UNLV has decided to remain in the Mountain West after weighing an offer from the reconstructed Pac-12, sources confirmed Wednesday night.
The decision means both the Mountain West and Pac-12 are left with seven members, one short of meeting the NCAA’s minimum requirement to be recognized as a conference.
UNLV is believed to have been offered a lucrative financial package by the Mountain West, which is expected to collect nearly $100 million in exit fees from the five schools that departed for the Pac-12.
Additional poaching fees are now in dispute after the Pac-12 filed a federal lawsuit against the Mountain West on Tuesday.
UNLV appeared to have settled on remaining in the Mountain West on Monday, but Utah State’s decision to bolt for the Pac-12 made UNLV reconsider its options.
Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State announced Sept. 12 they would leave the Mountain West for the Pac-12, which had consisted of just Oregon State and Washington State.
Pac-12 officials originally hoped to expand their geographic footprint by adding Memphis, Tulane and perhaps even South Florida and UTSA, but those schools decided Monday to remain in the American Athletic Conference.
That’s when the Pac-12 turned its attention to UNLV and Utah State.
UNLV, like the other schools leaving the Mountain West for the Pac-12, would have owed the Mountain West an exit fee of between $18 million and $20 million.
Mountain West schools currently make almost $6 million annually in overall payouts. How much Pac-12 schools will receive when the league is reformed in 2026 is uncertain.
UNLV is one of the founding eight members of the Mountain West, along with Air Force, BYU, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, Utah and Wyoming. The league began play in 1999.
The Mountain West remained untouched through recent rounds of realignment, which kicked off when Texas and Oklahoma announced their intentions to leave the Big 12 for the SEC in 2021.
The Pac-12 was hurt the most by the resulting domino effect. Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington left for the Big Ten. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah, which departed the Mountain West in 2011, jumped to the Big 12. Cal and Stanford went to the ACC.
Those departures left Oregon State and Washington State on their own in the Pac-12 trying to find a way to move forward.
UNLV now remains in the Mountain West with UNR, San Jose State, New Mexico, Wyoming, Air Force and Hawaii. The conference is expected to make an aggressive pitch to add more institutions.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Adam Hill at [email protected]. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
