Canzano: Pac-12 vs. Mountain West poker game takes a turn
Source says it's time to "show more of their cards."
Nobody’s talking now because of ongoing litigation, but it wasn’t that long ago that the Mountain West and Pac-12 were busy plotting against each other and having lots of calculated conversations.
Oregon State visited San Diego State in Week 2 last season for a football game. I met with a source on the morning of the Beavers’ 21-0 win at Snapdragon Stadium, who told me MW Commissioner Gloria Nevarez was preparing to make a move.
She’d floated the idea that weekend to trusted insiders about making a run at Washington State and splitting up the “Pac-2.”
Could she poach the Cougars?
Would they listen?
Within a few days, the Pac-12 beat Nevarez to the punch, snatching her top five schools. That timing made sense given what I’d learned.
I happened to be sitting in the suite of OSU Athletic Director Scott Barnes during pregame warm-ups that night when Nevarez, who was in San Diego to see the game and play a little defense, popped in to say hello to him.
The two leaders shook hands.
The conversation was cordial.
Barnes was running point on a lot of the Pac-12 decisions at the time. He and Nevarez sat on stools in the center of the suite, chatting. A charcuterie board lay on a high-top table in front of them. As Nevarez and Barnes began making small talk, I noted the awkward vibe. I felt like I was watching two generals who were planning to end each other, eat cheese, and talk about the weather.
On Tuesday, the two conferences announced that weeks of mediation did not result in a settlement. They’ve jointly requested a hearing on the pending motion to dismiss the Pac-12’s antitrust lawsuit.
The MW wants $55 million in “poaching penalties.” The Pac-12 believes the penalties amount to an antitrust violation, has filed a lawsuit, and could seek additional damages if it prevails in court.
The MW, the lawsuit asserts, put the Pac-12 in an impossible position and charged it $14 million to play a dozen football games in 2024. The market rate for a football game was ~$500,000 a game. The $55 million in poaching penalties trampled antitrust laws, the Pac-12 says.
What does the joint filing on Tuesday mean? How will this impact the MW and Pac-12 in the short term? And what is the likely outcome?