Mountain West Conference
 | |
| Association | NCAA |
|---|---|
| Founded | May 26, 1998 |
| Commissioner | Gloria Nevarez (since January 1, 2023) |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Division | Division I |
| Subdivision | FBS |
| No. of teams | 10 |
| Headquarters |
|
| Region | Western United States |
| Broadcasters | |
| Streaming partners | |
| Website | themw |
| Locations | |
 | |
The Mountain West Conference (MW) is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States, participating in NCAA Division I. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The MW officially began operations on January 4, 1999. Geographically, the MW covers a broad expanse of the Western United States, with member schools located in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah, Texas, and Wyoming. Gloria Nevarez took over as commissioner of the MW on January 1, 2023, following the retirement of founding commissioner Craig Thompson.[1][2]
The charter members of the MW included the United States Air Force Academy, Brigham Young University, Colorado State University, San Diego State University, the University of New Mexico, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, University of Utah and the University of Wyoming. Before forming the Mountain West Conference, all eight charter members had been members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and half of these had been charter members of that conference from 1962.
History
[edit]
Genesis
[edit]
The creation of the MW was a delayed aftereffect of the 1996 NCAA conference realignment, which had initially been triggered two years earlier when the Big Eight Conference agreed to merge with four members of the Southwest Conference (SWC) to create the Big 12 Conference, which would begin competition in the 1996–97 school year.
The Western Athletic Conference, which had initially announced plans to expand beyond its then-current 10 members to at least 12, ended up with even more potential expansion prospects. Ultimately, the WAC took in three of the four SWC schools left out of the Big 12 merger, Rice University, Southern Methodist University (SMU), and Texas Christian University (TCU). Three other schools were added to bring the total membership to 16, namely Big West Conference members San José State University and UNLV, plus the University of Tulsa, an NCAA football independent and otherwise a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. The WAC's 16 teams were divided into four four-team "quadrants", two of which rotated between the Mountain and Pacific Divisions every two years. However, the newly expanded WAC was soon wracked by tension between the established and new members.[3]
In spring of 1998, BYU and Utah proposed a permanent split into two eight-team divisions. The proposal would have forced some schools into an unnatural alignment because of the geographic distribution of the conference.[3] Air Force was the most strident opponent of this proposal, threatening to become an independent.[3] Soon after the proposal by BYU and Utah, the presidents of Air Force, BYU, Colorado State, Utah, and Wyoming met at Denver International Airport to discuss their future, and they agreed to break away from the WAC to form a new conference.[3] They invited the WAC members New Mexico, San Diego State, and UNLV to join them in what became the Mountain West Conference.
The next move for the MW came in 2005, when the conference added TCU, who had spent the previous four seasons in Conference USA (C-USA).
Early–2010s realignment
[edit]On June 11, 2010, Boise State University agreed to join the conference as its tenth member. On June 17, 2010, Utah announced it would be leaving the Mountain West to join what would become the Pac-12 Conference. On August 18, 2010, amidst rumors that BYU was considering leaving the Mountain West to go independent in football and rejoin the Western Athletic Conference in all other sports, the Mountain West Conference officially extended invitations to California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) and the University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada). Both schools accepted and would become the tenth and eleventh members of the league.[4][5] BYU announced on August 31, 2010, that it would leave the Mountain West Conference and go Independent in football and become a member of the West Coast Conference (WCC) in other sports starting in 2011.[6] On November 29, 2010, TCU announced all athletic teams would move to the Big East Conference effective in 2012.[7] (Less than a year later, on October 10, 2011, TCU announced it would not join the Big East but would join the Big 12, home to fellow former SWC members Baylor, Texas, Texas Tech, and formerly Texas A&M, in 2012 instead.)[8] On December 10, 2010, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa accepted a bid to become the 10th member of the conference for football only.[9] These changes would leave the Mountain West Conference with 10 teams for the 2012 football season.
During the era of football's Bowl Championship Series (BCS), which was replaced by the College Football Playoff (CFP) in 2014, the MW champion qualified for a BCS bowl four times after the BCS formula was tweaked to allow teams from non-BCS conferences to play in BCS bowls if ranked in the top 12. However, two of the three schools that qualified are no longer with the conference.
