry to be seen as Power Five schools. However, this feels like a lot more than just a consulting gig.

Who is Oliver Luck? He should be the next commissioner of the Pac-12 if he can save it from its terrible leadership over the years.