Mountain West Notebook: The breakup is now in writing for defecting schools headed to Pac-12

The breakup is now in writing.

While the five departing Mountain West schools who are leaving to form a new league after the coming 2025-26 season were very public last fall about telling the world they would be leaving to rebuild the Pac-12, they never actually put it in writing.

Until Saturday.

Each departing member — Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State — submitted formal notices of departure from the league, one day before a June 1 deadline that would have doubled exit fees from $18 million to $36 million for each school.

There are still two pending lawsuits challenging the MW’s attempt to enforce the contractually agreed-to buyouts with the departing members and “poaching fees” from Washington State and Oregon State for inviting members to the new Pac-12 after agreeing, in writing, not to in a 2024 football scheduling agreement.

There is also ongoing mediation occurring this month related to those exit and “poaching” fees, though both sides have been remarkably tight-lipped, a stark difference from much of the past year of leaks and planted stories.

According to existing bylaws regarding exit fees and the addition of the poaching fees — bylaws and provisions all schools agreed to in writing — the MW stands to make $145 million, though that number is what is being challenged.

The formal notices make it even less likely that the long-shot hopes of a possible merger between the leagues ever happens.

They also likely ensure UNLV stays put despite being coveted for a Pac-12 in need of one more football-playing member to qualify for College Football Playoff money.

By declining to put in the formal notices until the last minute, the five departing members managed to remain in all league meetings, and keep their voting privileges, the past nine months.

According to league bylaws, until the formal notice, each member retained its vote in any bylaw change, which could have prevented the remaining members from changing bylaws to keep more NCAA distribution money due the exiting schools.

Slumping on the diamonds

As the annual June blitz of college baseball and softball is all over television for the College World Series and Women’s College World Series, it’s hard not to notice the Mountain West continues to be rather irrelevant nationally in both sports.

For baseball, MW Tournament champion Fresno State was one, two, barbecue in the UCLA Regional, losing to host UCLA 19-4 and then being eliminated by UC Irvine, 8-3.

It’s been more than a decade since the MW had an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament for baseball (UNLV 2014), and 2012 was the last time a league member advanced past the regionals (TCU).

For softball, MW tourney champion San Diego State beat Arizona State before losing to host UCLA and then UC Santa Barbara in the UCLA Regional.

Boise State (2019) was the league’s last at-large team.

Attendance isn’t giving any reason to think the league will be competing with the SEC powers anytime soon, either.

College baseball had two teams (LSU and Mississippi State) average 11,000 or more fans per game this season. MW-leading Fresno State averaged an announced 1,520 per home game, ranking 57th nationally. Six of eight MW teams averaged fewer than 1,000 fans per game, including UNM (590, sixth MW, 116th nationally).

For softball, national leader Oklahoma averaged 3,705 per home game while MW-leading Fresno State was 27th nationally at 978. UNM (474 per game) ranked fifth out of nine in the league and 58th nationally.

NBA Finals ties?

While there is plenty of NMSU presence in the NBA Finals in the person Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam, the former Aggies great, there is very little from the Mountain West.

RayJ Dennis, a guard who started his college career at Boise State for two seasons (2019-20 and 2020-21) before moving on and playing at both Toledo and Baylor, is on a two-way contract with the Pacers and their G-League affiliate, the Indiana Mad Ants.

While he’s listed on the Pacers’ official roster, he hasn’t appeared in a playoff game.

Oklahoma City features 6-foot-7 guard/forward Kenrich Williams, who played one season at New Mexico Junior College before three at TCU. During his senior season with the Horned Frogs, he had a 23-point, 17-rebound game in a win over the Lobos in the Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville, Florida.

And is that a “Dave Bliss” sighting on the Oklahoma City coaching staff?

It is, but no not that Dave Bliss.

This Dave Bliss is from Wisconsin and has been an assistant coach with OKC since 2019. He is not related to that Dave Bliss, the former UNM Lobos coach turned disgraced Baylor Bears coach, who actually never coached the Lobos in the Mountain West. The league debuted the season after he left UNM.