I wonder how much of NIU's deal (and UNLV's too) is relying on the exit fees from the schools that left for the PAC 12. Those fees are still tied up in court and from what I've heard and read, it's not going in the MWC's favor. If the MWC loses that case, or at the very least doesn't get the amount they thought they were going to get, the whole conference might be in serious financial trouble. Their product got indefinitely worse once they lost Boise and the other schools.
So short term, this is great for NIU. But long term in 5 years or so down the road, it's going to look real silly.
You don't think NIU has visibility into the financial status of the league, add agreed to a payout that was fully reliant on fees that are being challenged in court?
I find that very unlikely.
The fees and future valuation of the MWCs media deals could quite negatively adversely affect the remainder of the MWC. But like Boise St before NIU has a sweetheart deal with a larger guaranteed payout.
And as I remember reading, Air Force and UNLV have bigger cuts of the pie as well.
That is right. They made Hawaii join all sports. UTEP joined but will have a cut of a smaller pie whatever that ends up being.
Here's an article directly stating that a portion of the fees the MWC is trying to collect from the PAC is going to UNLV.
https://news3lv.com/news/local/judge-pac-12-lawsuit-mount... "Obtaining those penalties from the Pac-12 is of key importance for UNLV, which signed a grant of rights to remain in the Mountain West through 2032.
As part of an agreement to keep UNLV in the fold, the Mountain West agreed to pay a set portion of any money it collects from the Pac-12 and the departing universities.
UNLV could receive as much as $20 million if the conference collects $100 million in fees, according to a memorandum of understanding."