that confirmed it’s exploring all opportunities to strengthen the league. “I think anywhere from one to four,” Nevarez said in the interview on the MWC’s target number of expansion teams. “We’re actually pretty good where we are. But, obviously, you want to be capitalistic in this environment.
“And so both any opportunities that result from the movement in the Pac-12, but also, we have had on the docket, we actually pushed forward a membership subcommittee meeting to continue to explore the next phase, next-generation schools in case we lost schools during this round.” One significant downgrade for joining the Mountain West for the remaining Pac-12 schools is the TV contract payout. In 2021-22, the Pac-12 ranked last among Power Five conferences in payout at $37 million per school, compared to the Mountain West’s $4 million.
Nevarez said the MWC swinging and missing on potential additions would be a missed opportunity, but also stated that as of now, the conference would not dissolve. “I don’t know if disappointed is the word,” she said. “It would feel like a missed opportunity for sure. These are four schools used to receiving $30 million a year. We are not in that stratosphere.By Austin Curtright | The Salt Lake Tribune