UNLV passed over by Pac-12 in latest round of realignment

UNLV and the Mountain West took a sharp right hook to the jaw Thursday.

Four conference institutions — Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State — accepted membership into the Pac-12 beginning in the 2026-27 school year.

After the Pac-12 announced it was poaching the four schools, UNLV issued a joint statement from university president Keith Whitfield and athletic director Erick Harper:

“We know that four members of the Mountain West have announced their intentions to leave the conference in 2026. Our focus remains on doing what is best for our institution, current and future student-athletes, alumni, donors and the greater Las Vegas community. We continue to evaluate all options.”

The four departing schools will join Oregon State and Washington State, the two holdovers from the Pac-12 after a mass exodus of schools to other power leagues last summer.

“For over a century, the Pac-12 Conference has been recognized as a leading brand in intercollegiate athletics,” Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould said in a statement. “We will continue to pursue bold cutting-edge opportunities for growth and progress, to best serve our member institutions and student-athletes.

“I am thankful to our board for their efforts to welcome Boise State University, Colorado State University, California State University, Fresno, and San Diego State University to the conference. An exciting new era for the Pac-12 Conference begins today.”

The statement also said that “the collective six universities will collaboratively chart additional membership and other future conference considerations.”

Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a statement that the four schools will be held accountable for their actions.

“All departing members will be held to the conference bylaws and policies, and all requirements of the scheduling agreement will apply to the Pac-12,” she said. “The Mountain West has a proud 25-year history and will continue to thrive in the years ahead.”

What that means: Each of the four Mountain West schools must pay an exit fee of between $18 million and $20 million with more than 12 months notice.

Also, the Pac-12 is on the hook for $43 million in poaching fees.

The Pac-12 still needs two additional schools to reach the eight required by the NCAA to be considered a conference.

When asked why she thought UNLV wasn’t chosen to join the Pac-12, San Diego State president Adela de la Torre said: “This was not a decision based on the four presidents. I can’t say I’m surprised because I was pleased with the configuration. The metrics spoke to the decision-making process. They were very objective. In my mind, the best four were selected.”

The defection of the four will leave the Mountain West with eight football-playing schools and seven for basketball (Hawaii is football only). Memphis and UTSA already have been mentioned as possible Mountain West targets.

Byron Brooks, who serves on the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents, said he is eager to follow the “ongoing development” after Thursday’s bombshell.

Brooks said he had conversations about last-minute meetings on the UNLV and UNR campuses to determine next steps.

“It would be very difficult for UNLV to make a move into another conference without UNR because that should be a package deal,” he said. “And then the financial obligations that these campuses have in moving from one conference to another … I’m not sure that UNLV and UNR are in a place to spend that kind of money to move into another conference.”

While Brooks acknowledged that there is a separation of sports success between UNLV and UNR, he said it wouldn’t be practical for the state’s “largest institutions” to play in separate conferences.

“It would seem really odd to me,” Brooks said. “It makes more sense for the two institutions to have conversations about where they’d like to see their football programs, where they want to land, and what does the future look like for the state of Nevada when we talk about collegiate athletes? I really do believe there has to be alignment with the two institutions.”

Board of Regents chair Amy J. Carvalho said in a statement that the landscape of college athletics continues to evolve.

“NSHE leadership has had dialogue with both UNLV and UNR related to this topic, and our primary focus is to ensure the well-being of the student-athletes and the fiscal health of the institutions,” she said.

Lois Tarkanian, the widow of legendary UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, also serves on the Board of Regents. But she doesn’t quite share Brooks’ perspective.

“My reaction is that UNLV should be in that (Pac-12),” Tarkanian said. “The schools have sort of set themselves above Vegas. They sort of thought of us as not worthy of being in the Pac-12 … A lot of people have the feeling that we’re a gambling town, but you know, so much more now is being done in Las Vegas, with teams at every level. It doesn’t seem right.”

Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X. Contact Callie Lawson-Freeman at clawsonfreeman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.