On October 14, 2011, the Mountain West and C-USA announced a plan for a football only alliance.[10] On February 13, 2012, the two leagues announced that both conferences would be dissolving after the 2012–13 season to reform into one conference with at least 15 members for all sports, and a 16th team, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa as a football-only member.[11] However, when the two conferences discussed their plans with the NCAA, they were told that due to NCAA rules, they would forfeit substantial revenues. Specifically, the new conference would receive only one automatic bid to NCAA championships; at least one of the former conferences would lose future revenue distributions from the NCAA men's basketball tournament; and at least one former conference would not be able to collect exit fees from any members that departed to join the new conference.[12] As a result, the Mountain West and C-USA backed away from a full merger. In late March of that year, the commissioners of both conferences stated that all 16 schools had entered into binding agreements to form a new "association",[13] although the Mountain West and C-USA would have apparently remained separate legal entities.[12] In the end, this alliance never materialized due to both conferences soon adding new teams.
On May 2, 2012, San José State and Utah State agreed to join the conference for the 2013–14 academic year. On December 31 of that year, Boise State announced that it had backed out of its previously announced move to the Big East for football and the Big West for other sports, and would remain in the MW.[14]
On January 16, 2013, San Diego State accepted an offer to remain/return to the Mountain West Conference in all sports. Keeping SDSU in the conference gave the Mountain West 12 football members, allowing for a championship game to be held. The first championship game took place on December 7, 2013.[15]
Further membership changes
[edit]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.[16] 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.[17] 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.[18]
On June 30, 2022, UCLA[19] and Southern Cal[20] 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.[21] 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.[22] 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.[23] The MW and San Diego State reached a settlement of their dispute the following month, with SDSU remaining a member for the immediate future.[24]
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.[25][26] 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 would play one game against either Oregon State or Washington State in the 2024 season, giving both schools three home games and three away games. These games did not count towards Mountain West conference standings, and Oregon State and Washington State remained members of the Pac-12.[27] 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.[28]
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.[29] On September 24, Utah State also accepted an offer to join the Pac-12 in 2026 as its seventh member.[30]
On October 1, 2024 it was announced that the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) would be joining the Mountain West starting in the 2026–27 academic year.[31] 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.[32] This move was officially announced the next day.[33] On November 1, 2024, Grand Canyon University announced it was joining the Mountain West no later than July 1, 2026.[34] On July 8, 2025, the Mountain West announced Grand Canyon would join the conference for the 2025-26 school year.[35]
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 happened on July 1, 2026.[36]
On January 3, 2025, Northern Illinois University accepted an invitation from the MW to join for football only in 2026.[37] The move became official on January 7, after approval by NIU's governing board.[38] On October 2, 2025, the MW announced that NIU would also join for women's gymnastics in 2026.[39] On October 29, 2025, it was announced that the Mountain West would begin sponsoring both men's soccer and men's swimming and diving for the 2026-27 school year. Alongside them, Utah Tech announced it would join as a baseball and men's soccer affiliate.[40]
On February 8, 2026, North Dakota State University accepted an invitation to join the Mountain West Conference as a football-only affiliate member beginning with the 2026 season.[41] Under the terms of the agreement, North Dakota State will transition its football program from the Missouri Valley Football Conference to the Mountain West, while the university’s other sports will remain members of the Summit League.
Member schools
[edit]Current full members
[edit]Notes:
- ↑ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- ↑ 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".
- ↑ Non-football member.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Non-football member.
- ↑ 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.
