The latest twist in the Pac-12’s conference realignment efforts could next involve a courtroom. The Pac-12 on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the Mountain West, arguing that the tens of millions it owes the Mountain West in poaching fees due to a prior scheduling agreement between the two leagues amount to an antitrust violation.
Two weeks ago, the Pac-12 officially added four Mountain West schools — Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State — which would put the fee owed to the Mountain West at $43 million, on top of an estimated $18 million per school in exit fees.
“The Poaching Penalty saddles the Pac-12 with exorbitant and punitive monetary fees for engaging in competition by accepting MWC member schools into the Pac-12,” the complaint reads. “The MWC imposed this Poaching Penalty at a time when the Pac-12 was desperate to schedule football games for its two remaining members and had little leverage to reject this naked restraint on competition. But that does not make the Poaching Penalty any less illegal, and the Pac-12 is asking the Court to declare this provision invalid and unenforceable.”
In late 2023, the Pac-12 and Mountain West signed a 2024 football scheduling agreement, through which the Mountain West added Oregon State and Washington…
