They put the pen to paper and are doing it. They retained the $$ from exit fees of Wash, O, UCLA, USC etc to the big 10. (around $40 million per school) plus scheduling ($ paid to the old P 12 for dropping games) another $20 mil. Somewhere around 200 million) so the old P 12 certainly had the money to pay MWC exit fees and…the P2 did not have to pay the schools leaving their cut of the $31 million from last year.
The old B10 paid out $60 million per school $660 for the conf., surpassing the SEC in the $$$$ war (but the SEC stands to blow that up with a BILLION per year).
No wonder everyone is running to these two conferences.
Finally, The MWC is extinct as a mid major, they will have to raid the Big Sky or drop down to a FBS level. The only thing I feel sad about is the Kraig Thompson was not at the helm when they got the news!!!
(Sorry to be Mr nitpick today - CSU not USU is in- USU can only dream to be included)
Great article. These are big time businesses and it takes real business people to get out in front of, not acedamia hacks who think they are smart people. Saw it so often in business world with people that really had no business negotiating anything.
Sucks to be any school left behind.
Shorter drives for Wyoming to Montana a nd Dakota schools I guess!
P2 is adding UNLV and USU…pardon my interruption but…didn’t the old P12 suffer because they were on P time and nobody watched them after 10 pm eastern?
Bye BYe MWC, you were the conf. that BYU formed and you are extinct.
One of my former players starts at TE for Montana. We stay in touch weekly. I don’t think Wyoming would want to play Montana this year, and I’m not sure Wyo could finish in the top 4 of the Big Sky. But it’s where they belong for both competitive reasons and for geography (as you pointed out).
I was prematurely wrong about USUs chances getting in. But looks like they hustled hard and must have sufficient number of rich members of church alumni.
PAC 12 vs MWC was a no brainer for them especially long term. And should be for UNLV.
UNLV market will only get bigger so would be a great get for PAC 12.
With those 8 teams - especially with WSU and OSU currently having high credibility for success and recruiting in football and with Boise St this should be far and away the best nonP4 conference (whatever it’s called)
Easy decision in my mind. Long term might get Stanford and Cal back - maybe.
This is all about positioning for the monster realignment coming in th next 5 years that will affect all of college football. It’s all about being relevant when that happens
Very happy for USU - they’re one of the good guys
Good for USU. A missionary comp of mine was QB1 there after we got home and I went up to see him play. I’ve rooted for them ever since.
The P12 should rebrand as the PAC 8–my older brother played 4 years of rugby at Stanford back when it was the PAC 8. Would be funny to see the Conference of Chaos come full circle.
Gonzaga is joining the P2 as a full member…and they don’t play football. Guess they crunched the $$ numbers and did not want to be a fish in the Big12 big fish league.
Earlier this week, the Pac-12 was interested in adding American Athletic Conference members Memphis, South Florida, Tulane and UTSA. However, on Monday, the four schools announced their commitment to the AAC.
P2 filed a law suit against the MWC to waive the exit fees…Tom, please advise?
