Air Force and UNLV are expected to remain in the Mountain West Conference, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Both schools were incentivized to stay thanks to significant financial packages made possible in part by the collective exit fees that the conference's five departing members — Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State — will have to pay to join the Pac-12. Each school is expected to pay roughly $18 million to leave.
UNLV decided to remain in the Mountain West despite overtures from the Pac-12, and Air Force received strong interest from the American Athletic Conference. With both pledges, the Mountain West has seven football-playing members and will need to add two more members to meet the NCAA's minimum criteria (Hawaii is only a partial member).
UNLV's decision is a blow to the Pac-12, which had been optimistic that the Rebels would join the other five MWC schools in the revamped conference as it rebuilds following last year's collapse. The Pac-12 is down to seven members and will likely have to turn its attention outside the Mountain West as the remaining conference schools — Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada, San Jose State and Wyoming — are expected to sign binding agreements Thursday to remain in the conference.
All of this comes a day after the Pac-12 filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the legality of a “poaching penalty” included in a football scheduling agreement it signed with the Mountain West in December.
As part of the agreement, the Mountain West included language requiring the Pac-12 to pay a $10 million fee if a school leaves the MWC to join the Pac-12, with $500,000 increments for each additional school. With the five departures, the total the Mountain West says it should receive rises to $55 million.
“This action challenges an anti-competitive and unlawful 'stealing penalty' that the MWC imposed on the Pac-12 to inhibit member schools' competition in college athletics,” the lawsuit says. “The 'stealing penalty' imposes exorbitant and punitive monetary fees on the Pac-12 for participating in competition by accepting MWC member schools into the Pac-12.”
On Monday, both UNLV and Air Force reaffirmed their commitment to the Mountain West but softened that stance the same day in the wake of Utah State’s decision to withdraw on a whirlwind day of college realignment that also saw Memphis, Tulane, South Florida and UTSA reject offers to join the Pac-12 in order to remain in the AAC.
The news was first reported by Action Network.
