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Departing schools sue Mountain West over exit fees, early GCU addition

Michael Hovey, Sports Editor

August 19, 2025

Collegian | Asiye Uctuk

The Mountain West’s legal battle with the Pac-12 and the five schools set to leave it isn’t slowing down.

As the 2025-26 athletic season approaches, Boise State, Colorado State and Utah State — three of the schools bound for the Pac-12 in 2026 — filed an updated lawsuit against the conference and Commissioner Gloria Nevarez Aug. 7. The schools accused the MW of depriving them of membership rights, withholding tens of millions of dollars and misleading them about a plan to move Grand Canyon’s start date up a year. Fresno State and San Diego State, the other two departing members, are not part of the suit due to state restrictions.

At the core of the case is money the schools claim they’ve already earned.

That includes BSU’s College Football Playoff payout from 2024, unpaid travel reimbursements and NCAA distributions meant for academic support, athlete welfare programs and financial aid. The MW bylaws state the league can hold back distributions once a school gives its exit notice, applying those funds toward whatever exit fee remains.

The fees themselves are another fight.

The fees for leaving the conference could range from $19 million to $38 million, which is well above the league’s historical average. Mediation last month didn’t work. The Mountain West offered to cut the number to $18 million, but the departing schools originally expected $8 million to $12 million; neither side moved much from there.

The lawsuit also takes aim at GCU’s accelerated entry, announced after the three schools resigned in May and lost their voting rights. Plaintiffs said Nevarez denied any change before that and argued the decision could disrupt scheduling, tournament seeding and NCAA bid chances. They also claim they haven’t seen the membership agreement or how it might affect revenue sharing.

League officials said they acted within their rights and pointed to examples in other conferences. When Texas and Oklahoma left the Big 12, they lost board seats and new members came in early. Nevarez has said the MW will cover any documented extra travel and scheduling costs from GCU’s addition. The Antelopes will also pay an entry fee and annual dues and forfeit their first-year distribution.

The conference has argued the departing schools helped create the exit fee rules and even tried to enforce them against San Diego State two years ago. In a separate case, the Mountain West is seeking $55 million in “poaching fees” from the Pac-12 for adding its departing members.

Both sides are digging in.

Lowering the exit fee could ease the financial hit for the schools heading to the Pac-12, where future revenue remains uncertain. For the MW, the stakes includes upholding its bylaws and securing payouts it believes it’s owed in a realignment fight that isn’t over.

Reach Michael Hovey at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @michaelfhovey.

About the Contributor

Michael Hovey, Sports Editor

Michael Hovey is one of the sports editors for The Rocky Mountain Collegian, facilitating the sports desk, collaborating with reporters and writing pieces of his own. He joined the newspaper in February and has greatly appreciated all the opportunities that have come with the organization. After settling on a business administration major with a concentration in marketing, Hovey stumbled upon The Collegian at the recommendation of a friend. Writing news stories gave him a deeper connection to Colorado State University and its community, making his studies that much more meaningful. Having played numerous sports at a fairly mediocre level, Hovey jumped at the opportunity to cover Division I sporting events. He now gets the chance to surround himself with talented writers, artists and athletes while exercising his preferred form of the English language. Hovey’s favorite part of the job is meeting new people and learning about the things they’ve dedicated their lives to. The most surprising part has been the extraneous passions he’s discovered in nearly each one of these people. Hovey’s main goal this year is to foster discovery and allow people in athletics to show a separate side of themselves that may not generally be known. His secondary goal: Try not to stutter on a national broadcast. If not working at The Collegian, Hovey can be found engaging in outdoor activities, finding something tasty or listening to hip-hop.

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