Three schools – Boise State, Colorado State and Utah State – that are leaving the Mountain West Conference for the Pac-12 are suing the Mountain West, saying the league improperly withheld tens of millions of dollars owed to them after they announced their departure plans.
The amended complaint, filed in the District Court of Denver, Colorado, and obtained by USA TODAY Sports, also asserts that the Mountain West misled them about adding Grand Canyon University as a league member.
Grand Canyon University is set to join the Mountain West on July 1, 2026, the same day the three plaintiffs’ schools are to join the Pac-12.
The lawsuit also added conference commissioner Gloria Nevarez as a defendant, and alleges that Nevarez has ‘taken extraordinary, retaliatory and unauthorized actions in violation of Plaintiffs’ membership rights and Colorado law,’ and “intentionally and fraudulently” caused millions of dollars in harm while “impacting the rights and opportunities of Plaintiffs’ student-athletes for their last year in the Conference’ and depriving them of their membership rights.
‘For the past several months, Colorado State University, Boise State University and Utah State University worked in good faith to try to resolve this matter. Unfortunately during that same period, actions taken by the Mountain West and Commissioner Nevarez have raised serious concerns regarding their fairness and transparency.
‘As set forth in the Second Amended Complaint that was filed today, the Mountain West and Commissioner Nevarez repeatedly misrepresented their intentions regarding the admission of Grand Canyon University for the 2025/26 season and purposefully delayed any formal vote on the issue until after the departing schools delivered their Notices of Resignation from the Conference,’ the three schools said in a joint statement.
The three schools announced last September they will leave the Mountain West to join the Pac-12 on June 30, 2026, at the end of the current Mountain West media rights agreement.
Among the millions of dollars that are allegedly owed are College Football Playoff funds that Boise State earned as a playoff participant last season, as well as money due from the NCAA, including grant-in-aid and other money to support academic programs, and money tied to the well-being of the school’s student athletes.
Also at issue is the Mountain West’s exit fees for leaving for another league. Boise State, Colorado State and Utah State say the exit fee of at least $19 million per school is ‘unlawful, excessive and punitive.’