Mountain West Conference

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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

Template:OSM Location map Template:OSM Location map

Genesis

File:MountainWestMD-2016-0726-CraigThompson.png
Craig Thompson was hired as the inaugural commissioner of the Mountain West on October 15, 1998, and served until his retirement on December 31, 2022. Before joining the MW, he had been commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference.

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

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". 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

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

Current full members

Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Endowment
(2024; millions)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[42] 		Nickname JoinedTemplate:Efn Colors
Script error: No such module "sort".
(Air Force)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		Air Force Academy, ColoradoTemplate:Efn 1954 Federal
(Military)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		4,181 $156.5 Falcons 1999 Template:College color boxes
Grand Canyon University Phoenix, Arizona 1949 Private for-profitTemplate:Efn
(Non-denominational)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		Template:NtsTemplate:Efn $21.6 Antelopes 2025 Template:College color boxes
University of California, Davis
(UC Davis)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		Davis, California 1905 Public 40,848 $770.4 Aggies 2026 Template:College color boxes
Script error: No such module "sort". Honolulu, Hawaii 1907 19,097 $526.7 Rainbow Warriors/Wahine Template:College color boxes
Script error: No such module "sort". Reno, Nevada 1874 21,034 $560.1 Wolf Pack 2012 Template:College color boxes
Script error: No such module "sort".
(UNLV)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		Las Vegas, NevadaTemplate:Efn 1957 30,660 $352.3 Rebels 1999 Template:College color boxes
Script error: No such module "sort". Albuquerque, New Mexico 1889 21,738 $887.1 Lobos 1999 Template:College color boxes
San José State University San Jose, California 1857 32,432 $248.7 Spartans 2013 Template:College color boxes
University of Texas at El Paso
(UTEP)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		El Paso, Texas 1913 25,121 $386.8 Miners 2026 Template:College color boxes
Script error: No such module "sort". Laramie, Wyoming 1886 11,100 $900.0 Cowboys &
Cowgirls 		1999 Template:College color boxes

Notes: Template:Notelist

Current affiliate members

Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Endowment
(2024; millions)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		Nickname JoinedTemplate:Efn Colors MW
sport 		Primary
conference
Colorado College Colorado Springs, Colorado 1874 Nonsectarian 2,266 $1,109.0 Tigers 2014 Template:College color boxes Women's soccer Southern (SCAC)Template:Efn
North Dakota State University
(NDSU)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		Fargo, North Dakota 1890 Public 11,952 $486.2 Bison 2026 Template:College color boxes Football Summit
Northern Illinois University
(NIU)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		DeKalb, Illinois 1895 16,078 $122.2 Huskies Template:College color boxes Football Horizon
Women's gymnastics
Utah Tech UniversityTemplate:Efn St. George, Utah 1911 13,207 $37.2 Trailblazers Template:College color boxes Baseball Big Sky
Men's soccer

Notes: Template:Notelist |}

Notes

Template:Notelist

Former full members

Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Nickname JoinedTemplate:Efn LeftTemplate:Efn Colors Current
conference
Boise State University Boise, Idaho 1932 Public 26,155 Broncos 2011 2026 Template:College color boxes Pac-12
Brigham Young University
(BYU)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		Provo, Utah 1875 LDS Church 34,390 Cougars 1999 2011 Template:College color boxes Big 12
California State University, Fresno
(Fresno State)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		Fresno, California 1911 Public 25,047 Bulldogs 2012 2026 Template:College color boxes Pac-12
Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado 1870 33,648[43] Rams 1999 2026 Template:College color boxes
Texas Christian University
(TCU)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		Fort Worth, Texas 1873 Disciples
of Christ 		11,938 Horned Frogs 2005 2012 Template:College color boxes Big 12
San Diego State University San Diego, California 1897 Public 32,599 Aztecs 1999 2026 Template:College color boxes Pac-12
Script error: No such module "sort". Salt Lake City, Utah 1850 Public 34,900 Utes 1999 2011 Template:College color boxes Big 12
Utah State University Logan, Utah 1888 Public 27,943 Aggies 2013 2026 Template:College color boxes Pac-12
Notes

Template:Notelist

Membership timeline

<timeline> DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:1050 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:1998 till:2031 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:0 left:0 bottom:50 top:5

