Getty Image
There’s been no shortage of drama stemming from conference realignment in college sports over the past few years, and we’ve been treated to our latest dose courtesy of the war that’s now brewing between the Pac-12 and the Mountain West.
It seemed like the Pac-12 was on the verge of extinction after it found itself with a grand total of two members (Washington State and Oregon State) following the exodus that officially commenced over the summer, but things have taken a very interesting turn since the start of the current college football season.
Earlier this month, the conference channeled its inner GIF of The Undertaker popping out of a coffin after adding a quartet of Mountain West teams in the form of Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Colorado State, and on Monday, it reportedly came one step closer to reaching the eight-team threshold required to meet the NCAA’s definition of a conference by welcoming Utah State into the fold.
That development understandably has not sat well with the Mountain West, which had previously entered into an alliance with what was dubbed the “Pac-2” and now finds itself at risk of falling below that threshold after losing five of its 11 members (a number that could rise to seven when you consider UNLV and Air Force are mulling a potential defection despite reaffirming their allegiance before the Utah State news broke).
According to Yahoo Sports, the aforementioned alliance between the two conferences involved a contract that stated the Pac-12 agreed to pay “poaching fees” in the event of the scenario that’s currently unfolding, and after losing its first four teams, Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez sent the Pac-12 a letter informing the conference it was expected to fork over $43 million in compensation within 30 days (the number is now $50 million thanks to the addition of Utah State).
That demand has now sparked the latest in a line of legal battles involving college conferences, as the Pac-12 responded by filing a lawsuit against the Mountain West on Tuesday that asserts the agreement is a violation of antitrust statutes and is subsequently unenforceable, arguing the clause “restrains trade” and that the fees (which don’t include the $17 million exit penalty departing schools are subject to) are” excessive and unreasonable.”
Billable hours are once again undefeated as conference realignment continues to transform the landscape of college sports.