UNLV is probably the better school.... which the PAC would have gotten as well).

The MWC already has a TV deal in place — which could be negotiated. The PAC does not. Future PAC TV deals aren't going to be that much more than what the MWC is getting. Plus, they only will have 8 teams (less inventory).

If you reverse merged you get to keep the bb credits for BOTH conferences.

The PAC wouldn't have to pay any exit fees or penalties for the defecting schools. If you think that the four schools that they wanted to leave behind are worth paying $143MM then you're not a good businessman. Maybe over the course of 30 years, but not in the next 10-20.

The PAC would have a block of western schools with existing histories. It would look as cobbled together as the AAC or the new ACC and B10. It looks dumb to have random schools that have nothing in common.

Travel is an issue (see UW v Rutgers), especially for non-football games.

I think that the PAC arrogantly assumed that they could just pick schools and they'd all come running (see PAC pre and post 2024). Well, it didn't quite work out that way. Now they will take what they can get.

The only reason NOT to reverse merge would be if there was a chance that Cal and Stanford would finally realize that the ACC was a bonehead move and want to rejoin.