The Pac-12 poaches Utah State as the NCAA faces more legal drama

The GIST: Burned out on Suits reruns? Don’t worry — the NCAA has more legal drama than you’ll ever want as forces like name, image, and likeness (NIL) earnings and conference realignment continue to reshape college sports. No can opener required.

The Pac-12 poaches Utah State: As part of their ongoing campaign to rise from the dead, the Pac-12 added their seventh full member on Monday: Utah State from the Mountain West Conference (MWC). Adding the Aggies brings them one school away from reaching the NCAA’s eight-team minimum. Cue Destiny’s Child.

• With Utah State’s desertion, the MWC is also down to seven teams — and could drop to six if the Pac-12 successfully recruits UNLV. To stay afloat, the MWC is offering big financial incentives to schools who stick around, triggering yesterday’s Pac-12 lawsuit. Messy.

Reggie Bush files NIL lawsuit: The former USC Trojan and NFL great sued the NCAA, Pac-12, and his alma mater on Monday over exploitative use of his NIL during his college days — a case similar to one filed by NC State’s 1983 men’s basketball team in June.

• This is Bush’s second active lawsuit against the NCAA: The other claims defamation regarding his Heisman Trophy debacle.

Tomorrow’s House v. NCAA hearing raises the stakes: Three weeks ago, the federal judge overseeing the landmark student-athlete revenue case sent the parties back to the drawing board to revise their settlement agreement before approval. They’ll take another crack at gaining her go-ahead in tomorrow’s follow-up hearing. Watch this space.