Mediation failed.
No settlement. No payouts. No resolution.
On Tuesday, the Pac-12 and Mountain West confirmed in a joint court filing that negotiations have concluded. The 60-day stay expired without an agreement, and the lawsuit, which seeks over $150 million in exit fees and poaching penalties, is moving forward in the Northern District of California. The next hearing on a motion to dismiss filed by the Mountain West is set for September 9.
The alliance between these two conferences is officially dead.
Now they’ll battle it out under oath, with UNLV’s future caught directly in the crossfire.
The Fallout and the Fault Lines
This didn’t come out of nowhere.
Back in December 2023, the Mountain West and the Pac-2: Oregon State and Washington State, agreed to a football scheduling alliance. Buried in that deal was a clause: if the Pac-12 added any Mountain West schools, it would owe $10 million per school in “poaching penalties.”
Ten months later, the Pac-12 took five:
Boise State
Colorado State
Fresno State
San Diego State
Utah State
The Mountain West fired back with its 2024 Memorandum of Understanding, a de facto Grant of Rights that locked in media rights through 2032 and froze exit payments, bonuses, and revenue shares for any school that attempted to leave.
So the Pac-12 sued.
Then Boise, Colorado State, and Utah State sued.
And now, mediation has failed. Everyone’s back in court.
The Pac-12 Isn’t Just Suing - They’re Trying to Blow the Structure Up
Here’s what the Pac-12 said in Tuesday’s statement:
“We remain 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.”
Translation:
They want the penalties voided.
They want the Grant of Rights tossed.
And they want to walk away with five new schools and zero financial consequences.
They’re not negotiating anymore. They’re trying to kill the contract.
The Mountain West fired back:
“The Mountain West and Pac-12 mutually agreed to mediation, and as noted in today’s Joint Status Report, were unable to reach a resolution. The case will now proceed to a court hearing on the pending motion to dismiss.
The Mountain West provided the Pac-12 institutions with a lifeline, offering a full football schedule for the 2024 season. The Pac-12 willingly signed the scheduling agreement with full knowledge of the contractual provisions and is attempting to avoid its legal obligations.
The Mountain West will aggressively protect the interests of our member institutions and is fully prepared to hold the Pac-12 accountable.”
No more diplomacy. No more middle ground.
Both sides are now committed to the fight and both believe they’re right.
Why UNLV Should Be Watching Every Filing
UNLV isn’t named in either lawsuit. But make no mistake, they’re sitting right in the blast radius.
When the five schools bailed for the Pac-12, UNLV stayed.
And the Mountain West rewarded them with:
A $10–14 million poaching payout, scheduled for 2026
A bonus structure running through 2032
Full hosting rights, tournament control, and a seat at the top of a league based in Las Vegas
That entire structure and every dollar attached to it depends on the Mountain West winning in court.
If the judge sides with the Pac-12?
The MOU is shredded. The payouts vanish. And UNLV is left holding a contract that no longer exists.
No back pay. No bonus. No way out.
The Stakes After Mediation Collapsed
A source close to the situation told reporters:
“There’s a need to see more cards overturned in litigation.”
That’s what this is now — a legal game of chicken where discovery, not press releases, will force movement.
Since mediation started:
The Pac-12 announced a media deal with CBS (June 23)
The Pac-12 added Texas State as their eighth FBS program (June 30) to meet NCAA certification rules
The Mountain West added Grand Canyon University a year early (July 7)
The Mountain West is still seeking a media deal with fewer brands, less leverage, and no margin for error
But none of it matters if the lawsuits don’t go their way.
Because $150 million in penalties, withheld CFP revenue, and promised shares are still frozen and that money was baked into both leagues’ futures.
For schools like UNLV, that payout wasn’t a bonus.
It was the foundation.
Final Word: UNLV Could Lose Everything for Doing Everything Right
UNLV stayed. They built. They invested. They bet on structure while everyone else chased logos.
And now they’re staring down the possibility of losing everything they were promised for doing it the right way.
This court case isn’t just a regional squabble. It’s existential.
If the Mountain West loses:
The $10–14 million payout? Vaporized.
The bonus system through 2032? Gone.
The power structure that put UNLV at the top? Erased.
And the media rights stability that backed it all? Dead.
Boise, Fresno, and San Diego State could walk away with clean exits and clean books.
UNLV? They’ll be stuck in a hollowed-out league with no money, no leverage, and no way out — after doing everything right.
That’s the risk no one’s talking about.
Not the MWC. Not the Pac-12. Not the networks.
But it’s real and it hits Vegas the hardest.
The Courtroom Will Decide If UNLV Leads or Gets Left Behind
This isn’t a procedural motion. This is a reckoning.
If the Mountain West wins, UNLV becomes the face of the next version of the league paid, powered, and positioned to dominate the Group of 5.
But if the Mountain West loses in court?
UNLV becomes collateral damage.
Their momentum stalls. Their payouts disappear. And their shot at national relevance? Slips through their fingers.
The courtroom will decide whether UNLV finally gets to lead…or whether they gambled everything on a league that couldn’t hold the line.
The bet made sense.
But the risk is real.
And come September, we find out if the payoff was ever real at all.
The Question That Comes Next: If the Money Fails, Can UNLV Afford to Stay?
Erick Harper will say the goal is the Big 12. Or the Power Four. He’s not wrong. UNLV is moving like a program that belongs.
But what happens if the promised money never arrives?
What happens if the Mountain West loses, the payout disappears, and the league tells UNLV:
“You’re still stuck. You still owe $18 million to leave.”
Because that’s how the MOU is written.
Exit fees. Media rights. Forfeiture of CFP money. All of it locked in through 2032.
So here’s the final question:
If the Mountain West can’t deliver on its promises, would it still charge UNLV to leave?
Would it waive the exit fee? Would it open the door?
Or would it box in the most valuable brand it has left and watch that brand rot from the inside?
That’s the part nobody wants to say out loud.
But it’s coming. And if the Mountain West refuses to let go, even after the collapse, then this isn’t a partnership anymore.
It’s a hostage situation.
Michael Cooper covers UNLV, college football realignment, and the financial structure of college sports for The Scarlet Stand