The Mountain West Conference is an NCAA FBS conference, with teams in California, Colorado, Hawai'i, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. The conference was founded in 1999 after a group of teams decided to split from the 16-team Western Athletic Conference.
Teams[]
| Team | Location | Stadium |
| Air Force Falcons | Colorado Springs, CO | Falcon Stadium |
| Boise State Broncos | Boise, ID | Albertsons Stadium |
| Colorado State Rams | Fort Collins, CO | Canvas Stadium |
| Fresno State Bulldogs | Fresno, CA | Valley Children's Stadium |
| Hawaii Rainbow Warriors | Honolulu, HI | Clarence T.C. Ching Complex |
| Nevada Wolf Pack | Reno, NV | Mackay Stadium |
| New Mexico Lobos | Albuquerque, NM | University Stadium |
| San Diego State Aztecs | San Diego, CA | Snapdragon Stadium |
| San Jose State Spartans | San Jose, CA | CEFCU Stadium |
| UNLV Rebels | Las Vegas, NV | Allegiant Stadium |
| Utah State Aggies | Logan, UT | Maverik Stadium |
| Wyoming Cowboys | Laramie, WY | War Memorial Stadium |
Further membership changes[]
In February 2018, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the MW was looking to expand in the near future. In the report, commissioner Craig Thompson revealed that the conference had discussed expansion with six schools, with WCC member Gonzaga (which has not sponsored football since World War II) the only school mentioned by name. Thompson added that Gonzaga could potentially join the MW as a full but non-football member as early as July 2018. While Thompson said that BYU had not contacted the conference, the report indicated that BYU would be open to an MW return, at least in non-football sports, should Gonzaga join. A later Union-Tribune report indicated that talks were advanced enough that the conference's presidents planned a vote on an invitation to Gonzaga during the MW men's and women's basketball tournaments in Las Vegas, but decided to delay the vote until after the Final Four. However, on April 2, the day of the Division I men's title game, Gonzaga athletic director Mike Roth notified the MW, the WCC, and media that the school would remain in the WCC for the immediate future.
On June 30, 2022, UCLA and Southern Cal announced their departure from the Pac-12 Conference to the Big Ten Conference beginning in the 2024–25 academic year. After that announcement, San Diego State had been considered one of the top candidates for Pac-12 expansion. On June 16, 2023, Pete Thamel of ESPN reported that San Diego State had given the Mountain West Conference notice that the school would be departing from the conference and asked for an extension for the departure deadline of July 1, 2023, to avoid paying extra exit fees. The Mountain West Conference denied the request for a deadline extension and considered the letter from San Diego State as a formal notice of departure and began to proceed with the separation process; however, San Diego State disputed that its letter of intent was a formal notice. On June 30, 2023, with the Pac-12 still lacking a media rights agreement for 2024–25, ESPN reported that San Diego State would remain in the Mountain West Conference, rescinding the intention to withdraw from the conference. The MW and San Diego State reached a settlement of their dispute the following month, with SDSU remaining a member for the immediate future.
In September 2023, after a mass exodus from the Pac-12 left Oregon State and Washington State as its only remaining members, MW commissioner Gloria Nevarez began discussions with the two schools regarding various options for partnership, affiliation, or merger. On December 1, 2023, the conference announced that it would enter into a football scheduling agreement with the two schools for the 2024 season. All 12 Mountain West members will play one game against either Oregon State or Washington State next season, giving both schools three home games and three away games. These games will not count towards Mountain West conference standings, and Oregon State and Washington State will remain members of the Pac-12. On April 16, 2024, it was also announced that Washington State would be joining the MW as an affiliate for baseball and women's swimming.
On September 12, 2024, it was announced that Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State, and San Diego State would be leaving the MW and joining the Pac-12 in 2026. On September 23, Utah State also accepted an offer to join the Pac-12 in 2026 as its seventh member.
On October 1, 2024 it was announced that the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) will be joining the Mountain West starting in the 2026–27 academic year. On October 14, Craig Angelos, athletic director of football-only member Hawaii, confirmed outside reports that the school would upgrade to full MW membership in 2026. This move was officially announced the next day. On November 1, 2024, Grand Canyon University announced it was joining the Mountain West no later than July 1, 2026.
On December 10, 2024 it was announced that UC Davis would join the Mountain West Conference in all sports except football, for which it will remain in the Big Sky Conference. This move is expected on July 1, 2026.
On January 3, 2025, Northern Illinois University accepted an invitation from the MW to join for football only in 2026, with final approval from the school's governing board expected on January 7.
