The Mountain West Conference And Pac-12 Prepare For Next Court Date

The Mountain West Conference and the Pac-12 will be heading back to court on Tuesday in a motion to dismiss the hearing. The Mountain West had already filed for a motion to dismiss the case filed by the Pac-12 in December after the two sides couldn't reach an agreement in mediation. The Pac-12 had filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against the Mountain West over poaching penalties of $55 million. They were included in a scheduling agreement between the two sides.

On Tuesday, the case will be heard by Northern District of California Senior Judge Claudia Wilken. It is possible we get a ruling on Tuesday, but the ruling could also drag out over the next few weeks.

While the Pac-12 is suing the Mountain West for poaching penalties they view as illegal, Boise State, Colorado State, and Utah State are also suing the Mountain West over exit fees.

This outcome always looked inevitable, with both sides dug in, releasing statements making it clear that they felt that their side was in the right and that they were willing to take this as far as they had to.

From The Mountain West Conference's Statement

“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,” the Mountain West said. “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.

From The Pac-12's Statement

“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.”

This has been a messy process and an amicable divorce is no longer a possibility and hasn't been for a while. All we can hope for is that the courts will wrap this up as soon as possible, so we can talk about sports and not legal litigations. However, it will be interesting to see if anything boils over this season between the teams who are staying in the Mountain West Conference and the teams leaving for the Pac-12. It would be fun if this comes down to an eventual showdown between the UNLV Rebels and the Boise State Broncos in the Mountain West Championship game.

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