7 Mountain West schools agree to stay, steadying the conference amid realignment
Members of UNLV run onto the field after a 23-20 win over Kansas during an NCAA college football game, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
Seven Mountain West schools have agreed to remain in the league amid overtures by the Pac-12 to lure away at least one more of its teams, the conference announced Thursday.
The move comes after the Pac-12, which was reduced to just two teams after last summer’s realignment, announced two weeks ago that four Mountain West teams would join the league in 2026, including Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Colorado State. Utah State agreed to join earlier this week.
The seven remaining Mountain West schools signed a memorandum of understanding to stay in the league. They include Air Force, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, Wyoming and Hawaii.
Because Hawaii is a partial member, the Mountain West needs to add two more schools to be recognized as a conference under NCAA rules, but the league will have until 2028 to do so.
“Our immediate priority was solidifying the membership of the Mountain West. Now our focus turns to our collective future on behalf of our student-athletes,” Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a statement. “The agreements announced today mark a historic moment for the Mountain West and provide much-needed stability and clarity as the world of intercollegiate athletics continues to evolve rapidly.”
The remaining Mountain West teams agreed to execute grants of media rights from the member institutions to the conference from 2026 to 2032.
“I feel very good about where we landed in these fluid times related to conference realignment,” Wyoming athletic director Tom Burman said in a statement. “The Mountain West Conference will move forward to be at the NCAA requirement of eight full members. We will work with Mountain West leadership to actively add new members, but at this time we cannot comment on the matter of specific institutions for expansion.”
The Mountain West stands to make an estimated $100 million in exit fees from the teams that are leaving. The Pac-12 is suing the Mountain West over another $55 million in “poaching penalties” that were part of a football scheduling agreement Oregon State and Washington State entered into with the conference for this season.
The Mountain West will distribute the exit fees to the remaining member schools: Air Force and UNLV will receive 24.5%, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, and Wyoming, 11.5%, and Hawaii— a football-only member — 5%.
UNLV confirmed that it stands to be paid $10 million to $14 million, with $1.5 million to $1.8 million annually over a six-year period beginning in July 2026.
UNLV has been targeted by the Pac-12, which now must seek one more school to reach the eight-team threshold required by the NCAA by 2026. The American Athletic Conference had targeted Air Force.
“After a thorough evaluation of all options, at this time the best choice for UNLV is to remain a member of the Mountain West,” UNLV athletic director Erick Harper said. “We are a charter member of the conference, have had a great experience throughout its history and are excited to continue moving forward. The league is a genuine brand and an established product. Increased revenues are a vital factor. As we look ahead and continue our ascent as an athletics department, this also gives us necessary flexibility as we pursue our future goal of joining an autonomous (Power Four) conference.”
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