Pac-12, Mountain West headed back to court after mediation fails over millions in 'poaching' fees
The conferences failed to reach an agreement by Tuesday's deadline in mediation that began in May. The Pac-12 has requested a hearing on the pending motion to dismiss on Sept. 9.
Advertisement
'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," the Pac-12 said in a statement.
The Pac-12 and some of the schools it is adding filed lawsuits last year, claiming the poaching clause it agreed to when it signed a scheduling agreement for its football teams for last season was invalid.
The clause called for payments to the Mountain West of $10 million for the first team that left, with the amount growing by $500,000 for every additional team. That was on top of the $17 million-plus exit fees schools were responsible for as part of a different agreement.
'The Mountain West provided the Pac-12 institutions with a lifeline, offering a full football schedule for the 2024 season,' the Mountain West said in a statement. '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.'
Advertisement
Colorado State, Utah State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Boise State are all set to join the Pac-12 starting in 2026. The conference added Texas State last month to reach the eight-team minimum to be eligible for an automatic bid for its conference champion in the College Football Playoff.
Oregon State and Washington State are the only remaining members following an exodus last year that threatened the conference's future. The two schools reached a scheduling agreement with the two schools so they could piece together a football schedule last season.
The Mountain West has added UTEP, Hawaii and Northern Illinois for football starting in 2026.
___
Advertisement
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
John Marshall, The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Rams rookie Terrance Ferguson says he has some similar traits to Travis Kelce
After the Los Angeles Rams drafted Terrance Ferguson, Sean McVay made some bold comparisons for the rookie tight end. He sees similarities between Ferguson and Travis Kelce, as well as former Pro Bowl tight end Chris Cooley, whom McVay coached in Washington. McVay isn't the only one who sees Kelce's game in Ferguson's because the rookie tight end himself feels the same way. During an interview on ESPN LA, Ferguson was asked which tight end he plays like and he immediately mentioned Kelce. 'I take a lot of things from everybody's game,' he said. 'I try to be a student of the game and learn a lot from different people. I feel like some of the running routes and things at the top of the routes, I feel like I have some movements like Travis Kelce and that's one of the best ever. I definitely model my game and watch a lot of his tape just because he's so special at the top of his route and after the catch and I feel like I have similar movement patterns as him. But then there's other guys like Mark Andrews and George Kittle that are workhorses. You can learn something from a wide receiver out here on a release. You can learn from everybody, so I try to pick a little bit of everything but I would say definitely Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews.' Ferguson and Kelce are both around 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, so their frames are akin to one another. Kelce has been arguably the best tight end of this generation, so Ferguson has a long way to go before he reaches the All-Pro's level. But it's never a bad thing to model your game after a superstar. Both players are savvy route runners and incredibly dangerous after the catch, which the Rams are sure to take full advantage of his skill set this season. If he becomes anything like the player that Kelce is, Los Angeles will have hit a home run in the second round. This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams' Terrance Ferguson says he has similar traits to Travis Kelce
Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
USC women's basketball lands another No. 1 recruit in Saniyah Hall
First it was JuJu Watkins. Then it was Jazzy Davidson. Now another of the nation's top women's basketball recruits is on her way to USC. Saniyah Hall, the nation's No. 1 prospect in the 2026 class, committed to USC on ESPN on Friday, shortly after her official visit to campus. She's the third No. 1 prospect in four years to commit to Lindsay Gottlieb and USC. That's a staggering feat given where the program was when Gottlieb took over in 2021. But since landing Watkins in November 2022, arguably no coach in women's college basketball has been better at recruiting top talent like Gottlieb. "Going there, it felt like home," Hall said on ESPN's NBA Today. "I loved all of my future teammates. The girls there are just so fun to be around. And then definitely Lindsay [Gottlieb], she's definitely there to support me and I've built a relationship with her. She's a great coach." Read more: The Times of Troy: USC women's basketball team deals with transfer portal losses Hall, who hails from Ohio, is a fitting addition to that star-studded lineage and a major victory for USC after a disheartening end to last season. She was recently named the most valuable player of the women's FIBA World Cup U19, despite, at just 16 years old, being one of the youngest players competing in the field. Playing alongside her future Trojan teammates this month — Davidson and rising sophomore Kennedy Smith - on the U19 national team, Hall scored nearly 20 points per game to lead all Americans. She also contributed 6.4 rebounds, 2.9 steals, two assists and a block per game, flashing a skillset that already looks primed for top competition. When Hall joins USC next fall, she'll round out a roster that ranks among the most touted in the history of the sport. After missing most of next season, Watkins will return, while Davidson will only be a sophomore. Smith, the No. 6 recruit in the 2024 class, will still presumably be a fixture in the lineup. Add Hall to that equation, and the Trojans, with four five-stars in tow, could very well enter the 2027 season as national title favorites. Sign up for more USC news with Times of Troy. In your inbox every Monday morning. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Bears aren't sweating slow offensive start at training camp
Rome wasn't built in a day and the Bears' 2025 offense isn't going to be built that quickly either. That was the message from offensive coordinator Declan Doyle after Friday's training camp practice. All eyes are on the Bears offense after the arrival of Doyle, head coach Ben Johnson, first-round tight end Colston Loveland, and several offensive linemen arrived to help quarterback Caleb Williams put up better results in his second NFL season. Those eyes have seen a lot of scuffling through the first three days of practice and Johnson pulled the first team from one drill, but Doyle said that is not any reason for alarm. "No, I wouldn't say that right now," Doyle said, via Courtney Cronin of "This whole thing is a progress, and for the next six weeks we're going to get a ton of reps on all of these plays. We're going to try to master these things. The first time you guys did anything, you know, you're not quite a master at it yet. It takes a little bit of work and progression to get there." Doyle said it will be an issue for the coaching staff if the team repeats mistakes, but that the expectation is that it will take time for everything to run as smoothly as the team wants it to be come September. If that's what happens, all of the summer errors will be chalked up to necessary growing pains in Chicago.
