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.
'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.'
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.
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18 minutes ago
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2025 Big Ten Media Days: Oregon Reloads, PSU's Title Hopes Among Day 2 Storylines
As soon as Day 1 of Big Ten Media days fades into the desert sunset, and the hubbub surrounding Ohio State — the defending national champion — is drowned out by the pulsating thrum of The Strip, attention will shift toward the league's reigning champion and another challenger seen by many as the likeliest conference king in 2025. Oregon romped and rolled its way through a Big Ten debut last fall by completing an undefeated regular season and winning the conference title game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Ducks were then afforded the No. 1 overall seed in last year's College Football Playoff before running into the Buckeye battalion in a Rose Bowl that was over before the second quarter expired. But head coach Dan Lanning has retooled and reloaded for another run at the league title this fall behind former five-star prospect and UCLA transfer Dante Moore, the presumptive starter. It wouldn't be much of a surprise to see the Ducks back in the league championship game come December. Standing between the Ducks and a potential conference championship repeat is arguably the most talented Penn State team that head coach James Franklin has assembled since taking over the program in 2014. Led by potential Heisman Trophy candidate Drew Allar at quarterback and what might be the nation's best running back tandem in Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, the Nittany Lions are certain to be among the top five teams in this summer's preseason AP Poll, if not the top three. Will this be the year when Franklin finally gets over the hump? Those are certain to be among the topics of conversation next week when the Big Ten absorbs the national spotlight during a three-day media spectacle in Las Vegas, a locale that reflects the conference's coast-to-coast membership. For the second consecutive year, each day of the event will feature the head coach and key players from six programs: Day 1: Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Ohio State, Rutgers Day 2: Minnesota, Northwestern, Oregon, Penn State, Washington, Wisconsin Day 3: Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, UCLA, USC To preview the event, FOX Sports analyzed every team ahead of the 2025 campaign. Here's what to expect from Day 2 at Big Ten Media Days: [Day 1: Big Ten Media Days Preview] Minnesota Last year: 8-5 overall, 5-4 Big Ten Postseason: 24-10 win over Virginia Tech in the Duke's Mayo Bowl Head coach: P.J. Fleck, ninth season, 58-39 at Minnesota Coordinators: Greg Harbaugh Jr. (offense); Danny Collins (defense) Recruiting: No. 49 nationally, No. 15 in the Big Ten Transfer portal: No. 29 nationally, No. 9 in the Big Ten Key storyline: Minnesota is one of several Big Ten teams expected to enter the 2025 campaign with a quarterback who has yet to start a game at the FBS level. Head coach P.J. Fleck's one-year rental of former New Hampshire transfer Max Brosmer produced adequate results last fall — the Gophers reached a bowl game for the fourth consecutive season; Brosmer played well enough to sign with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent — but left the program in a spot of uncertainty given the inexperienced depth chart. Redshirt freshman Drake Lindsey, who only logged 20 snaps last season, performed well enough in the spring to all but assure himself of the starting job. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Lindsey played high school football in Arkansas and was a lightly recruited three-star prospect in the 2024 cycle. Minnesota was the only power conference school to offer Lindsey a scholarship from a list of suitors that included Colorado State, Tulsa and UNLV, among others, with Lindsey finishing as the No. 873 overall prospect and No. 56 quarterback in his class. The good news for Lindsey and offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. is that Minnesota should be able to lean on one of the league's best running back tandems in junior Darius Taylor (205 carries, 986 yards, 10 TDs) and Marshall transfer A.J. Turner (104 carries, 864 yards and 6 TDs), the No. 8 tailback in the portal. Northwestern Last year: 4-8 overall, 2-7 Big Ten Postseason: None Head coach: David Braun, third season, 12-13 at Northwestern Coordinators: Zach Lujan (offense); Tim McGarigle (defense) Recruiting: No. 66 nationally, No. 17 in the Big Ten Transfer portal: No. 68 nationally, No. 18 in the Big Ten Key storyline: Not since the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign has Northwestern navigated a complete season with the same quarterback from start to finish, a frustrating trend that head coach David Braun will be eager to halt. Three quarterbacks attempted at least 75 passes in 2021, when the Wildcats finished 3-9. Three quarterbacks attempted at least 45 passes the following year, in 2022, when Northwestern bottomed out at 1-11 during what proved to be the final season for longtime head coach Pat Fitzgerald. Two quarterbacks logged significant playing time during Braun's first year, in 2023, when the Wildcats defied expectations to win eight games. And last season's revolving door featured three players who made appearances in at least four games, but only one of them — Jack Lausch — managed to throw a touchdown. The hope now is that graduate transfer Preston Stone, formerly of SMU, can finally provide Northwestern with stability. Stone was a four-star prospect and the No. 111 overall prospect in the 2021 recruiting cycle, a dual-threat player who held scholarship offers from nearly every blue-blood program: Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Texas, among others. He spent two years in a reserve role with the Mustangs before blossoming into a third-team All-AAC performer with 3,197 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2023. Stone battled injuries late that season and into 2024 before losing his place and opting to enter the portal. But the job at Northwestern is unquestionably his. Oregon Last year: 13-1 overall, 9-0 Big Ten Postseason: 41-21 loss to Ohio State in the CFP quarterfinals Head coach: Dan Lanning, fourth season, 35-6 at Oregon Coordinators: Will Stein (offense); Tosh Lupoi (defense) Recruiting: No. 5 nationally, No. 2 in the Big Ten Transfer portal: No. 5 nationally, No. 1 in the Big Ten Key storyline: One year after blitzing through the conference with a veteran-laden roster that established a new school record