Add another lawsuit to the fight over college sports realignment on the West Coast. During a time when the focus should be on the start of the 2025 football season, Colorado State, Boise State and Utah State are taking direct aim at their own conference.
Why is there another realignment lawsuit?
The three schools, which are leaving to join the PAC-12 conference next year, are suing the Mountain West, accusing the league of improperly withholding tens of millions of dollars in payments.
The law firm O’Melveny released a statement detailing the complaint, saying, “The Mountain West is currently withholding millions due to the departing schools from the NCAA, including NCAA grant-in-aid and other monies specifically designed to promote academic programs and student-athlete well-being.”
That sum also includes payments from the NCAA that the conference earned due to Boise State’s appearance in last season’s College Football Playoff, which the schools said should be evenly distributed to each member, even those departing.
What is the conference’s reaction to the filing?
The new filing will be added to the existing lawsuit regarding the five schools that have left the conference and the penalties they must pay. That will drag out the process even further, something Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez wants to avoid…