Mountain West commissioner pursues expansion, mulls possible Pac-12 merger

The Mountain West Conference is interested in adding anywhere from one to all four of the remaining Pac-12 Conference schools, while a merger with the depleted league remains on the table.

In an exclusive interview with On3, Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said she feels like it would be a “missed opportunity for sure” if her league does not add at least one Pac-12 school during this realignment round. 

Oregon State, Washington State, Stanford and California all need to find a landing spot – or rebuild the Conference of Champions – after Friday’s historic round of realignment saw five schools bolt for the Big Ten Conference and Big 12 Conference, respectively.

Asked if she would be disappointed if the Mountain West doesn’t add any Pac-12 schools during this realignment cycle, Nevarez said: “It would feel like a missed opportunity for sure. These are four schools used to receiving $30 million a year. We are not in that stratosphere. But I certainly think we could provide an excellent landing place for those in need.”

Nevarez declined to divulge specifics related to a timeline. But sources with direct knowledge of the Mountain West strategy said the league is waiting for clarity to emerge from the ACC. ACC leadership is engaged in discussions exploring the benefits of potentially adding Cal and Stanford.

Regardless of the ACC’s decision regarding Cal and Stanford, Mountain West sources believe Oregon State and Washington State would be ideal fits for the MWC. Sources said both schools are beginning to get their minds around and assess what it would be like to be Mountain West members.

Could Mountain West merge with the Pac-12?

On another front, there are numerous questions Mountain West leadership has regarding a potential merger with what remains of the Pac-12.

Among them: Would it benefit the MWC to use the Pac-12 name/brand?

Plus, what would it mean for the MWC’s current rights deal with FOX Sports and CBS Sports?

“It’s not off the table,” Nevarez said. “But we have a lot of questions. It is like buying a house. You wouldn’t buy a house without a complete inspection. So, there’s just a lot of questions. They’re the type of questions that I think the Pac-12 or the remaining schools in the Pac-12 need to have time to figure out. Then also questions for us about assets and liabilities and fit and what’s really there. But certainly – absolutely everything’s still on the table.”

Mountain West commish: Demise of Pac-12 ‘breaks my heart’

Asked how important it is for the Mountain West to retain its conference name, Nevarez said: “Both brands are really strong. And let me just say it breaks my heart. This is a 108-year-old league. I went to law school at Cal. I worked in the conference office. I’m still a little bit shocked and a little bit crushed. People could argue brand strength, but I think it has an incredible brand. So, that to me is an asset. But again, it’s part of the greater calculation of assets and liabilities and what is there and what isn’t.”

There are at least two paths the Mountain West can take. They can pursue Pac-12 schools to add or pursue a merger with the Pac-12. Nevarez and league stakeholders are still weighing the benefits for both. She is not at the point where she prefers one strategy over the other.

“I’m not at that point where I’m rank ordering yet,” she said. “There’s still lots to be learned about a merger. It interests me a lot. But I’m proceeding with eyes wide open and need a lot more information.”

The Mountain West has a six-member subcommittee, comprised of school presidents and athletic directors, that works with Nevarez. Nevarez and MWC Board of Directors Chair Garnett Stokes, the University of New Mexico president, will lead the league through the expansion exploration process.

If any of the Pac-4 schools are invited to a Power 5 conference, Mountain West sources know those schools are not walking but rather sprinting to those leagues. If not, sources view the American Athletic Conference as a likely competitor to land Pac-4 schools but believe the MWC is better positioned.

And if the MWC adds one or more schools from the Pac-12, the Mountain West would certainly make arguments to the College Football Playoff Board on why it deserves Autonomous 5 status. Autonomous 5 status provides leagues with enhanced revenue distribution to Power 5 leagues. But Nevarez is realistic, saying “the way the votes are weighted right now, it would be an uphill battle.”

There are myriad possibilities for the remaining Pac-4 schools. And the foursome won’t necessarily move to a new league – or try to rebuild the Pac-12 – as one unified bloc. They could splinter in any number of ways. 

The Mountain West currently is waiting on the ACC. Several TV sources and administrators with deep ties to the ACC told On3 that the two additions would not be prudent for the ACC on several fronts. Concerns include significant travel issues and the absence of a clear way they would grow the league’s revenue pie. 

If the ACC ultimately passes – and the Big Ten does not swoop in to monopolize all major West Coast markets and move to 20 teams with Cal and Stanford – the Mountain West stands as a viable option for any or all the schools. The MWC has three years remaining on a $270 million rights deal with CBS Sports and FOX Sports. Members receive annual payouts of some $5-6 million. 

Will the Pac-4 bloc remain united?

The AAC is also a potential landing spot for any or all four Pac-12 schools. The league is interested in adding all four schools, sources with direct knowledge of the league’s strategy told On3. The AAC has a long-term, $1 billion rights deal with ESPN. 

As recently as a few weeks ago, it appeared as if the Mountain West would be in danger of losing one or more schools. Once it secured a rights deal, the Pac-12 expected to immediately shift to expansion efforts. The MWC’s San Diego State – as well as the AAC’s SMU – were leading candidates to jump to the Pac-12. 

That all changed Friday. Oregon and Washington exited for the Big Ten, and Arizona, Arizona State and Utah followed Colorado to the Big 12. The proposed Pac-12 rights deal with Apple TV+ carried too much risk. Concerns centered on subscription-based incentives that wouldn’t guarantee annual revenue shares and questions about brand visibility on a streaming platform.

The Pac-12 is dead as we know it. But it is still exploring options that might include trying to poach schools from other leagues, even though a Pac-4 invite now is not nearly as attractive and the league remains without a rights deal after July 1, 2024.

The Mountain West is well positioned to protect itself financially if schools do leave. If an MWC school leaves to join the Pac-12 in 2024, the exit fee is a steep $34 million. If a MWC school leaves to join the Pac-12 in 2025, the price tag drops to $17 million.

Nevarez said, as of today, she is confident the MWC will remain intact. And she can say definitely, at least for today, that the MWC will not dissolve.

“I’m confident that we are in sync and united today,” she said. “I’m certainly not naive to think the market could not change again. This thing is so fluid … I really do believe where we stand today we are strongly together and it makes sense for us to stay together.”