Colors = 

         id:line value:black
         id:bg value:white
         id:Full value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports
         id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football
         id:AssocF value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only
         id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.5,0.691,0.824) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all (consider identifying in legend or a footnote)
         id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference
         id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the two
         id:Ind value:rgb(0.83,0.83,0.83)

PlotData= 

width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s

bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:1999 text:WAC
bar:1 color:Full from:1999 till:2011 text:BYU (1999–2011)
bar:1  color:OtherC1 from:2011 till:2023 text:WCC (fb. independent)
bar:1  color:OtherC2 from:2023 till:end text:Big 12

bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:1999 text:WAC
bar:2 color:Full from:1999 till:2011 text:Utah (1999–2011)
bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:2011 till:end text:Pac-12
bar:2 color:OtherC2 from:2024 till:end text:Big 12

bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:1999 text:WAC
bar:3 color:Full from:1999 till:end text:Colorado State (1999–2026)
bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12

bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:1999 text:WAC
bar:4 color:Full from:1999 till:end text:San Diego State (1999–2026)
bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12

bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:1999 text:WAC
bar:5 color:Full from:1999 till:end text:Air Force (1999–present)

bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:1999 text:WAC
bar:6 color:Full from:1999 till:end text:UNLV (1999–present)

bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:1999 text:WAC
bar:7 color:Full from:1999 till:end text:New Mexico (1999–present)

bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:1999 text:WAC
bar:8 color:Full from:1999 till:end text:Wyoming (1999–present)

bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2001 text:WAC
bar:9 color:OtherC2 from:2001 till:2005 text:C-USA
bar:9 color:Full from:2005 till:2012 text:TCU (2005–2012)
bar:9 color:OtherC2 from:2012 till:end text:Big 12

bar:10 color:OtherC2 from:1998 till:2001 text:Big West
bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:2011 text:WAC
bar:10 color:Full from:2011 till:2026 text:Boise State (2011–2026)
bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12

bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2012 text:WAC
bar:11 color:Full from:2012 till:2026 text:Fresno State (2012–2026)
bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12

bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2012 text:WAC
bar:12 color:AssocF from:2012 till:2026 text:Hawaiʻi (2012–present)
bar:12 color:Full from:2026 till:end

bar:13 color:OtherC2 from:1998 till:2000 text:Big West
bar:13 shift:(20) color:OtherC1 from:2000 till:2012 text:WAC
bar:13 color:Full from:2012 till:end text:Nevada (2012–present)

bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2013 text:WAC
bar:14 color:Full from:2013 till:end text:San Jose State (2013–present)

bar:15 color:OtherC2 from:1998 till:2005 text:Big West
bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text:WAC
bar:15 color:Full from:2013 till:2026 text:Utah State (2013–2026)
bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12

bar:16 color:AssocOS from:2014 till:end text:Colorado College (2014–present)

bar:17 color:AssocOS from:2024 till:2026 text:Washington State (2024–2026)

bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2004 text:CCAA
bar:18 color:OtherC2 from:2004 till:2005 shift:(-5) text:D-II Ind.
bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text:PacWest
bar:18 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2025 text:WAC
bar:18 color:FullxF from:2025 till:end text:Grand Canyon (2025–present)

bar:19 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2026 text:MAC
bar:19 color:AssocF from:2026 till:end text:Northern Illinois (2026–future)

bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2004 text:NCC
bar:20 color:OtherC2 from:2004 till:2008 text:Great West
bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:2008 till:2026 text:MVFC
bar:20 color:AssocF from:2026 till:end text:North Dakota State (2026–future)

bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2006 text:Scenic West (NJCAA)
bar:21 shift:(-10) color:OtherC2 from:2006 till:2007 text:D-II Ind.
bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:2007 till:2018 text:PacWest
bar:21 color:OtherC2 from:2018 till:2020 text:RMAC
bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:2020 till:2026 text:WAC
bar:21 color: AssocOS from:2026 till:end text:Utah Tech (2026–future)

bar:22 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2004 text:CCAA
bar:22 color:OtherC2 from:2004 till:2007 text:D-I Ind.
bar:22 color:OtherC1 from:2007 till:2026 text:Big West (Big Sky fb.)
bar:22 color:FullxF from:2026 till:end text:UC Davis (2026–future)

bar:23 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2005 text:WAC
bar:23 color:OtherC2 from:2005 till:2026 text:C-USA
bar:23 color:Full from:2026 till:end text:UTEP (2026–future)


ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:2000

TextData = 

fontsize:M
textcolor:black
pos:(0,20) tabs:(400-center)
text:^"Mountain West Conference membership history"
  1. > If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following seven options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space. Full members Full members (non-football) Assoc. members (football only) Assoc. member (list sports) Independent  Other conference 1 Other conference 2 <# </timeline>

Full members  Full members (non-football)  Associate members (football only)  Assoc. member (list sports) Independent  Other conference 1  Other conference 2 

NCAA team championships

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Excluded from this list are all national championships earned outside the scope of NCAA competition, including Division I FBS football titles, women's AIAW championships (17), equestrian titles (0), and retroactive Helms Athletic Foundation titles.[44]

School Team Championships
Total Men Women Co-ed
style="Template:NCAA color cell"|North Dakota State 18 18 0 0
style="Template:NCAA color cell"|San Jose State 10 7 3 0
style="Template:NCAA color cell"|Hawaii 6 3 3 0
style="Template:NCAA color cell"|New Mexico 3 0 2 1
style="Template:NCAA color cell"|Wyoming 3 1 0 2
style="Template:NCAA color cell"|UNLV 2 2 0 0
style="Template:NCAA color cell"|Nevada 0 0 0 0
style="Template:NCAA color cell"|Air Force 0 0 0 0
style="Template:NCAA color cell"|Grand Canyon 0 0 0 0
style="Template:NCAA color cell"|NIU 0 0 0 0
style="Template:NCAA color cell"|UTEP 0 0 0 0
Total 42 31 8 3

Sports

The Mountain West Conference sponsors championship competition in eight men's and 11 women's NCAA sanctioned sports.[45] Hawai'i is only an associate member for football, and Colorado College is only an associate member for women's soccer.

Teams in Mountain West competitionTemplate:Efn
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

Template:Notelist

Men's sports

Member Baseball BasketTemplate:Shyball 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 NoTemplate:Efn 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+1Template:Efn 10 8 8+2Template:Efn 10 5+1Template:Efn 5 7 6 7 72+4

Template:Notelist Template:Notelist

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Mountain West

Future members in green.

School Fencing GymnaTemplate:Shystics Ice
hockey		 LacTemplate:Shyrosse RifleTemplate:Efn Volleyball Water
polo		 Wrestling
Air Force IndepTemplate:Shyendent MPSF AHA ASUN[46] PRC WCCTemplate:Efn Pac-12
Hawai'i Big West
San Jose State WCCTemplate:Efn
UC Davis WCC
Wyoming Big 12

Template:Notelist

Women's sports

Member BasketTemplate:Shyball Cross
country 		Golf Gymnastics Soccer Softball Swimming
& diving 		Tennis Track
& field indoor 		Track
& field
outdoor 		VolleyTemplate:Shyball 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+1Template:Efn 10+1 8 9 9 10 10 10 93+2

Template:Notelist

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Mountain West

Future members in green. Departing members in pink.

School Beach
volleyball		 EquestrianTemplate:Efn Fencing Field
hockey		 Lacrosse RifleTemplate:Efn SailingTemplate:Efn Water
polo
Air Force Independent PRC
Grand Canyon MPSFTemplate:Efn
Hawai'i Big West PCCSC Big West
San Jose State MPSFTemplate:Efn Golden CoastTemplate:Efn
UC Davis WCC ECAC MPSF Big 12 Golden Coast
UTEP CUSATemplate:Efn PRC

Template:Notelist

Financials

Conference distributions

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.[47]

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

Rankings as of December 19, 2025 (2024–2025 academic year)[48]

MWC NCAA School Valuation Value Change Revenue Revenue Change
1 75 UNLV Rebels $190 million Template:New $61 million Template:New

Athletic department revenue by school

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.[49]

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.[50]

Conference champions

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Rivalries

Conference (football)

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)

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 Sac 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)		 2026
Wyoming Colorado State 1899 Border War Bronze Boot Wyoming

(2025)

2026

Football

Bowl games

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 2020,

Pick Name Location Opposing
conference 		Opposing
pick
Non–specific Hawaii Bowl Honolulu, Hawaii The 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 Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Tucson, Arizona MAC Non–specific
Conditional* Rate 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

