Things Get Uglier Between Mountain West and Exiting Teams

Things continue to get uglier between the Mountain West Conference and the five teams, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Utah State, and San Diego State, exiting for the Pac-12 in 2026. The Mountain West is now calling their actions "inconsistent and unjust" in regards to them challenging a $150 million exit and poaching fee. The Mountain West recently released a statement on the matter.

The Mountain West on the Litigation

“This litigation centers on the obligation of these institutions to pay the exit fees clearly defined in the Mountain West Conference bylaws — policies they not only helped develop and adopt, but also sought to enforce against San Diego State in the summer of 2023. It is, therefore, inconsistent and unjust for these same institutions to now attempt to evade their responsibilities. In fact, the departing schools have agreed to similar exit fee provisions as part of their membership in the Pac-12.”

The Mountain West on Pursuing this Further

“The Mountain West is prepared to respond to whatever assertions may be included in the Second Amended Complaint. We remain confident in our legal position, which we will vigorously defend.”

This doesn't seem like it's going to get better anytime soon. There will not be an amicable split between the conference and the five teams. No matter how this plays out, there is going to be bad blood between the two sides. It's going to be interesting to see what happens and this could lead to bad blood on the field this season between the exiting teams and the remaining teams, like the UNLV Rebels.