The Pac-12 and Mountain West are headed to court. The conferences were unable to reach a settlement in the legal dispute over exit fees and poaching penalties tied to the Pac-12’s acquisition of five Mountain West schools, and they made a joint filing Tuesday to ask for a hearing on Sept. 9.
After the Pac-12 announced its additions of Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State, the Mountain West sought $55 million in penalties, claiming the Pac-12 broke the terms of the scheduling agreement it signed to help Oregon State and Washington State construct 12-game slates last football season. The Pac-12 last fall pursued legal action to overrule the fees, and the Mountain West filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
Colorado State, Utah State and Boise State filed a separate lawsuit against the Mountain West to challenge their exit fees from the conference, which start at $19 million per school. According to The Mercury News’ Jon Wilner, that lawsuit was also part of the failed mediation between the two leagues.
“The Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain West Conference participated in a mediation initiated by the Mountain West on May 19, 2025, in an effort to resolve the ongoing legal dispute,” the Pac-12 said in a statement. “While the Pac-12 engaged in the process in good faith, the mediation did not result in a solution. Today, the Pac-12 and Mountain West have jointly requested a hearing on the pending motion to dismiss to take place on September 9, 2025.
“The Pac-12 remains committed to moving forward with legal action in response to the Mountain West’s attempt to impose so-called “poaching penalties,” provisions we believe are unlawful and intended to obstruct our ability to act in the best interests of our student-athletes and member institutions. We are confident in the strength of our position and remain focused on upholding the academic excellence, athletic success, and proud tradition that have defined the Pac-12 for more than a century.”
The poaching penalties stem from a clause in the scheduling agreement between the Pac-12 and Mountain West that called for the former to pay a $10 million fee if it added a school from the latter. It also called for escalators of $500,000 for each additional school. Given that the Pac-12 formally voted to admit five schools to its membership, the Mountain West totaled the fees to the $55 million figure.
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Instead of settling out of court, though, the leagues will take their chances at the potential Sept. 9 hearing. The Pac-12 could be ordered to pay the fees in full or be let off the hook entirely.
The five schools will join the Pac-12 in 2026, and in the months following their announced arrival in the conference footprint, two others entered the fold. Gonzaga, which does not sponsor a football program, will move from the West Coast Conference as the Pac-12’s premier men’s basketball school. And earlier this summer, Texas State announced it will bring its fast-growing athletic department to the league by way of the Sun Belt.
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