• Loading stock data...
Thursday, September 18, 2025

What’s Next for the Mountain West After Pac-12 Expansion

  • The conference has $111 million coming its way from exit fees and Pac-12 damages.
  • The media deal doesn’t expire until 2026, giving the Mountain West time to find replacement schools.
Sep 14, 2024; Logan, Utah, USA; Utah State Aggies interim head coach Nate Dreiling leads his team out onto the field before playing against the Utah Utes at Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium.
Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

Another round of conference realignment dominoes have begun to fall.

Last week, the Pac-12 announced it would add four schools in 2026—Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, and Colorado State—from the Mountain West. 

Now, the Mountain West will try to discourage other members from following suit and find replacement schools. But the conference isn’t in the worst position, thanks to a nine-figure financial cushion and a lengthy runway for its next media deal.

After reports began to surface last Wednesday, the conference said its board was meeting to discuss next steps. “The Mountain West has a proud 25-year history and will continue to thrive in the years ahead,” commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a statement last week.

The Pac-12 needs at least two more football-playing schools to join in order to maintain FBS status, though commissioner Teresa Gould told Front Office Sports the conference is open to more. UNLV, another Mountain West program, has been floated as the next good fit—though there may be issues about the state’s Board of Regents forcing the Pac-12 to also take Nevada. 

Nevarez likely anticipated this very scenario—and, as a result, has set up the conference to receive at least $111 million in exit fees and damage funds.

The Mountain West’s scheduling partnership with the two-member Pac-12 requires the Pac-12 to pay tens of millions for each school it poaches within two years of the agreement’s expiration in 2026. The Pac-12 already owes $43 million to the Mountain West, according to a copy of the agreement obtained by FOS, for taking four schools. (In addition to the funds, the four departing schools are leaving behind $17 million each in exit fees.)

It’s not inconceivable the Pac-12 would be willing to pay up, as it has a reserve of $65 million of its own from its settlement in a lawsuit against departing members. But it would be extremely costly for the conference: A fifth school would bump that fee up to $55 million, and a sixth would raise it to $67.5 million. 

Other conferences, too, could be looking to pick off Mountain West members—and they wouldn’t be forced to pay eight-figure fees.

The Mountain West now has two options: Either add new schools and then renegotiate its media-rights deal, or renegotiate the deal and try to use its terms to entice new members. The conference’s existing package with CBS and Fox pays about $38.7 million a year, according to recent tax returns, and expires in 2026. And this summer, the conference inked a multiyear deal with TNT Sports, which will commence with 14 football games this season.

The Mountain West could, if it wanted, convince schools to stay (at least in the short term) by offering some of that $111 million war chest. It could do the same for potential additions.

Nevarez may look at schools like Conference USA’s New Mexico State, which could be looking to join a stronger non-power conference. It could also offer bids to FCS programs hoping to jump to FBS, like North Dakota State or Sacramento State, which has a small army of local community members looking to send it to the next level. 

“We’ve made it very clear on where we want our institution to be and so we’ll take it from there,” North Dakota State athletic director Matt Larsen said this weekend. But he cautioned: “If those things are played in the public and the media, that’s how those things usually get submarined.”

The conference has plenty of time to add new members and negotiate a new deal for the 2026–2027 season. As long as it doesn’t dawdle too much, and potentially let the Pac-12 surpass it (a mistake the Pac-12 itself made two years ago), it should have no problem surviving into the next era of college sports.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

The South Milwaukee Planet Fitness at 2901 S. Chicago Ave. will relocate to Oak Creek in summer.

‘People Want to Go to the Gym’: Why Fitness M&A Is Surging..

The fitness and gym industry has had strong deal activity in the first half of the year.

$3.8 Billion Commanders Stadium Deal Approved Despite Late Drama

A decisive final vote on the stadium followed some last-minute snags.

Netflix Boxing Ratings Spark New Fight Over Streaming Metrics

The streamer used a non-accredited process to measure the boxing match.
Donald Trump
exclusive

Trump’s Unprecedented Super Bowl Visit Cost Secret Service More Than $120K

Trump was the first president to attend the Super Bowl.

Featured Today

Premier Lacrosse League

‘The Circus Is Coming to Town’: Why Upstart Leagues Start on Tour

In their ambitious plans, a traveling schedule is only temporary.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 19: A detailed view of the MLB Debut patch on the jersey of Patrick Monteverde #44 of the Miami Marlins prior to game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 19, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
September 13, 2025

The Tiny Jersey Patch at the Center of the MLB Rookie Card..

Autographed cards containing a piece of baseball history have upended the market.
September 11, 2025

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.
Sep 13, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back AK Dear (0) tries to outrun Wisconsin Badgers cornerback Ricardo Hallman (2) during the second half at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Despite Vote Delay, SCORE Act Negotiations Continue on Capitol Hill

Political ad campaigns during college football Saturdays continue as well.
Sep 12, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) looks to pass during the first quarter against the New Mexico Lobos at Rose Bowl.
September 15, 2025

UCLA-Tennessee QB Trade Has Been Painful So Far

Iamaleava abruptly left Tennessee for UCLA this past offseason.
Sep 12, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; New Mexico Lobos quarterback Jack Layne (2) reacts after his team scored a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl.
September 15, 2025

UCLA Paid New Mexico $1.2 Million for Friday’s Loss: Payout Game Tracker

The Bruins weren’t the only Power-4 school to lose a buy game and fire their coach.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
September 14, 2025

College Football’s Costly Start for Virginia Tech, UCLA: Coaches Out

UCLA and Virginia Tech fire their coaches while Notre Dame slumps badly.
Mar 4, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks with Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., ahead of President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2025.
September 11, 2025

House Republicans Delay SCORE Act Vote Tentatively Planned for Next Week

They didn’t believe they had enough votes to pass the bill.
Jan 25, 2023; Langley, British Columbia, CAN; Highlights from the CHL Kubota Top Prospects game at the Langley Events Centre
September 10, 2025

NCAA Hockey Scouts Denied Passes for Crucial Recruiting League

The CHL won’t welcome scouts on passes: “It comes across as petty.”
Feb 17, 2024; Boise, Idaho, USA; Fresno State Bulldogs guard Jalen Weaver (5) during the first half against the Boise State Broncos at ExtraMile Arena.
September 10, 2025

NCAA Bans 3 Basketball Players for Violating Betting Rules Last Season

The former San Jose State and Fresno State players have lost eligibility.