Pac-12’s New Members: The Great Escape from Mountain West
TLDR:
Four Schools Leave Mountain West Conference to Join Pac-12
• Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State, and Fresno State are set to leave the Mountain West Conference to join the Pac-12.
• The Pac-12 board of directors approved the applications of these four schools, which will join the Pac-12 starting in the 2026-27 academic year.
• Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez stated that the conference will have "choice words" regarding the potential departures of its members.
• The departing schools will have to pay an exit fee of roughly $18 million with two years' notice, and a $36 million fee if they decide to exit with only one year's notice.
• The Pac-12 has agreed to help with these exit fees, thanks to withheld media-rights distribution fees and other conference assets.
• The Pac-12 will need to add two more schools to meet the NCAA minimum requirement, which is currently in a two-year grace period.
• The future of the Pac-12 is uncertain, with the sports world buzzing about the potential for the Pac-12 to rise from the ashes or collapse.
In a move that has all the drama of a high school breakup, four schools are set to announce their departure from the Mountain West Conference to join the Pac-12. Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State, and Fresno State have decided to pack their bags and head for greener pastures, or at least, more televised ones.
The Great Escape
Sources confirmed to ESPN that the Pac-12 board of directors, in a unanimous decision that probably involved a lot of high-fives and celebratory snacks, approved the applications of these four schools. Starting in the 2026-27 academic year, these schools will join the Pac-12, which currently consists of Oregon State and Washington State, the last two survivors of the league’s collapse in the summer of 2023. Think of it as the Pac-12’s version of “Survivor,” but with more football and less island.
Mountain West’s Response: “We Will Survive”
Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez, channeling her inner Gloria Gaynor, released a statement late Wednesday. “The Mountain West Conference is aware of media reports regarding the potential departure of several of our members, and we will have more to say in the days ahead,” Nevarez said. Translation: “We see you leaving, and we have some choice words coming your way.”
Nevarez continued, “All members will be held to the Conference bylaws and policies should they elect to depart.” In other words, “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, but if it does, that’ll be $18 million, please.”
Exit Fees and Poaching Penalties: The Price of Freedom
Leaving the Mountain West isn’t cheap. The departing schools will have to pay an exit fee of roughly $18 million with two years’ notice. If they decide to make a dramatic exit with only one year’s notice, that fee jumps to $36 million. It’s like a really expensive game of “Deal or No Deal.”
But wait, there’s more! The Pac-12, in its infinite wisdom, has agreed to help with these exit fees, thanks to some withheld media-rights distribution fees and other conference assets. It’s like a friend offering to cover your bar tab because they owe you from that time you helped them move.
The Pac-12’s Shopping Spree
Once these four schools are officially on board, the Pac-12 will still need to add two more schools to meet the NCAA minimum requirement. It’s like a shopping spree where you have to buy at least six items to get the discount. The conference is currently in a two-year grace period, which is basically the NCAA’s way of saying, “Take your time, but hurry up.”
The Future of the Pac-12: To Be Continued
News of the four schools joining the Pac-12 was first reported by Yahoo Sports, and it’s safe to say that the sports world is buzzing. Will the Pac-12 rise from the ashes like a phoenix, or will it be more like a game of Jenga, teetering on the edge of collapse? Only time will tell, but one thing’s for sure: college football just got a whole lot more interesting.