Utah State to the Pac-12…

[The Peeper]

So, the remaining 7 Mountain West teams signed a "memorandum of understanding" to stay in the Mountain West until 2032. That creates a real problem for the Pac-12 and the MW teams that have announced Pac-12 membership because now, unless they get some sort of legal victory over the Mountain West, there's no hope for them to dissolve the Mountain West and get out of paying the exit fees and poaching penalties. So, a huge chunk of their Pac-12 windfall is going to end up going to the Mountain West, plus they didn't even get their 8th team to solidify themselves as full conference.

So now unless something changes:
The Pac-12 and/or the defecting Mountain West teams will have to pay the Mountain West about $160 Million total.
The conference will consist of:
Oregon State
Washington State
Boise State
Utah State
San Diego State
Colorado State
Fresno State
Some other school that they'll have to poach from another conference or the FCS before the 2026 season. Gonzaga wouldn't count because they need a football playing member.

The Mountain West will pay UNLV and Air Force each $10-$14 Million in 2025 to stay, then about $1.5 Million a year for the next 6 years. Nevada, SJSU, New Mexico, and Wyoming will get about half that amount. Hawaii with get about a fifth of that amount.
The conference will consist of:
Wyoming
UNLV
Nevada
New Mexico
San Jose State
Air Force
Hawaii (football only)
Two more full time schools that they'll have to poach from another conference or the FCS before the 2028 season. The biggest targets are allegedly Texas State and Northern Illinois.

One other interesting note for UNLV is that they negotiated the ability to go to a Power 4 without penalty.

As of right now, it kind of looks like the Pac-12 took a big gamble and lost big. Also, UNLV is apparently deeply in the red so an upfront cash infusion was probably really attractive.

View attachment 658722

The MW later sent a corrected retention bonus percentage:
Air Force -- 24.5%
UNLV -- 24.5%
Nevada -- 11.5%
New Mexico -- 11.5%
San Jose State -- 11.5%
Wyoming -- 11.5%
Hawaii -- 5%

 

[OG Goat Holder]

As of right now, it kind of looks like the Pac-12 took a big gamble and lost big.

That's what it looks like to me too. It's really just unbelievable.....why can't anyone get this right? I have no idea why Washington State and Oregon State couldn't figure out some way to be the 17th and 18th members of the Big 12, somehow, someway.

 

[Dawgg]

Strictly speaking, the Mountain West Press Release was a picture, but sure, I’ll summarize.

The remaining 7 Mountain West members decided to stay together and signed a binding agreement to do so until 2032. This means that some combination of the Pac-12 and the 5 Mountain West teams that are leaving for the Pac-12 will have to pay a total north of $160 Million unless the Pac-12 wins its lawsuit against the Mountain West (which would bring it down closer to $80-$100 Million). The incentive to stay was a $25 Million bonus for UNLV and Air Force. The other members that stay will get about half that.

So, the Mountain West survives and should get a nice payday from the Pac-12 and/or its departing members.

 

[The Peeper]

Strictly speaking, the Mountain West Press Release was a picture, but sure, I’ll summarize.

The remaining 7 Mountain West members decided to stay together and signed a binding agreement to do so until 2032. This means that some combination of the Pac-12 and the 5 Mountain West teams that are leaving for the Pac-12 will have to pay a total north of $160 Million unless the Pac-12 wins its lawsuit against the Mountain West (which would bring it down closer to $80-$100 Million). The incentive to stay was a $25 Million bonus for UNLV and Air Force. The other members that stay will get about half that.

So, the Mountain West survives and should get a nice payday from the Pac-12 and/or its departing members.

I guess I should have included these ** because I really have ZERO feelings concerning what happens to the Mountain West or the Pac 12, 2, 6, 8 or whatever they are now. Sorry, my bad

 

[patdog]

Strictly speaking, the Mountain West Press Release was a picture, but sure, I’ll summarize.

The remaining 7 Mountain West members decided to stay together and signed a binding agreement to do so until 2032. This means that some combination of the Pac-12 and the 5 Mountain West teams that are leaving for the Pac-12 will have to pay a total north of $160 Million unless the Pac-12 wins its lawsuit against the Mountain West (which would bring it down closer to $80-$100 Million). The incentive to stay was a $25 Million bonus for UNLV and Air Force. The other members that stay will get about half that.

So, the Mountain West survives and should get a nice payday from the Pac-12 and/or its departing members.

This is crazy. Those 2 conferences really should have just combined. Instead, they’ll both be much weaker (and much less attractive for media contracts) because they’re fighting over money.

 

[FlotownDawg]

This is crazy. Those 2 conferences really should have just combined. Instead, they’ll both be much weaker (and much less attractive for media contracts) because they’re fighting over money.

There are pretty much just two Mountain West conferences now. Neither of them is a power conference. It’s the Mountain West and the Mountain West with Oregon State and Washington State

 

[Dawgg]

That's what it looks like to me too. It's really just unbelievable.....why can't anyone get this right? I have no idea why Washington State and Oregon State couldn't figure out some way to be the 17th and 18th members of the Big 12, somehow, someway.

I think a few things prevented it:
1. I think WSU and OSU had to stay in the Pac-12 to ensure that they would get the full $250 Million owed to the Pac-12. Otherwise, they would have had to split it between the other departing members and/or forfeit all/some of the NCAA tournament units, bowl payouts, etc. I think this is the big one.

2. With 4 of those departing members going to the Big 12 (Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Arizona State), they would have had to get all 12 of the existing Big 12 teams to agree to admit them. The Big 12 requires a supermajority for admitting new members. This means they needed 12 of the 16 because you know the 'Four Corner' schools were not going to vote to admit 2 teams they had just spent the previous few months battling in the legal system over hundreds of millions of dollars.