when 10 former Ducks were selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, the challenge awaiting head coach Dan Lanning and his staff during their second jaunt through the Big Ten is far different. Oregon only returns two offensive and three defensive starters from a team that earned the No. 1 overall seed in last year's College Football Playoff, which means the upcoming campaign will be rooted in player development and maturation more than anything else. A string of three consecutive top-10 high school recruiting classes — No. 9 in 2023; No. 3 in 2024; No. 5 in 2025 — has seen Oregon stuff its roster with 58 four- and five-star prospects during that span, many of whom will be stepping into much larger roles this fall. That list starts with former five-star quarterback Dante Moore, formerly of UCLA, but also includes junior tight end Kenyon Sadiq, who caught 24 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns last fall; redshirt freshman defensive back Kingston Lopa, a towering 6-foot-5 athlete expected to occupy the free safety role; and five-star freshman receiver Dakorien Moore, the second-best recruit in school history and a presumptive starter after fellow wideout Evan Stewart (48 catches, 613 yards, five TDs) suffered what might be a season-ending knee injury in June. It's worth noting, however, that Lanning offset some of that youth with an elite transfer portal class featuring three of the top 21 players overall. Penn State Last year: 13-3 overall, 8-1 Big Ten Postseason: 27-24 loss to Notre Dame in the CFP semifinals Head coach: James Franklin, 12th season, 101-42 at Penn State Coordinators: Andy Kotelnicki (offense); Jim Knowles (defense) Recruiting: No. 15 nationally, No. 5 in the Big Ten Transfer portal: No. 48 nationally, No. 15 in the Big Ten Key storyline: After 11 years of scratching, clawing and building, head coach James Franklin will enter the season with more resources at his disposal than perhaps he ever would have imagined. His coaching staff now includes the highest-paid defensive coordinator in the country after Franklin plucked national champion Jim Knowles from Ohio State for a reported salary of $3.1 million per year. His roster includes a former five-star quarterback in Drew Allar who, depending on how the 2025 season unfolds, might be in the conversation for the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. His athletic department and donor base offered enough financial support for Franklin to simultaneously retain the core of his ultra-talented 2022 recruiting class — including star tailbacks Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, plus edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton — while also overhauling the wide receiver position with three key additions via the transfer portal: former Syracuse wideout Trebor Pena (No. 129 transfer, No. 26 WR); former Troy wideout Devonte Ross (No. 152 transfer, No. 30 WR) and former USC wideout Kyron Hudson (No. 267 transfer, No. 47 WR). Facility upgrades to both Beaver Stadium and the Lasch Football Building have brought the Nittany Lions even closer to the cutting edge of modernity. All of which will make Penn State a trendy pick to win the Big Ten and perhaps the national title, even with Franklin's unsightly record of 4-20 against top-10 opponents since taking over the program. He'll have no excuses in 2025. Washington Last year: 6-7 overall, 4-5 Big Ten Postseason: 35-34 loss to Louisville in the Sun Bowl Head coach: Jedd Fisch, second season, 6-7 at Washington Coordinators: Jimmie Dougherty (offense); Ryan Walters (defense) Recruiting: No. 23 nationally, No. 7 in the Big Ten Transfer portal: No. 40 nationally, No. 12 in the Big Ten Key storyline: An argument can be made that widespread change on head coach Jedd Fisch's staff after only one season at Washington is the program's prevailing theme entering 2025. The Huskies lost offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll to the Las Vegas Raiders, where he'll work alongside his father, Pete Carroll, and replaced him by promoting quarterbacks coach Jimmie Dougherty from within. They also lost defensive coordinator Stephen Belichick to North Carolina, where he'll work alongside his father, Bill Belichick, and replaced him with former Purdue head coach Ryan Walters, who was fired after two disastrous seasons with the Boilermakers. 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Wisconsin Last year: 5-7 overall, 3-6 Big Ten Postseason: None Head coach: Luke Fickell, third season, 13-13 at Wisconsin Coordinators: Jeff Grimes (offense); Mike Tressel (defense) Recruiting: No. 27 nationally, No. 9 in the Big Ten Transfer portal: No. 14 nationally, No. 3 in the Big Ten Key storyline: On Oct. 2, 2022, Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh shocked the college football world by firing head coach Paul Chryst amid a disappointing 2-3 start that included lopsided league defeats to No. 3 Ohio State and Illinois. McIntosh, a former All-American offensive tackle for the Badgers, dumped Chryst despite his string of seven consecutive bowl appearances and an average of 10.2 victories per season outside the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. The ensuing coaching search led McIntosh to Fickell, who was the head coach at Cincinnati and one year removed from guiding the Bearcats to the College Football Playoff, a remarkable feat from outside the power conferences. Fast-forward to the present, however, and it's fair to wonder how much patience McIntosh has left following two disappointing seasons to begin the Fickell era at Wisconsin, where a streak of 22 consecutive bowl appearances came to an end last fall. The late-season firing of offensive coordinator Phil Longo suggested that Fickell's initial vision for what he hoped to see on that side of the ball — an Air Raid system that blended run and pass far more evenly than what the Badgers had grown accustomed to — was poorly conceived. New offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, formerly of Kansas, has decades of experience as an offensive line coach/run game coordinator and will likely restore Wisconsin to its run-heavy roots in 2025. But the Badgers have an absolutely brutal schedule that includes Alabama (away), Michigan (away), Ohio State (home), Oregon (away) and Indiana (away). Michael Cohen covers college football and college basketball for FOX Sports. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience College Football recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
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an hour ago
Kalen DeBoer is looking to escape Nick Saban's shadow and lead Tide back to playoffs in 2nd season
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