Mountain West Conference pauses expansion amid legal dispute with Pac-12
The conference will add Grand Canyon in all sports except football beginning this year. Hawaii, which plays football in the Mountain West, will join as a full member in 2026, as will Texas-El Paso. Northern Illinois will play only football in the Mountain West and UC Davis will be a non-football member.
Five schools will leave the Mountain West for the Pac-12 Conference next year — Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State.
Both conferences are in a legal dispute about poaching fees and are headed back to court after failing to reach an agreement.
'We're going to pause right now as far as additional membership,' Nevarez said at her annual football news conference. 'Never say never, but we really want to get through our media rights negotiation, take a deep breath and then we'll readdress the issue.'
Nevarez said she hoped to announce a new media deal soon.
She also touched on several other topics:
— The Mountain West is paying for any costs associated with adding Grand Canyon a year early.
— Conference headquarters will relocate from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Las Vegas in July 2026. The Mountain West has been in Colorado Springs since its inception in 1999.
— Nevarez said the Mountain West did not support conferences receiving more than one automatic berth to the College Football Playoff. The Big Ten Conference prefers such a format but has lost support from the Southeastern Conference for that type of model.
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USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Winners and losers after two weeks of Texans training camp
Ten days of Houston Texans training camp have wrapped up at the Methodist Training Center. There's been good, bad and indifferent play all around through over a week of action, but the next four practices are pivotal toward building a foundation for the team's future. After a four-day trip to The Greenbrier in West Virginia, the first test appears on Houston's schedule. It's a preseason game, so don't expect much from starters, but every win or loss could carry weight and a public perception going into Week 1's showdown against Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams. Several players are peaking at the right time, like Will Anderson Jr. He's not in jeopardy of losing starting reps, but a strong season could warrant a contract that makes him one of the highest-paid defensive ends in league history. Others have regressed. And yes, those players are fighting for roster spots going into a week of practice at the Greenbrier. As Houston preps for another week of drills, here's Texans Wire's biggest winners and losers of training camp back at home base. Winner: TE Cade Stover Texans general manager Nick Caserio mentioned that Stover was the most improved player of the entire offseason, regardless of position group or side of the ball. So far through 10 days of camp, it's hard to argue. Last season, Stover was still getting comfortable learning how to play the position after starting off his career as a linebacker at Ohio State. Now, the former fourth-round pick is looking more like that security blanket that C.J. Stroud trusted in Columbus amid a College Football Playoff run in 2023. Stover has constantly found himself working with the first-team offense. He looks more comfortable winning his route battles against opposing defenders and has leaned down to become more agile in blocking sets. Dalton Schultz is going to be the main starter this season, but plan for Stover to have a significant role in Nick Caley's offense this season. Loser: OT Blake Fisher It's still early to call it quits on Fisher, but the second-round pick isn't helping his case by avoiding the "b" word after a struggling offseason. When camp broke in mid-July, the former starting right tackle was taking reps solely with the first-team offense. He's been running with 2s since pads came on Monday morning and hasn't even cracked the rotation. Fisher has experience over rookie Tay Ersery, having started in the team's final six games. They weren't pretty, but reps matter. Sadly, so do penalties, which Fisher has been flagged for multiple times in team drills. What's worse is the sack total. Even names like Darrell Taylor and Solomon Byrd are winning their battles and getting pressure on Stroud during team drills. Fisher has an uphill battle to reclaim that top spot over Ersery, whom the Texans drafted to be Laremy Tunsil's replacement on the left side. It could be a long season for the once-thought long-term right tackle in H-Town if he continues to struggle. Winner: DB Calen Bullock Pick a practice. Literally, any day since camp broke last week. You got it? Bullock has been the most impressive player that morning. Yes, every morning, Bullock is the one standing out the most. He's already recorded four interceptions against Stroud in drills and has been more physical when asked to play against tight ends in man coverage. On Wednesday, the second-year defensive back went stride-for-stride with Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins to break up a deep post pattern. Last season, Bullock totaled five interceptions and helped Houston stabilize the back end of its secondary after Jalen Pitre moved into the nickel role. He's a true ball-hawk that's only getting back as a tackler and run-stopper. Loser: LB Christian Harris Harris hasn't been on the field, which is why he should be considered a "loser" through two weeks of camp. The Texans elected