<p>Welcome back everyone to the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! We have breaking news for you all, as the Mountain West and PAC 12 have officially reached a settlement in their legal battle over exit fees. There aren't a ton of details out on the specifics yet, but I’ll give you everything we have as well as my thoughts and predictions for the amount paid to the Mountain West conference. After that, we’ll get into the meat of the episode, which will be each football team’s MVP, X Factor, and top breakout candidate, with the battles on the gridiron only being a few months away! Lots of fun stuff this week, let’s dive in!</p><p><strong>Show Notes:</strong></p><ol><li><strong>Mountain West &amp; PAC 12 agree to settlement terms: What we know, key dates to watch, &amp; predicted realignment fees</strong></li><li><strong>Spring Football Preview: All 12 Teams MVP, X Factor, and Top Breakout candidate for 2026</strong><ol><li><strong>Air Force: MVP: JR QB Liam Szarka</strong></li><li><strong>Boise State: X-Factor: SR QB Maddux Madsen</strong></li><li><strong>Colorado State: Top Breakout: SO TE Pearce Spurlin III (Georgia)</strong></li><li><strong>Fresno State: Top Breakout: JR WR Jahlil McClain</strong></li><li><strong>Hawaii: X-Factor: SR WR Pofele Ashlock</strong></li><li><strong>Nevada: X-Factor: SR RB Ky Woods</strong></li><li><strong>New Mexico: Top Breakout: SO TE Cade Keith</strong></li><li><strong>San Diego State: X-Factor: SR QB Jayden Denegal</strong></li><li><strong>San Jose State: Top Breakout: JR DT Jayland McGlothern (Sacramento State, FCS)</strong></li><li><strong>UNLV: MVP: SR RB Jai'Den "Jet" Thomas</strong></li><li><strong>Utah State: MVP: SR S Brevin Hamblin</strong></li><li><strong>Wyoming: X-Factor: SO RB Samuel "Tote" Harris</strong></li></ol></li></ol><p>That is it for this week’s episode of the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you so much for listening! Fingers crossed that we'll have more settlement details next week! Make sure to follow me on Twitter at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://x.com/JackTalksCFB">JackTalksCFB</a> and turn post notifications on so you don’t miss any Mountain West or PAC 12 movement! Also, check out the brand new <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.mwcconnection.com/transfer-portal/83991/mountain-west-transfer-portal-tracker-2026-cbk-pac-12-rankings-updated-utep-hawaii-uc-davis-gonzaga-washington-state">transfer portal tracker</a>, which is live on the website now. It’s complete with bios, stats, and previous stops for every player on the list, and is updated daily, so bookmark that to never miss out on transfer news! If you like the show and enjoy our coverage, leave a rating on whatever platform you’re listening on, every single one of those helps us out immensely. Follow us on twitter at MWCConnection and find all of your Mountain West news at MWCConnection.com. Thank you again for listening! Until next time, I’m Jack Thompson, and thank you for coming back to the mountain!</p>