Current affiliate members
[edit]| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Endowment (2024; millions) |
Nickname | Joined[a] | Colors | MW sport |
Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado College | Colorado Springs, Colorado | 1874 | Nonsectarian | 2,266 | $1,109.0 | Tigers | 2014 | Women's soccer | Southern (SCAC)[b] | |
| North Dakota State University (NDSU) |
Fargo, North Dakota | 1890 | Public | 11,952 | $486.2 | Bison | 2026 | Football | Summit | |
| Northern Illinois University (NIU) |
DeKalb, Illinois | 1895 | 16,078 | $122.2 | Huskies | Football | Horizon | |||
| Women's gymnastics | ||||||||||
| Utah Tech University | St. George, Utah | 1911 | 13,207 | $37.2 | Trailblazers | Baseball | Big Sky | |||
| Men's soccer |
Notes:
- ↑ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- ↑ Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference
Former full members
[edit]| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined[a] | Left[b] | Colors | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boise State University | Boise, Idaho | 1932 | Public | 26,155 | Broncos | 2011 | 2026 | Pac-12 | |
| Brigham Young University (BYU) |
Provo, Utah | 1875 | LDS Church | 34,390 | Cougars | 1999 | 2011 | Big 12 | |
| California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) |
Fresno, California | 1911 | Public | 25,047 | Bulldogs | 2012 | 2026 | Pac-12 | |
| Colorado State University | Fort Collins, Colorado | 1870 | 33,648[44] | Rams | 1999 | 2026 | |||
| Texas Christian University (TCU) |
Fort Worth, Texas | 1873 | Disciples of Christ |
11,938 | Horned Frogs | 2005 | 2012 | Big 12 | |
| San Diego State University | San Diego, California | 1897 | Public | 32,599 | Aztecs | 1999 | 2026 | Pac-12 | |
| University of Utah | Salt Lake City, Utah | 1850 | Public | 34,900 | Utes | 1999 | 2011 | Big 12 | |
| Utah State University | Logan, Utah | 1888 | Public | 27,943 | Aggies | 2013 | 2026 | Pac-12 |
- Notes
Membership timeline
[edit]
Full members Full members (non-football) Associate members (football only) Assoc. member (list sports) Independent Other conference 1 Other conference 2
NCAA team championships
[edit]| School | Team Championships | Non-NCAA DI Team Championships[a] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Men | Women | Co-ed | Total | Men | Women | Co-ed | |
| UTEP | 21 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| San Jose State | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 92 | 55 | 34 | 3 |
| Hawaii | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| New Mexico | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wyoming | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| UNLV | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UC Davis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
| Nevada | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 |
| Grand Canyon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Force | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 24 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 126 | 73 | 48 | 5 |
- ↑ Excluded from this list are all national championships earned outside the scope of NCAA Division I competition, including Division I FBS football titles, women's AIAW championships, and retroactive Helms Athletic Foundation titles.[45]
Affiliate member championships
[edit]Totals only include Mountain West affiliated sports.
| School | Team Championships | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Men | Women | Co-ed | |
| Colorado College | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| North Dakota State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Northern Illinois | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Utah Tech | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sports
[edit]The Mountain West Conference sponsors championship competition in eight men's and 11 women's NCAA sanctioned sports.[46] Hawai'i is only an associate member for football, and Colorado College is only an associate member for women's soccer.
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | 7 | – |
| Basketball | 11 | 11 |
| Cross country | 9 | 11 |
| Football | 12 | – |
| Golf | 11 | 9 |
| Gymnastics | – | 4 |
| Soccer | 6 | 12 |
| Softball | – | 9 |
| Swimming and diving | 5 | 9 |
| Tennis | 7 | 11 |
| Track and field (indoor) | 8 | 11 |
| Track and field (outdoor) | 8 | 11 |
| Volleyball | – | 11 |
- ↑ Numbers of teams are as of the 2025–26 school year
Men's sports
[edit]| Member | Baseball | Basketball | Cross country |
Football | Golf | Soccer | Swimming and Diving | Tennis | Track & field indoor |
Track & field outdoor |
Total MW sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Force | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| UC Davis | Yes | Yes | Yes | No[a] | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | 7 |
| Grand Canyon | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9 |
| Hawai'i | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | 6 |
| Nevada | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | 6 |
| UNLV | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | 7 |
| New Mexico | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8 |
| San Jose State | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | 8 |
| UTEP | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | 6 |
| Wyoming | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | 7 |
| Current Totals | 8+1[b] | 10 | 8 | 8+2[c] | 10 | 5+1[b] | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 72+4 |
Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Mountain West
[edit]Future members in green.
| School | Fencing | Gymnastics | Ice hockey | Lacrosse | Rifle[a] | Volleyball | Water polo | Wrestling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Force | Independent | MPSF | AHA | ASUN[47] | PRC | WCC[b] | Pac-12 | |
| Hawai'i | Big West | |||||||
| San Jose State | WCC[b] | |||||||
| UC Davis | WCC | |||||||
| Wyoming | Big 12 |
Women's sports
[edit]| Member | Basketball | Cross country |
Golf | Gymnastics | Soccer | Softball | Swimming & diving |
Tennis | Track & field indoor |
Track & field outdoor |
Volleyball | Total MW sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Force | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9 |
| UC Davis | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 11 |
| Grand Canyon | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| Hawai'i | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| Nevada | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| UNLV | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| New Mexico | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| San Jose State | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 11 |
| UTEP | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8 |
| Wyoming | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9 |
| Current Totals | 10 | 10 | 9 | 3+1[a] | 10+1[b] | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 93+2 |
Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Mountain West
[edit]Future members in green. Departing members in pink.
