Six Mountain West schools sign binding commitment agreements

The six remaining full members of the Mountain West Conference have signed binding agreements through 2032, a source tells On3.

The news comes after Air Force and UNLV decided Wednesday night to stay in the Mountain West, passing up the Pac-12 and the American Athletic Conference. The only institution in the conference not to sign the binding agreement is Hawaii, which is a football-only member. Hawaii is not a target for the Pac-12 at this time, a source told On3.

Air Force and UNLV are expected to receive larger financial packages than the rest of the Mountain West. According to Yahoo Sports, the Mountain West will later release per-school tiered distribution, which is coming from Pac-12 exit fees.

Earlier this week, the Pac-12 filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District for the Northern District of California over a poaching penalty. With a scheduling agreement signed by Oregon State and Washington State for the 2024 season, the Pac-12 agreed to a poaching penalty of $10 million for the first Mountain West school acquired.

The Pac-12 has added Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Utah State in less than two weeks. Each departing Mountain West school owes the league $17 million. The Pac-12 all-in now would owe over $50 million in poaching penalties.

Because Hawaii is a football-only member, the Mountain West will need to add two more full-member institutions to reach the FBS conference minimum of eight. The Pac-12 needs to add at least one more school, too.

While the Mountain West will still need to expand, keeping the six schools together is a major win in keeping the conference intact. UNLV had an invitation from the Pac-12, and Air Force was in talks to join Army and Navy in the American.

Here are five schools to watch that the Pac-12 and Mountain West could target:

North Dakota State: Viewed by many as the top FCS football program in the country, North Dakota State has won nine FCS championships since 2011. The Bison have gained national notoriety, too. NDSU has routinely knocked off FBS schools, including No. 13 Iowa in 2016. After knocking off the Hawkeyes, the Bison received 74 votes in the AP Poll, barely missing out on a top 25 ranking. NDSU nearly knocked off Colorado earlier this season. With solid attendance, College GameDay has even made the trip to Fargo twice. In the regional footprint for both conferences, NDSU would be able to compete for a conference title immediately.

South Dakota State: South Dakota State is coming off back-to-back FCS national titles. One of North Dakota State’s arch rivals, adding the Jackrabbits would make sense to keep tradition. South Dakota State can draw crowds, too, with a 2023 regular-season attendance of 18,208, according to Hero Sports. Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium was built in 2014. The Jackrabbits are 103-31 in the last decade.

Montana: Montana ranked No. 2 in average attendance in 2023 according to Hero, bringing in 26,269 per game. The Grizzlies have made the FCS playoffs four consecutive seasons, including an appearance in the 2023 national title game against South Dakota State. The 2012 season is the Montana Grizzlies’ only losing season in the past 37 years.

Montana State: College GameDay made the trip in 2022 to Bozeman for the Brawl of the Wild rivalry game. The game has been played 122 times. Montana officially leads the all-time series 74-42-5. Montana State ranked No. 3 in the FCS in attendance last season per Hero, with an average of 21,610 fans. The rivals could be travel partners, compete quickly for conference titles and keep their rivalry intact. The Bobcats have made multiple semifinal appearances in the FCS playoffs in recent years.

Idaho: A source told On3 that Idaho will not want to stay in the Big Sky Conference if the Group of Five raids schools like the four listed above. The Vandals were in the FBS from 1996 to 2017 before voluntarily moving to the FCS in 2018. Idaho has found success in football since making the move back, going to the past FCS playoffs. Head coach Jason Eck’s team is currently 3-1 with a win at Wyoming and a close loss at Oregon. Idaho also boasts one of the only indoor college football stadiums in the nation – the Kibbie Dome.