Pac-12 and Mountain West Agree to Pause Lawsuits, Finalize Fee Settlement

The Pac-12 and Mountain West conferences have reached an agreement in principle to settle their ongoing legal disputes over exit and poaching fees, according to a joint statement issued Monday. The statement was also joined by Boise State University, Utah State University, Colorado State University, San Diego State University, and California State University, Fresno.

The parties have agreed to pause lawsuits filed in California and Colorado while they finalize the settlement's terms. The agreement was disclosed one day before a scheduled discovery hearing in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The terms must be filed with the court by June 2.

The litigation stemmed from the decision of those five universities to leave the Mountain West Conference to join the Pac-12 this fall. In September 2024, the Pac-12 sued the Mountain West over a $55 million poaching fee. That fee was part of a scheduling agreement signed in December 2023, which allowed the Pac-12's remaining football members, Oregon State and Washington State, to assemble schedules after ten other schools departed the conference in 2024.

Separately, Colorado State and Utah State, later joined by...