| School | Beach volleyball | Equestrian[a] | Fencing | Field hockey | Lacrosse | Rifle[b] | Sailing[c] | Water polo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Force | MPSF | PRC | ||||||
| Grand Canyon | MPSF[d] | |||||||
| Hawai'i | Big West | PCCSC | Big West | |||||
| San Jose State | MPSF[d] | Golden Coast[d] | ||||||
| UC Davis | WCC | ECAC | MPSF | Big 12 | Golden Coast | |||
| UTEP | TBD[e] | PRC |
- ↑ Part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program.
- ↑ Rifle is technically a men's sport, but men's, women's, and coed teams all compete against each other. Air Force and UTEP respectively field coed and women-only teams.
- ↑ Not organized by the NCAA.
- 1 2 3 Joining the Big West in 2027.
- ↑ UTEP has not announced a future affiliation for its beach volleyball program.
Financials
[edit]Conference distributions
[edit]The following table shows Mountain West Conference distributions during the fiscal year beginning 07-01-2024 ending 06-30-2025 as reported by ProPublica using Schedule A of the Mountain West Conference tax filing submitted on May 15, 2026.[48]
| Institution | 2024–25 Distribution |
|---|---|
| UNLV | $8,842,026 |
| San José State | $8,462,470 |
| New Mexico | $8,392,318 |
| Wyoming | $8,210,984 |
| Nevada | $8,116,659 |
| Air Force | $7,122,822 |
| Hawaiʻi | $3,320,747 |
| Average of 11 full share members | $9,096,354.64 |
CNBC list of the most valuable Mountain West schools
[edit]Rankings as of December 19, 2025 (2024–2025 academic year)[49]
| MWC | NCAA | School | Valuation | Value Change | Revenue | Revenue Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 75 | UNLV Rebels | $190 million |  | $61 million | |
Athletic department revenue by school
[edit]Total revenue includes ticket sales, contributions and donations, rights and licensing, student fees, school funds and all other sources including TV income, camp income, concessions, and novelties.
Total expenses includes coach and staff salaries, scholarships, buildings and grounds, maintenance, utilities and rental fees, recruiting, team travel, equipment and uniforms, conference dues, and insurance.
The following table shows institutional reporting to the United States Department of Education as shown on the DOE Equity in Athletics website for the 2023–24 academic year.[50]
| Institution | 2023–24 Total Revenue from Athletics | 2023–24 Total Expenses on Athletics |
|---|---|---|
| United States Air Force Academy | $81,240,615 | $69,453,628 |
| University of Nevada, Las Vegas | $65,376,772 | $65,376,772 |
| University of Nevada, Reno | $53,922,006 | $53,916,558 |
| University of New Mexico | $53,653,134 | $53,043,230 |
| University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa | $53,350,682 | $53,350,682 |
| University of Wyoming | $53,042,120 | $53,042,120 |
| University of Texas at El Paso | $37,006,248 | $36,602,226 |
| Grand Canyon University | $30,628,914 | $30,628,914 |
| San José State University | $30,593,724 | $30,593,724 |
Since Air Force is not available from that source, it was obtained from Knight Commission for the 2022–2023 academic year.[51]
Apparel
[edit]Schools in italics are affiliate members.
Commissioners
[edit]Since the birth of the conference in 1999, the Mountain West has had two commissioners:
| Name | Years | Tenure | Conference name(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Craig Thompson[52] | 1999–2022 | 23 years | Mountain West Conference |
| Gloria Nevarez[53] | 2024–present | 3 years | Mountain West Conference |
Conference champions
[edit]Rivalries
[edit]Conference (football)
[edit]Totals and records following the completion of the 2025 football season.