Member schools[]
Current full members[]
Members departing for the Pac-12 Conference in 2026.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Joined | Type | Enrollment | Endowment (2023)
(millions) |
Nickname |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States Air Force Academy | Air Force Academy, Colorado | 1954 | 1999 | Federal
(Military) |
4,181 | $98.9 | Falcons |
| †Boise State University | Boise, Idaho | 1932 | 2011 | Public | 26,155 | $143.0 | Broncos |
| †California State University, Fresno | Fresno, California | 1911 | 2012 | 25,047 | $229.0 | Bulldogs | |
| †Colorado State University | Fort Collins, Colorado | 1870 | 1999 | 33,648 | $580.0 | Rams | |
| University of Nevada, Reno | Reno, Nevada | 1874 | 2012 | Public | 21,034 | $458.0 | Wolf Pack |
| University of Nevada, Las Vegas | Las Vegas, Nevada | 1957 | 1999 | 30,660 | $388.4 | Rebels | |
| University of New Mexico | Albuquerque, New Mexico | 1889 | 1999 | 21,738 | $661.0 | Lobos | |
| †San Diego State University | San Diego, California | 1897 | 1999 | Public | 32,599 | $415.7 | Aztecs |
| San José State University | San Jose, California | 1857 | 2013 | Public | 32,432 | $182.6 | Spartans |
| †Utah State University | Logan, Utah | 1888 | 2013 | Public | 27,943 | $538.4 | Aggies |
| University of Wyoming | Laramie, Wyoming | 1886 | 1999 | Public | 11,100 | $758.8 | Cowboys & Cowgirls |
- † leaving member
- ^ Virtually all of the Air Force Academy grounds, including the cadet area and all athletic facilities, are outside the city limits of Colorado Springs. The US Census Bureau and US Postal Service consider the Academy to be its own entity, respectively designating it as "Air Force Academy" and "USAF Academy".
- ^ The UNLV campus lies outside the Las Vegas city limits in the unincorporated area of Paradise. The US Postal Service considers all unincorporated communities in the Las Vegas Valley, including Paradise, to have a Las Vegas address.
Future members[]
| Institution | Location | Founded | Joining | Type | Enrollment | Endowment (2017)
(millions) |
Nickname | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Canyon University | Phoenix, Arizona | 1949 | July 1, 2026 | Private for-profit(Non-denominational) | 103,427 | $21.6 | Antelopes | Western (WAC) |
| University of California, Davis | Davis, California | 1905 | Public | 40,848 | $2,172.7 | Aggies | Big West | |
| University of Northern Illinois | DeKalb, Illinois | 1895 | 16,769 | $99 | Huskies | Mid-American Conference (MAC) | ||
| University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa | Honolulu, Hawaii | 1907 | 19,097 | $341.4 | Rainbow Warriors/Wahine | Big West | ||
| University of Texas at El Paso | El Paso, Texas | 1913 | 25,121 | $241.7 | Miners | Conference USA |
- Notes
- ^ Grand Canyon's for-profit status is disputed. The U.S. Department of Education treats it as a for-profit institution, but the Internal Revenue Service, the NCAA, and the state of Arizona consider it a nonprofit.
- ^ Includes online students. Current on-campus enrollment is about 25,300.
- ^ Current Mountain West football affiliate
Affiliate members[]
| Institution | Location | Founded | Joined | Type | Enrollment | Endowment | Nickname | Colors | MW
sport |
Primary
conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado College | Colorado Springs, Colorado | 1874 | 2014 | Nonsectarian | 2,266 | $908.6 million | Tigers | Women's soccer | Southern (SCAC) | |
| University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa | Honolulu, Hawaii | 1907 | 2012 | Public | 19,097 | $341.4 million | Rainbow Warriors | Football | Big West(MW in 2026) | |
| Washington State University | Pullman, Washington | 1890 | 2024 | Public | 24,139 | $1.28 billion | Cougars | Baseball | Pac-12 | |
| Women's swimming |
- Notes
- ^ Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference
Former full members[]
| Institution | Location | Founded | Joined | Left | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Colors | Current
conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brigham Young University | Provo, Utah | 1875 | 1999 | 2011 | LDS Church | 34,390 | Cougars | Big 12 | |
| Texas Christian University | Fort Worth, Texas | 1873 | 2005 | 2012 | Disciplesof Christ | 11,938 | Horned Frogs | ||
| University of Utah | Salt Lake City, Utah | 1850 | 1999 | 2011 | Public | 34,900 | Utes |
Seasons[]
- 1999 season
- 2011 season
- 2012 season
- 2024 seasons