Canzano: Questions still hang over Pac-12 vs. MW fight
Big Sky was tracking the drama.
Tom Wistrcill took great interest in the legal spat and settlement wrangling between the Pac-12 and Mountain West in the last 24 months. The Big Sky Conference commissioner knew the fallout might hit his league down the food chain.
Said Wistrcill: “Some of our schools could be prospective members for those two conferences. I can’t afford to ignore their fight.”
I’ve previously reported that the MW collected less than half of what it sought from the departing members who left it for the Pac-12.
The settlement agreement details are now leaking. Sportico reported this week that it obtained a copy of the settlement agreement. San Diego State, Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State and Utah State left for the Pac-12. The document reportedly reveals the MW got a total of $49 million from those five schools, or $9.8 million per member.
I’m told by sources that Oregon State and Washington State also paid the MW approximately $10 million each to settle the $55 million ‘poaching penalty’ lawsuit. These figures are similar to the numbers thrown around in early settlement discussions in the summer of 2025.
As one Pac-12 source told me, “This could have been over (back then).”
During those early settlement talks, per sources, the five departing schools initially proposed paying the MW $8 million per school. The MW countered at $19 million per school. The mediation continued with attorneys for the departing members incrementally raising the offer — escalating to $9 million, then $10 million — with the MW dropping to $18 million per school, where it drew a firm line.
$18 million per school was the MW’s final offer that summer, per sources.