| Teams | Rivalry name | Trophy | Meetings (last) | Record | Series leader | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Force | ||||||
| Hawai'i | Air Force–Hawai'i football rivalry | Kuter Trophy | 24 (2025) | 14–9–1 | Air Force | |
| Hawai'i | San José State | Dick Tomey Legacy Game | Dick Tomey Legacy Trophy | 47 (2025) | 24–22–1 | San José State |
| UNLV | Hawai'i–UNLV football rivalry | Island Showdown Trophy | 35 (2025) | 19–16 | Hawai'i | |
| Wyoming | Hawai'i–Wyoming football rivalry | Paniolo Trophy | 28 (2025) | 11–17 | Wyoming | |
| Nevada | UNLV | Battle for Nevada | Fremont Cannon | 51 (2025) | 29–22 | Nevada |
| New Mexico | UTEP | New Mexico–UTEP football rivalry | N/A | 8 (2022) | 5-3-0 | UTEP |
Non–conference (including other sports)
[edit]| Mountain West Team | Opponent(s) | First meeting | Game | Trophy | Reigning champion (last meeting) | Next meeting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Force | Army & Navy | 1972 | Commander-in-Chief's Trophy | Navy (2025) | 2026 | |
| Colorado State | 1957 | Air Force–Colorado State football rivalry | Ram–Falcon Trophy | Air Force
(2025) |
||
| Hawai'i | Fresno State | 1938 | Battle for the Golden Screwdriver | Golden Scewdriver | Fresno State
(2025) |
|
| Northern Illinois | Ball State | 1941 | Ball State–Northern Illinois football rivalry | Bronze Stalk Trophy | Northern Illinois
(2025) |
|
| New Mexico | Arizona | 1908 | Arizona–New Mexico football rivalry | Kit Carson Rifle | Arizona (2024) | No future games scheduled at the moment |
| New Mexico State | 1894 | Rio Grande Rivalry | The Chile Roaster | New Mexico (2025) | 2026 | |
| Nevada | Boise State | 1971 | Boise State–Nevada football rivalry | none | Boise State
(2025) |
|
| North Dakota State | South Dakota State | 1903 | Dakota Marker | Dakota Marker | South Dakota State (2025) | |
| San José State | Stanford | 1900 | Bill Walsh Legacy Game | none | Stanford (2025) | 2028 |
| Fresno State | 1921 | Battle for the Valley | Valley Trophy | Fresno State
(2025) |
2026 | |
| UC Davis | Sacramento State | 1954 | Causeway Classic | Causeway Core | UC Davis (2025) | No future games scheduled at the moment |
| Cal Poly | 1939 | Battle for the Golden Horseshoe | The Golden Horseshoe | UC Davis
(2025) |
2026 | |
| UTEP | New Mexico State | 1914 | Battle of I-10 | Silver Spade Trophy and the Mayor's Cup | New Mexico State (2025) | 2027 |
| Wyoming | Colorado State | 1899 | Border War | Bronze Boot | Wyoming
(2025) |
2026 |
Football
[edit]
Bowl games
[edit]The Mountain West Conference has agreements with six bowls.
Since the 2014 season, the Mountain West champion is eligible for an at-large berth in the Cotton Bowl Classic, Fiesta Bowl, or Peach Bowl, if it is the highest-ranked conference champion among the "Group of Five" conferences (which also includes The American, CUSA, MAC, and Sun Belt) in the final College Football Playoff rankings, if it is not in the top 4. In the 2014 season, Boise State became the first team to receive this berth, being selected for and winning the Fiesta Bowl.
As of 2026,
| Pick | Name | Location | Opposing conference |
Opposing pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non–specific | Boca Raton Bowl | Boca Raton, Florida | G6 | Non–specific |
| Non–specific | Hawaii Bowl | Honolulu, Hawaii | American | Non–specific |
| Non–specific | Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Boise, Idaho | MAC | Non–specific |
| Non–specific | New Mexico Bowl | Albuquerque, New Mexico | CUSA | Non–specific |
| Non–specific | Armed Forces Bowl | Fort Worth, Texas | Big 12 And G6 | Non–specific |
| Non–specific | Puerto Rico Bowl | Bayamón, Puerto Rico | MAC | Non–specific |
| Non–specific | Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl | Tucson, Arizona | MAC | Non–specific |
| Non–specific | Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl | Frisco, Texas | American | Non–specific |
| Conditional* | Cactus Bowl | Phoenix, Arizona | Big 10 And Big 12 | Non–specific |
| Conditional* | ESPN Owned/Operated Bowls | |||
- If Hawaii is bowl eligible and not MW champions or selected for a CFP bowl, they will receive a berth in the Hawaii Bowl.
- The MW will only send a team to the Cactus or San Francisco Bowls if one of the primary conferences affiliated with those bowls is unable to fill their slots.
