Pac-12, Mountain West announce poaching lawsuit settlement

The Pac-12 and Mountain West conferences called a truce in their legal dispute over the former "poaching" member institutions from the latter.

A settlement between the rival leagues was reached and announced Tuesday, with terms not disclosed.

The Mountain West pursued legal action in 2024 after the Pac-12 announced it would add Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State as member institutions beginning with the 2026-27 academic year.

Published reports said the Mountain West wanted up to $55 million in total penalties for the poaching, as the conferences at the time had a football scheduling agreement to help the only remaining members of the old Pac-12, Oregon State and Washington State.

Their agreement required the Pac-12 to pay escalating exit fees for each Mountain West school it wanted to add. The Pac-12 sued, calling it an anti-competitive practice, and the Mountain West countered by saying the Pac-12 understood the terms of the contract it had agreed to and was trying to evade the fees.

The case expanded in recent months due to discovery disputes and other counterclaims, but neither league apparently wanted to get into a protracted legal fight.

The Pac-12 begins a new era this season with Texas State joining Oregon State, Washington State and the five Mountain West defectors playing football. The league also added Gonzaga for all sports besides football, with men's basketball being the main draw, and Saint Mary's has been floated as a 10th member also due to its men's basketball history.

The Mountain West has added UTEP as a full member and perennial FCS power North Dakota State and Northern Illinois as football-only affiliates while converting Hawaii from a football-only member to a full member. The league will have 10 teams for the 2026 football season as the newcomers join Air Force, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV and Wyoming.

--Field Level Media