3. The reason that would be difficult is the lack of pro-rata with Fox. ESPN would have to pay the Big 12 to include OSU and WSU because part of their agreement was pro-rata increases for existing Power 5 teams (which both were at the time), but Fox's portion of the Big 12 contract doesn't include the pro-rata, so each addition has to be vetted individually. Fox wasn't willing to pay the Big Ten a full share for Washington and Oregon. I doubt they were seriously considering paying the Big 12 for Oregon State and Washington State. So, each Big 12 team's payout would potentially be reduced by adding those teams.

Really, I think it's the $250 Million owed to the Pac-12 preventing most of it. If they could keep that money without keeping the Pac-12 intact, they potentially could have offered up the same deal Cal, Stanford, and SMU did to get themselves into the ACC and take little or no money until the next Big 12 contract. Still would have probably had some issues with the Four Corner schools though.

 

[Dawgg]

I guess I should have included these ** because I really have ZERO feelings concerning what happens to the Mountain West or the Pac 12, 2, 6, 8 or whatever they are now. Sorry, my bad

Fair enough, but it's about the most interesting thing about college football right now.

 

[Dawgg]

This is crazy. Those 2 conferences really should have just combined. Instead, they’ll both be much weaker (and much less attractive for media contracts) because they’re fighting over money.

In a few years when the books and deep dive analysis reports come back, this is going to be one of the most fascinating realignment stories we've ever had.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

I think a few things prevented it:
1. I think WSU and OSU had to stay in the Pac-12 to ensure that they would get the full $250 Million owed to the Pac-12. Otherwise, they would have had to split it between the other departing members and/or forfeit all/some of the NCAA tournament units, bowl payouts, etc. I think this is the big one.

2. With 4 of those departing members going to the Big 12 (Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Arizona State), they would have had to get all 12 of the existing Big 12 teams to agree to admit them. The Big 12 requires a supermajority for admitting new members. This means they needed 12 of the 16 because you know the 'Four Corner' schools were not going to vote to admit 2 teams they had just spent the previous few months battling in the legal system over hundreds of millions of dollars.

3. The reason that would be difficult is the lack of pro-rata with Fox. ESPN would have to pay the Big 12 to include OSU and WSU because part of their agreement was pro-rata increases for existing Power 5 teams (which both were at the time), but Fox's portion of the Big 12 contract doesn't include the pro-rata, so each addition has to be vetted individually. Fox wasn't willing to pay the Big Ten a full share for Washington and Oregon. I doubt they were seriously considering paying the Big 12 for Oregon State and Washington State. So, each Big 12 team's payout would potentially be reduced by adding those teams.

Really, I think it's the $250 Million owed to the Pac-12 preventing most of it. If they could keep that money without keeping the Pac-12 intact, they potentially could have offered up the same deal Cal, Stanford, and SMU did to get themselves into the ACC and take little or no money until the next Big 12 contract. Still would have probably had some issues with the Four Corner schools though.

Oh no question it was that money that did it. I just wonder why they couldn't work something out for the future.

Also....possibly a straight up merger with the MWC could have been workable. Beavers and Wazzou make 14 teams. Add Gonzaga for basketball to make 15. You survive. But because they were picky, they may not. They'll get less quality either way.

I noticed just now that @patdog has already suggested this.

 

[Dawgg]

Oh no question it was that money that did it. I just wonder why they couldn't work something out for the future.

Also....possibly a straight up merger with the MWC could have been workable. Beavers and Wazzou make 14 teams. Add Gonzaga for basketball to make 15. You survive. But because they were picky, they may not. They'll get less quality either way.

I noticed just now that @patdog has already suggested this.

Absolutely… ‘absorbing’ the Mountain West in an orderly fashion should have definitely been doable and would have probably been the smart play, but I’m getting an impression from various reports that the top half of the MW was trying break away from the bottom half. I also don’t know what sort of TV deal they were going to get with and without those bottom 3-4 teams.

 

[MSUDOG24]

Absolutely… ‘absorbing’ the Mountain West in an orderly fashion should have definitely been doable and would have probably been the smart play, but I’m getting an impression from various reports that the top half of the MW was trying break away from the bottom half. I also don’t know what sort of TV deal they were going to get with and without those bottom 3-4 teams.

Interesting article in the Athletic about the infighting and missteps on both sides PAC/MW. Some nuggets confirming your point.

The scheduling agreement signed last year stipulates it would cost nothing for the Pac-12 to add all 12 Mountain West schools.
OSU and WSU want to invest at a Power 4 level and do not want to accept that they’ve been knocked down a peg. I understood the four MW defectors trying to gather up the biggest investing G5 schools.
But it didn’t work. This is now a whole lot of money, trouble and hurt feelings, all because you wanted to get away from San Jose State, Nevada and Hawaii. Is what’s left that much better?

 

[patdog]

Interesting article in the Athletic about the infighting and missteps on both sides PAC/MW. Some nuggets confirming your point.

The scheduling agreement signed last year stipulates it would cost nothing for the Pac-12 to add all 12 Mountain West schools.
OSU and WSU want to invest at a Power 4 level and do not want to accept that they’ve been knocked down a peg. I understood the four MW defectors trying to gather up the biggest investing G5 schools.
But it didn’t work. This is now a whole lot of money, trouble and hurt feelings, all because you wanted to get away from San Jose State, Nevada and Hawaii. Is what’s left that much better?

Oregon St & Washington St repeated the same mistakes that killed the PAC-12 in the first place. Thought they were worth more than they are & got greedy. They should have just taken all MWC schools in a merger & been done with it. Now they’re left with a crappy conference & huge settlements to pay.