Bowl records
[edit]As of the 2024-25 bowl games
| School | Appearances | W | L | T | Win % | BCS/ NY6 | National championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Force | 30 | 16 | 13 | 1 | .550 | 0–0 | 0 |
| NIU | 16 | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 1–0 | 0 |
| Nevada | 18 | 7 | 12 | 0 | .368 | 0–0 | 0 |
| Wyoming | 18 | 10 | 9 | 0 | .526 | 0–0 | 0 |
| Hawai'i | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 0–1 | 0 |
| New Mexico | 14 | 4 | 9 | 1 | .346 | 0–0 | 0 |
| San Jose State | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 0–0 | 0 |
| UTEP | 19 | 8 | 11 | 0 | .421 | 0–0 | 0 |
| UNLV | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | 0–0 | 0 |
| North Dakota State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0–0 | 0 |
Bowl Challenge Cup
[edit]ESPN created the Bowl Challenge Cup in 2002 for the conference that had the best college football bowl record among Division I Football Bowl Subdivision conferences. The conference has won it five times, more than any other conference, by finishing with bowl game records of 2–1 in 2004–05,[54] 4–1 in 2007–08,[55] 4–1 in 2009–10,[56] 4–1 in 2010–11[57] and 5–1 in 2021–22.[58]
Men's basketball
[edit]The Mountain West and Missouri Valley Conferences hold an annual challenge series that was renewed in the 2015–16 season after a two-year hiatus. The series began in the 2009–10 season but temporarily ended when the original contract ran out after the 2012–13 season, During the first four seasons of the series, it involved all members of the MW and an equal number of the 10 MVC teams in basketball. With the MW now having 11 basketball members to the MVC's 10, the renewed series involves all MVC teams, with one MW team sitting out.
The first game was on November 13, 2009, featuring the Bradley Braves and the BYU Cougars in Provo and it concluded on December 23 with the Wyoming Cowboys visiting the Northern Iowa Panthers in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The challenge is similar to the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, which pits men's basketball teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big Ten Conference.[59]
NCAA tournament records
[edit]As of the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
| School | Appearances | W | L | Win % | Wins per appearance | National championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNLV | 20 | 33 | 19 | .635 | 1.650 | 1 (1990) |
| UTEP | 18 | 14 | 18 | .438 | 0.000 | 1 (1966) |
| New Mexico | 16 | 10 | 16 | .385 | 0.533 | 0 |
| Wyoming | 16 | 9 | 21 | .300 | 0.563 | 1 (1943) |
| Nevada | 11 | 6 | 11 | .353 | 0.600 | 0 |
| Hawaii | 9 | 4 | 8 | .333 | 0.000 | 0 |
| Grand Canyon | 5 | 1 | 5 | .167 | 0.000 | 0 |
| Air Force | 4 | 0 | 4 | .000 | 0.000 | 0 |
| San Jose State | 3 | 0 | 3 | .000 | 0.000 | 0 |
| UC Davis | 1 | 1 | 1 | .500 | 0.000 | 0 |
Women's basketball
[edit]NCAA tournament records
[edit]| School | Appearances | W | L | Win % | Wins per appearance | National championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNLV | 10 | 3 | 10 | .231 | 0.300 | 0 |
| New Mexico | 8 | 3 | 8 | .273 | 0.375 | 0 |
| Hawaii | 7 | 2 | 7 | .222 | 0.000 | 0 |
| Wyoming | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 0.000 | 0 |
| UTEP | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | 0.000 | 0 |
| UC Davis | 3 | 0 | 3 | .000 | 0.000 | 0 |
| Air Force | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0.000 | 0 |
| Nevada | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0.000 | 0 |
| San Jose State | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0.000 | 0 |
Facilities
[edit]- Notes
- ↑ Temporary stadium until the new Aloha Stadium is completed.[60]
- ↑ Nevada men's basketball currently plans to move to a new 10,000-seat off-campus arena at the Grand Sierra Resort in 2027. The Lawlor Events Center will remain home to women's basketball.[61][62]
- ↑ UC Davis competes in the Big Sky Conference (FCS) for football. They play their home games at UC Davis Health Stadium, which seats 10,367.