As of the 2024-25 bowl games

School Appearances W L T Win
%		 BCS/
NY6		 National
championships
Air Force 30 16 13 1 Template:Winpct 0–0 0
NIU 16 6 10 0 Template:Winpct 1–0 0
Nevada 18 7 12 0 Template:Winpct 0–0 0
Wyoming 18 10 9 0 Template:Winpct 0–0 0
Hawai'i 14 8 6 0 Template:Winpct 0–1 0
New Mexico 14 4 9 1 Template:Winpct 0–0 0
San Jose State 14 7 7 0 Template:Winpct 0–0 0
UTEP 19 8 11 0 Template:Winpct 0–0 0
UNLV 6 4 2 0 Template:Winpct 0–0 0
North Dakota State 0 0 0 0 Template:Winpct 0–0 0

Template:Notelist

Bowl Challenge Cup

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,[51] 4–1 in 2007–08,[52] 4–1 in 2009–10,[53] 4–1 in 2010–11[54] and 5–1 in 2021–22.[55]

Men's basketball

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.[56]

NCAA tournament records

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 Template:Winpct 1.650 1 (1990)
UTEP 18 14 18 Template:Winpct 0.000 1 (1966)
New Mexico 16 10 16 Template:Winpct 0.533 0
Wyoming 16 9 21 Template:Winpct 0.563 1 (1943)
Nevada 11 6 11 .353 0.600 0
Hawaii 9 4 8 Template:Winpct 0.000 0
Grand Canyon 5 1 5 Template:Winpct 0.000 0
Air Force 4 0 4 Template:Winpct 0.000 0
San Jose State 3 0 3 Template:Winpct 0.000 0
UC Davis 1 1 1 Template:Winpct 0.000 0

Women's basketball

NCAA tournament records

School Appearances W L Win
%		 Wins per
appearance		 National
championships
UNLV 10 3 10 .231 0.300 0
New Mexico 8 3 8 Template:Winpct 0.375 0
Hawaii 7 2 7 Template:Winpct 0.000 0
Wyoming 2 0 2 Template:Winpct 0.000 0
UTEP 3 1 2 Template:Winpct 0.000 0
UC Davis 3 0 3 Template:Winpct 0.000 0
Air Force 0 0 0 Template:Winpct 0.000 0
Nevada 0 0 0 Template:Winpct 0.000 0
San Jose State 0 0 0 Template:Winpct 0.000 0

Facilities

Template:CollegePrimaryHeader
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />Air Force Falcon Stadium 39,441 Clune Arena 5,858 Erdle Field 1,000
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />Grand Canyon Non-football school Global Credit Union Arena 7,500 Brazell Field 4,500
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />Hawaiʻi Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics ComplexTemplate:Efn 15,000 Stan Sheriff Center 10,300 Les Murakami Stadium 4,312
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />Nevada Mackay Stadium 27,000 Lawlor Events CenterTemplate:Efn 12,000 William Peccole Park 3,000
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />New Mexico University Stadium 39,224 The Pit-Powered by Nusenda 15,411 Lobo Baseball Field 1,000
style="Template:NCAA secondary color cell"| <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />North Dakota State Fargodome 18,700 Football-only member
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />Northern Illinois Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium 23,595
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />San Jose State CEFCU Stadium 21,520 Provident Credit Union Event Center 5,000 Excite Ballpark 4,200
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />UC Davis Non-football memberTemplate:Efn University Credit Union Center 7,600 Dobbins Stadium 3,500
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />UNLV Allegiant Stadium 65,000 Thomas & Mack Center (men)
Cox Pavilion (women) 		17,923
2,500 		Earl Wilson Stadium 3,000
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />Utah Tech Baseball (and men's soccer)-only member Bruce Hurst Field 2,500
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />UTEP Sun Bowl Stadium 51,500 Don Haskins Center 12,222 Non-baseball school
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />Wyoming War Memorial Stadium 30,514 Arena-Auditorium 11,612 Non-baseball school
Notes

Template:Notelist

Elevation

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 Script error: No such module "convert". 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

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 Academy 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
Hawai'i 105 19
San Jose State 85 93
UC Davis 49 47

References

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  40. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  41. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  42. ↑ As of June 30, 2024. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  43. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  44. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  45. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  46. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  47. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  48. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  49. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  50. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  51. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  52. ↑ Mountain West Posts Top Bowl Win Percentage Among FBS Subdivision Conferences
  53. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  54. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  55. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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External links

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