not to put the fourth-year linebacker on the PUP list for the start of camp after he was limited in OTAs. Theoretically, Harris could show up at practice tomorrow and make this a moot point. But through two weeks, no one has seen Harris on the field. He's done some work off to the sides, but outside of a couple of glimpes, the linebacker who took over the Texans' defense in 2023 has been absent. That's a massive deal for his future since Henry To'oTo'o and E.J. Speed both have looked promising as the weakside linebacker in drills throughout camp. No, Harris likely won't be cut since his potential trumps both To'oTo'o and Azeez Al-Shaair, but as he enters the final year of his rookie deal, he needs a solid season to earn a contract extension. Winner: DE Darrell Taylor Danielle Hunter and Anderson aren't in jeopardy of losing reps, but teams are always looking for a secondary pass-rusher who can fill in on certain downs. While Derek Barnett has been a fine addition, Taylor looks moe agile and has been blowing past both Tay Ersery and Cam Robinson when rotating in with the first-team defense. A former part-time starter in Seattle, Taylor averaged six sacks a season with the Seahawks. Last year with Chicago, he only managed to total three, but his pressure rate ranked among the top 10 of non-starting edge rushers. It's been on display throughout drills during team with the second-team unit. Right now, expect Taylor to be the first man up should Anderson or Hunter need a minute to catch their breath. Loser: RB Nick Chubb Let's get this out of the way; no, Chubb isn't a terrible running back who looks overworked after coming off back-to-back season-ending injuries. But the Texans didn't sign Chubb to be the lead back like they did with Joe Mixon. He was supposed to be a solid No. 2 option that could start in a pinch. Right now, starting Chubb might be the biggest red flag for Houston long-term. So far in camp, that burst needed to get through to the second and third level of the defense is nowhere to be found. Now could some of the blame fall on the offensive line? Perhaps, but you can't put all the blame on the unit in a live game if that's all you got. Houston needs Mixon to stay healthy. That was evident last season when he missed three games with an ankle injury. The run game was obsolete at best. Right now, it looks to be the same; should Chubb, or really anyone for that matter, be the lead back? Winner: CB Kamari Lassiter It's hard to stand out when you're competing for reps opposite an All-Pro cornerback daily, but those at practice have noticed growth in Lassiter in drills. He's won nearly every route in man coverage during team drills when not asked to target Collins. He's also forced a handful of incompletions and has yet to give up a touchdown in coverage since the red zone drills on Tuesday against the Pro Bowler from Michigan. By the season's end, Lassiter could be considered the league's best No. 2 corner and a rising star among all defenders in the league with his consistency in mirroring receivers and as a tackler in space. Winner: DB Jaylin Smith There's a good chance we won't see much of Smith on defense, but that doesn't mean he hasn't been standing out in drills. The third-round pick from USC has worked drills at both safety and outside corner, but a majority of his snaps have come in the nickel position. On Saturday, he broke up a pass intended for Jayden Higgins. He also won his one-on-one battle against Collins during seven-on-seven drills. Right now, there's no home for Smith. Maybe that's promising since the Texans could have him line up anywhere in a pinch. Expect to see him play a significant amount of snaps on Saturday against the Vikings, often moving from the nickel to the boundary and maybe even some reps in the C.J. Gardner-Johnson role. Loser: DL Denico Autry Much like with Harris, Autry's loss is more so because of his availability and growth from other talents. He's a rotational defensive end who probably will only see action on pass-rushing downs when they shift him inside. The problem is that Derek Barnett can do the same thing. So can Taylor, who continues to shine at practice. No one is picking up Autry's contract after a suspension that cost him six games and a disappointing first year with the roster. In the end, Houston might just cut its losses with Autry, eat the dead money and use what's left over as a starting point for extensions in the offseason. Winner: WR Jaylin Noel While he's going to start the season as the No. 2 slot option, Texans fans should feel confident in Noel taking over as the long-term starter in 2026. While working mostly with the second-team offense, he's been far and away the best option on the 2s and perhaps the most impressive rookie. Noel isn't going to beat Kirk Week 1 for reps, but the offense allows all three of its receivers to rotate in and out of spots on the field. That means if Kirk ends up being a solid fit on the outside of the rookie Higgins, Noel should shift inside with more first-team reps as the starting slot option. Loser: OL Juice Scruggs Fisher might not be in jeopardy of losing a roster spot, but Scruggs probably isn't so lucky. In two years, the former second-round pick has gone from starting at guard to starting at center to moving back to guard to now working with the third-team unit behind names like Jaylon Thomas. Right now, he's still on the roster, but if things continue to sour in drills, Scruggs could be the odd man out on the line with insufficient play. At best right now, Scruggs is depth. Nothing more. Nothing less.
USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
Texans TE Dalton Schultz praises Cade Stover's growth entering Year 2
Dalton Schultz hopes to put a down season behind him as he enters Year 3 with the Houston Texans, but he also knows he'll need to impress if he plans on being back in 2026. So far through nearly two weeks of training camp, the veteran tight end has made some plays in the passing attack. He's finding a rhythm in Nick Caley's system while seemingly stepping up more as a blocker on run plays. But the star of the tight end room through 10 practices has been Cade Stover. C.J. Stroud used to toss him passes in Columbus when the two were teammates at Ohio State. One can tell there's a comfort level working together, but Stover also looks more polished and refined entering his second season with the organization. 'He's grown a lot. Strength, speed, size, knowledge of the game, he looks way more comfortable," Schultz said Saturday. "It's fun having him in the room because he's a farm boy, backcountry loves to get down and dirty. But, at the same time, you can see that he's really smart and he's got knowledge for the game. Especially being on the defensive side of the ball for so long, he's got that knowledge of the other side too." Drafted in the fourth round, Stover was still trying to figure out how to play tight end last season. After being recruited to Ohio State as a linebacker, the program transitioned him to the offensive side after his sophomore season. That led to a promising run with Stroud toward the College Football Playoff in 2023. One year after finding a role on special teams and as the team's H-back, Stover is settling in as a do-it-all tight end. When the team runs 12-personnel (two tight end sets), he's been paired with the first-team offense as the in-line blocker. On 11-personnel looks, Stover has begun to split reps with Schultz for starting reps at tight end. Texans general manager Nick Caserio mentioned ahead of training camp that Stover was the most improved player from the offseason. Even in a small sample size without facing off against opposing competition, Schultz has noticed the same things as Caserio. "He doesn't talk about it a ton, but I think he's smarter than he gives himself credit for," Schultz said. "That makes it really fun, being a guy going into year eight, I can have some conversations with him that some young guys in his position, I wouldn't be able to.' The Texans return to practice at the Greenbrier on Monday before taking on the Minnesota Vikings at US Bank Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
USA Today
7 hours ago
- USA Today
ESPN breaks down, ranks Florida's College Football Playoff chances
Florida football recently emerged from a nadir in program history with its first winning season in its last four tries, as well as its lone bowl game win since 2019 — thanks in large part to quarterback DJ Lagway, as well as fundamental improvements ushered in by coach Billy Napier. The recent success has the Gator Nation excited once again for its favorite gridiron game and expectations have followed the Orange and Blue up the win column. Now stocked with veteran talent as well as highly-heralded newcomers, Napier and Co. are looking to take this team to the next level in 2025. One of their goals this fall is to crack the 12-team College Football Playoff, which would give the Gators a legitimate chance at a national championship. However, the road to the postseason is a rough one as Florida faces arguably the toughest schedule in the sport this coming fall. Ahead of the opening kickoff just weeks away, ESPN's Heather Dinich ranked the top 32 FBS schools based on their percentage chance of making the playoffs, while also offering a breakdown of the teams' outlooks. The Gators landed at No. 25, in between the No. 24 Arizona Sun Devils and No. 26 Kansas Jayhawks. Florida football's stats and numbers Agree or disagree with ESPN Analytics? "Agree," Dinich states. "Florida might have the best quarterback in the country in DJ Lagway, but it also has the most difficult schedule in the FBS. Again. The Gators are a long shot to win the SEC, and their chances of earning an at-large bid hinge on their ability to beat a lineup comprised mainly of top-25 teams." Florida's toughest test in 2025 "Nov. 1 vs. Georgia," she offers. "The Gators also have to face Texas in October, but the history between the Gators and Bulldogs runs deep. ESPN's FPI gives Georgia a 79.7% chance to win. Florida lost to both Georgia and Texas last year in back-to-back weeks. This year, the Gators have a bye week to prepare for Georgia." What the selection committee will like about Florida "A Sept. 20 road win against Miami. The committee factors in the intangibles of rivalry games, and an in-state win against what should be a ranked Canes team would earn Florida some credit in the room. It could increase in value if Miami wins the ACC and clinches a spot in the playoff as one of the committee's five highest-ranked conference champs," Dinich notes. "Even if Miami doesn't win the ACC, the head-to-head tiebreaker could be a factor in the room if both teams are competing for an at-large spot. This is also the kind of nonconference win that could help separate Florida from the Big 12 runner-up if they're competing for an at-large spot." What the selection committee will not like about Florida "An injury to Lagway," she declares. "His health is critical to the team's success, and the committee considers injuries to key players — which is why undefeated Florida State didn't make the CFP in 2023 as the ACC champ. That's not to say that Florida couldn't make the playoff without Lagway — in 2014 Ohio State won the national title with its third-string quarterback. "But the Gators would have to prove to the committee that they still look like a playoff team with Lagway sidelined. He has already dealt with a shoulder injury, a lower body injury and a hamstring injury during his career." Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