Elevation
[edit]The Mountain West's slogan is "Above the rest", and over half of the member institutions, plus women's soccer-only member Colorado College, are at more than 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) above sea level. This impacts endurance in sports like football, soccer, and the distance races in track & field and swimming meets; air resistance in sprints and horizontal jumps in track & field; and aerodynamics in baseball, softball, tennis, golf, and the discus and javelin throws. The Mountain West's institutions have the highest average elevations in NCAA Division I sports.
Campus and football stadium elevations
[edit]Schools in italics are single-sport members. In the case of women's soccer-only member Colorado College, "stadium elevation" refers to the school's soccer venue.
| School | Campus elevation (ft) |
Stadium elevation (ft) |
|---|---|---|
| Air Force | 7,258 | 6,621 |
| Wyoming | 7,220 | 7,220 |
| Colorado College | 6,053 | 6,053 |
| New Mexico | 5,174 | 5,100 |
| Nevada | 4,564 | 4,610 |
| UTEP | 3,700 | 3,910 |
| Utah Tech | 2,880 | 2,860 |
| UNLV | 2,024 | 2,190 |
| Grand Canyon | 1,086 | N/A |
| North Dakota State | 900 | 900 |
| Northern Illinois | 871 | 870 |
| Hawaii | 105 | 19 |
| San Jose State | 85 | 93 |
| UC Davis | 49 | 47 |
References
[edit]- ↑ Murray, Chris (August 18, 2017). "Face of the Mountain West: Craig Thompson has been conference's anchor for 19 years". Reno Gazette-Journal. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Gloria Nevarez Named Mountain West Commissioner" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. November 11, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 Deinhart, Tom (September 14, 2011). "WAC a cautionary tale for superconferences". Rivals.com. Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
- ↑ "Fresno State, Nevada to remain in WAC until 2012". ESPN. October 28, 2010. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
- ↑ Adelson, Andrea. "Utah State turned down invite to MWC". ESPN. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
- ↑ "BYU to leave Mountain West Conference, join West Coast Conference in all sports except football". ESPN. September 1, 2010. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
- ↑ Hawkins, Stephen (November 29, 2010). "Big East Gets Bigger, Adds TCU For 2012 Season". NBCSports.MSNBC.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
- ↑ "TCU Accepts Invitation To Join Big 12 Conference". TCU Athletic Department. October 10, 2011. Archived from the original on October 12, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
- ↑ Song, Jaymes (December 10, 2010). "Hawaii Joins Mountain West Conference". NBCSports.MSNBC.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 13, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
- ↑ "Mountain West, Conference USA announce football-only alliance". ESPN. October 15, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
- ↑ "MWC, C-USA to form new league". CNN. February 13, 2012. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012.
- 1 2 McMurphy, Brett (April 17, 2012). "Conference Mountain West merger "unlikely"". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
- ↑ McMurphy, Brett (March 28, 2012). "New C-USA, MWC league will be completed by early June". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
- ↑ McMurphy, Brett (December 31, 2012). "Boise State spurns Big East". ESPN. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
- ↑ Dodd, Dennis (January 16, 2013). "Mountain West planning title game with 'addition' of SDSU". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ↑ Zeigler, Mark (February 28, 2018). "Mountain West confirms it has talked expansion with ... Gonzaga". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ↑ Zeigler, Mark (March 7, 2018). "Is Gonzaga (and maybe BYU) really coming to the Mountain West?". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
- ↑ Meehan, Jim (April 2, 2018). "Gonzaga athletic director Mike Roth says Zags staying in WCC". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, WA. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
- ↑ Jarmond, Martin (June 30, 2022). "UCLA to Join Big Ten Conference at Start of 2024–25 Season – UCLA". Uclabruins.com. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ↑ "USC to Make Historic Move to Big Ten Conference in 2024 – USC Athletics". Usctrojans.com. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ↑ Thamel, Pete (June 16, 2023). "Sources: San Diego St. tells Mountain West it plans to exit". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
- ↑ Straka, Dean (June 19, 2023). "Mountain West rejects exceptions requested by San Diego State as it eyes withdrawal, per report". cbssports.com. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
- ↑ Kasabian, Paul (June 30, 2023). "Report: SDSU Plans to Remain in Mountain West amid Pac-12 Move Rumors". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ↑ Thamel, Pete (July 18, 2023). "Source: SDSU remains in Mountain West as sides resolve dispute". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- ↑ "Mountain West had talks with Oregon St., Wazzu". ESPN.com. September 2, 2023. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ↑ Prisbell, Eric (September 6, 2023). "How the Pac-12's assets complicate Oregon State, Washington State's future". on3.com. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ↑ "Mountain West Announces Football Scheduling Agreement With Oregon State and Washington State" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. December 1, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
- ↑ "Mountain West Adds Washington State in Baseball and Women's Swimming" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. April 16, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
- ↑ "Ushering in a new era, the Pac-12 Conference strengthens its legacy by welcoming four respected academic and athletic universities". pac-12.com. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
- ↑ Vannini, Chris. "Utah State agrees to join Pac-12 as league pushes for Mountain West members, Gonzaga: Sources". The Athletic. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
- ↑ "Mountain West Officially Welcomes UTEP Into The Conference". Mountain West Conference. October 1, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
- ↑ Tsai, Stephen (October 14, 2024). "Most of UH's non-football sports will join Mountain West". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
- ↑ "Mountain West Officially Welcomes Hawaiʻi as a Full-Time Member" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. October 15, 2024. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
- ↑ "GCU accepts invite to Mountain West Conference" (Press release). Grand Canyon University Athletics. November 1, 2024. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
- ↑ "Mountain West Welcomes Grand Canyon University for the 2025-2026 Academic Year". themw.com.
