Seven Mountain West schools have solidified their membership in the conference, it was officially announced on Thursday evening.
The news comes following interest from the American Athletic Conference (AAC) in the Air Force Falcons and interest from the Pac-12 Conference in the UNLV Rebels.
All seven Mountain West schools — Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, and Wyoming — signed a Memorandum of Understanding to remain in the league on Thursday, according to the announcement. Those seven schools have also formally agreed to execute a Grant of Media Rights to the Conference extending from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2032.
“Our immediate priority was solidifying the membership of the Mountain West. Now our focus turns to our collective future on behalf of our student-athletes,” said Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez. “The agreements announced today mark a historic moment for the Mountain West and provide much-needed stability and clarity as the world of intercollegiate athletics continues to evolve rapidly. We are excited about our future and are executing our next steps in expanding the Mountain West. We will continue to prioritize the student-athlete experience and do all we can to support our institutions as they compete at the highest levels of intercollegiate athletics.”
Per the release, the Mountain West will provide distribution payments to the remaining schools in accordance with the bylaws of the conference utilizing the following formulas: Air Force and UNLV will receive 24.5%, Nevada, New Mexico, San José State and Wyoming 11.5%, and Hawaii 5%.
“I commend the members of the Mountain West Conference and Commissioner Nevarez for their commitment to ensuring a competitive future for our league and for their dedication to our student-athletes, their success, and overall experience,” said Mountain West Board Chair and UNLV President, Dr. Keith E. Whitfield.
With seven members solidified from 2026 onward, the Mountain West will now need to add two additional members to remain a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conference. Per NCAA rules, the league will have a two-year grace period beneath the eight-team threshold, which as of now will be the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
Since Hawaii is only a partial member of the Mountain West Conference, it does not count toward the eight-team requirement.
Following the 2025 season, five team will depart the Mountain West for the Pac-12. Those teams include Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State.
The PAC-12 STAYS losing
Losing because they didn’t give $25 million to the worst team in the MW?
San Jose State Spartans will be My favorite in Mountain West unless should Montana State Bobcats jumps to FBS & lands in MW.
Boise State will be my favorite in PAC 12 once comes 2026.
So now in the west there are two conferences – a “revived” conference and a “diminished” one. Both of them having seven football playing members and neither of them having a enough members to be a conference. And now in the west… there are two separate conferences, hunting for new members, from the same limited pool of candidates, and both expecting to be magically lifted to power conference status (with accompanying TV contract). Really? Just recombine and try to be Group-of-5 worthy.
Nobody thinks either will be a power conference. The 7 schools that spend the most on athletics have separated themselves from the 7 that spend the least. Literally every other university is allowed to improve their situation by moving to a new conference, but the Pac-7 have to stay with schools who have no desire to put money into their athletics?
Oregon State and Washington State wanted to add the six largest earners from the old MMC. They could get Air Force (#1 most revenue) to leave the conference or UNLV (#3 most revenue) to abandon Nevada (#8 most revenue) and when neither New Mexico (#9) nor Wyoming (#7) joined their rebellion, but they settled on Utah State (#10 most revenue). Interesting to note that the departing members generated an average revenue of $55.0 million per year while the loyalist produced $53.2 million annually – an insignificant 3% difference. The point being that moving to a new conference would not create a stronger opportunity for financial growth nor would staying put in the MWC hamper their commercial athletic future.
Air Force should have left for the AAC to join the 2 other military academies. Sad to see it not happening.
100% agreed.
I have zero concerns Air Force will be excellent with MW.
Bones, Jason Groomes,
I disagree respectfully.
Unless both of U live in the Mountain ,Pacific, Plains, or Texas areas: AFA =s 1000+ miles away from the nearest 3 AAC Texas Unis., & they’re brand new to the Conf..
AFA =s very far from eastern OK where Tulsa is.
AFA =s a full member of TheMW.com, not football only members of the AAC, which the US Military Academy & US Naval Academy are.
AFA =s geographically near the middle of their remaining MW fellows.
The AAC =s thinly spread with wide geographic state Uni. gaps between the eastern 3, the southern 7, the TX-OK 4, with only 3 states having more than 1 Uni..
All Army & Navy’s non football athletic programs are in a tight Patriot League footprint.
For AFA Falcons, full AAC membership defies financial & geographic sense & logic.
Please share your empirical points refuting my measurable ones about AFA joining the 2 east coast fed. Academies as a football only member & orphaning their other sports.
Conference USA is likely going to get raided. Is Texas State better off in the MWC over the Sun Belt. I wonder if Delaware is rethinking CUSA for the MAC.
This is now officially, over the top. Both need 8 full-time members so the MWC needs Texas State and……
I would think the Pac 12 wants UTEP; we know the Miners probably aren’t big spenders, but El Paso has over 700,000 residents in the city so the demographics are befitting.
MWC will likely have to settle for New Mexico State to get to eight, if Texas State comes over. I could also see them courting Sam Houston State. That would give them 9 full-time members.
This is absurd. I get the big power conferences. They’re trying to create a college super league and with a 12 team playoff (soon to be 14 and then 16), they want an NFL model. it will also spread the talent out more. Before the big DE would go to Alabama and though he wouldn’t start, he would be part of the rotation because he wanted to play in the CFP. Now, that cat can go to Tennessee or Penn State and play in the CFP.
I pray that the MAC doesn’t get raided. It’s a solid conference and until now, has avoided losing any members to realignment. Seeing Toledo and NIU join the MWC for football only is silly.
Air Force needs to stay put. As HTK said, Army and Navy are football-only members in the American; Air Force plays all its sports in the MWC.
Stay where you’re at.
The great thing about college football is that it means different things to people. You can love watching Ohio State-Michigan, but schools like Wyoming, Buffalo, and Kennesaw State also have teams. These teams need conferences to play in. Had the MWC dissolved, what would Wyoming do? Play as an independent? That’s tough to do.
Where are thinkers, the protectors. The funny thing, as much as the leaders try to screw it up, the games deliver and the fans are watching in big numbers.
As A Northern Illinois Huskies & Bowling Green State Falcons Fan I would welcome Delaware Blue Hens to MAC.