Wild Day of Realignment Talks Ends in Limbo for Mountain West, Pac-12

On Sept. 12, just 11 days ago, the Pac-12 announced it would add four Mountain West schools—Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, and Colorado State—in 2026. 

On Monday, another round of realignment negotiations for the now-rivals of the Pac-12 and Mountain West heated up after four AAC schools announced they would stay put.

Throughout Monday, the Mountain West, led by commissioner Gloria Nevarez, was working to get all existing members to sign a written commitment to stay in the conference, a source confirmed to Front Office Sports. The league is offering financial incentives—dealing from a $111 million war chest of exit and damage fees—and hopes that the agreement will eventually turn into a formal grant of rights deal that will extend through the next College Football Playoff media agreement in 2031. 

But the conference did not end up making an announcement it hoped for Monday night. Instead, multiple outlets reported the Pac-12 was planning to take Utah State from the Mountain West. Other schools—including key member UNLV—decided not to sign the Mountain West’s agreement just yet. 

Earlier on Monday, the AAC announced Memphis, Tulane, UTSA, and USF would remain in the conference despite being courted by the Pac-12 and possibly others, and later suggested the rest of its schools had made the same commitment.

What’s Next?

If the Pac-12 gets Utah State, it would be one school shy from the NCAA-mandated magic number of eight FBS schools, a number that would ensure that the conference will live on—at least for now.

After finding another FBS member, the Pac-12 could turn to FCS schools with powerhouse football programs interested in jumping to the next level. The conference may also continue conversations with Gonzaga, which has not received a formal offer to join the conference but has been in discussions with the Pac-12 as a basketball member, another source told FOS. The Zags do not sponsor football.

In losing Utah State, the Mountain West’s exit and damage fees would increase to $140 million. The conference’s scheduling partnership with the Pac-12 requires significant damage fees to be paid out for each school taken from the Mountain West. After poaching five schools, the Pac-12 would owe the Mountain West $55 million, according to a copy of the agreement previously obtained by FOS. The conference would also receive around $17 million per school in exit fees.

The Mountain West would also need one more FBS-playing member to maintain its current status. The conference has received interest from several schools in both the FBS and FCS classifications, the first source previously told FOS.