- ↑ "UC Davis to join Mountain West Conference in 2026-27" (Press release). Retrieved December 10, 2024.
- ↑ Bromberg, Nick (January 3, 2025). "Northern Illinois set to move to Mountain West as football-only member". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
- ↑ "NIU Football Joins Mountain West Conference" (Press release). Northern Illinois Huskies. January 7, 2025. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
- ↑ "Mountain West Adds Northern Illinois University As an Affiliate for Women's Gymnastics" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. October 2, 2025. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
- ↑ "MW Expands Sports Sponsorship with the Addition of Men's Soccer and Men's Swimming and Diving in 2026-27" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. October 29, 2025. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ↑ Thamel, Pete (February 8, 2026). "Sources: North Dakota State joins Mountain West for football". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
- ↑ "Home of the College Scorecard (Alumni Earnings After 4 Years)". College Scorecard. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
- ↑ As of June 30, 2024. "U.S. and Canadian 2024 NCSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2024 Endowment Market Value, Change in Market Value from FY23 to FY24, and FY24 Endowment Market Values Per Full-time Equivalent Student" (XLS). National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO). February 17, 2025. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
- ↑ "CSU campuses report increased total enrollment for 2023".
- ↑ "Championships summary through Jan. 1, 2022" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 20, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
- ↑ "Mountain West Conference". Themwc.com. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
- ↑ "ASUN Conference Announces Formation of Men's Lacrosse League" (Press release). ASUN Conference. February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
- ↑ "Mountain West Conference; Full text of "Full Filing" for fiscal year ending June 2025". ProPublica. June 25, 2026.
- ↑ "CNBC's Official College Sports Valuations 2025: Top 75 athletic programs". CNBC. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Equity in Athletics Data Analysis". U.S. Department of Education.
- ↑ "Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database".
- ↑ Murray, Chris (September 14, 2022). "After 24 years running the Mountain West, commissioner Craig Thompson will step down". Mountain West Connections. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
- ↑ Wittmann, Mike (November 11, 2022). "Mountain West hires Gloria Nevarez as new Commissioner". Mountain West Connections. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
- ↑ "2007 Bowl Challenge Cup standings". ESPN. December 26, 2007.
- ↑ Mountain West Posts Top Bowl Win Percentage Among FBS Subdivision Conferences
- ↑ "2009–2010 Conference Bowl Wins". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on January 5, 2010. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
- ↑ Adelson, Andrea. "Mountain West wins Bowl Challenge Cup". ESPN. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
- ↑ "Mountain West Wins Nation's Best Fifth Bowl Challenge Cup". themw.com. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- ↑ "Missouri Valley, MWC to start basketball series". Las Vegas Review-Journal. January 15, 2009. Retrieved January 16, 2009.
- ↑ "Plans for new Aloha Stadium move forward as state reaches out to developers" (Press release). KHNL/KGMB. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
- ↑ "Historic $1 Billion Private Capital Investment Announced for the Grand Sierra Resort" (Press release). Nevada Wolf Pack. September 27, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
- ↑ Krajewski, Jim (July 25, 2024). "Grand Sierra Resort arena, future home of Nevada men's basketball, now set to open in 2027". Reno Gazette-Journal. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
External links
[edit]
