Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference (abbreviated as either "MW" or "MWC") is a group of colleges and universities in the Western United States, who play NCAA Division I sports against one another. In football, the MW plays in the top-level Division I FBS.
The league was formed in 1999 when eight schools split from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Most of the original members had been members of the WAC before it grew from 10 schools to 16 in 1996.
Due to a major realignment of Division I conferences, the MW and Conference USA (CUSA) announced plans to merge into one conference, possibly for the 2013–14 school year.[1] However, because of money issues, the conferences backed away from a full merger. They planned to form an alliance for scheduling and television purposes.[2] After both conferences added more schools, they backed out of the planned alliance.
During the 2020s conference realignment, the MW survived an attempted raid from the American Athletic Conference, which had courted four of its members,[3] but would later be raided by the Pac-12 Conference, which had lost all but two of its 12 members in 2024. In September 2024, the Pac-12 announced that Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State would join the Pac-12 in 2026.[4] Utah State soon became the fifth MW member to announce its departure for the Pac-12, also effective in 2026.[5]
The MW started a rebuilding process in October 2024 by announcing that UTEP would join from CUSA in 2026.[6] Later that month, football associate Hawaii announced it would become a full MW member in 2026.[7] On November 1, Grand Canyon, which had previously announced it would join the West Coast Conference in 2025,[8] went back on that move, instead accepting an invitation to join the MW no later than 2026.[9] Unlike the other current and future MW members, Grand Canyon has no football team. In December, UC Davis announced it would join the MW in 2026, though without its football team, which will stay in the second-level Division I FCS as an associate of the Big Sky Conference.[10]
Current members
changeEleven schools are "full members", meaning that they play almost all of their sports in the MW. Departing schools are highlighted in pink.
| School | Location | Type | Joined MW | Nickname |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States Air Force Academy (Air Force) |
USAF Academy, Colorado[a] | Federal | 1999 | Falcons |
| Boise State University | Boise, Idaho | Public | 2011 | Broncos |
| California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) |
Fresno, California | Public | 2012 | Bulldogs |
| Colorado State University | Fort Collins, Colorado | Public | 1999 | Rams |
| University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada) | Reno, Nevada | Public | 2012 | Wolf Pack |
| University of New Mexico | Albuquerque, New Mexico | Public | 1999 | Lobos |
| San Diego State University | San Diego, California | Public | 1999 | Aztecs |
| San Jose State University | San Jose, California | Public | 2013 | Spartans |
| University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) | Las Vegas, Nevada[b] | Public | 1999 | Rebels |
| Utah State University | Logan, Utah | Public | 2013 | Aggies |
| University of Wyoming | Laramie, Wyoming | Public | 1999 | Cowboys & Cowgirls |
- ↑ Almost all of the Air Force Academy grounds, including the cadet area and all athletic facilities, is outside the Colorado Springs city limits. The U.S. Census Bureau treats the Academy as "Air Force Academy, Colorado", and the U.S. Postal Service uses "USAF Academy, Colorado".
- ↑ The UNLV campus lies outside the Las Vegas city limits in the unincorporated area of Paradise, Nevada. The U.S. Postal Service uses "Las Vegas" as the postal address for all areas in the Las Vegas Valley that are outside of an incorporated city.
Future members
change| School | Location | Type | Joining MW | Nickname | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Canyon University[a] | Phoenix, Arizona | Private | 2026 or earlier | Antelopes | Western Athletic Conference |
| University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (Hawaiʻi) |
Honolulu, Hawaii | Public | 2026 | Rainbow Warriors / Rainbow Wāhine[b] | Big West Conference[c] |
| University of California, Davis (UC Davis)[d] |
Davis, California | Public | 2026 | Aggies | Big West Conference |
| University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) |
El Paso, Texas | Public | 2026 | Miners | Conference USA |
- ↑ Grand Canyon does not play football.
- ↑ Respectively the men's and women's team nicknames.
- ↑ Hawaiʻi has been a football member of the MW since 2012.
- ↑ UC Davis football will remain in the Big Sky Conference.
Associate members
changeThree schools are "associate members", meaning that they play in the MW in some sports while playing most other sports in another league. Two play only one sport in the MW, and the other houses two sports in the MW.
| School | Location | Type | Joined MW | Sport | Nickname | Main Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (Hawaiʻi) |
Honolulu, Hawaii | Public | 2026 | Football | Rainbow Warriors | Big West Conference (MW in 2026) |
| Colorado College | Colorado Springs, Colorado | Private | 2014 | Women's soccer | Tigers | Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (NCAA Division III) |
| Washington State University | Pullman, Washington | Public | 2024 | Baseball | Cougars | Pac-12 Conference[a] |
| Women's swimming & diving |
- ↑ Most of Washington State's sports are housed in the West Coast Conference through the 2025–26 school year, after which the Pac-12 will add at least six new members. WSU may leave the MW in one or both sports at that time if the Pac-12 sponsors those sports going forward.
Former members
changeTwo of the MW's first members, plus one school that joined later, are no longer in the conference. All three are now members of the Big 12 Conference.
| School | Location | Type | Joined MW | Left MW | Nickname | Next conference | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brigham Young University (BYU) |
Provo, Utah | Private | 1999 | 2011 | Cougars | West Coast Conference (FBS independent) |
Big 12 Conference |
| Texas Christian University (TCU) |
Fort Worth, Texas | Private | 2005 | 2012 | Horned Frogs | Big 12 Conference | |
| University of Utah | Salt Lake City, Utah | Public | 1999 | 2011 | Utes | Pac-12 Conference | Big 12 Conference |
MountainWest Sports Network
changeThe MountainWest Sports Network was an American college sports television channel. It was dedicated to the Mountain West Conference, including studio programs following the conference, live events, and documentary-style programs profiling the conference's members. It was launched on September 1, 2006. The channel shut down on May 31, 2012.
Notes
changeReferences
change
- ↑ Katz, Andy (February 13, 2012). "MWC, C-USA to form new conference". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
- ↑ McMurphy, Brett (April 17, 2012). "Conference USA-Mountain West merger "unlikely"". College Football Insider. CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 27, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ Sallee, Barrett (October 1, 2021). "Air Force, Colorado State join Boise State, San Diego State in sticking with Mountain West over AAC". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
- ↑ "Ushering in a new era, the Pac-12 Conference strengthens its legacy by welcoming four respected academic and athletic universities" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. September 12, 2024. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- ↑ "Pac-12 Conference and Utah State University Unite to Advance the New Era of the 100-Year-Old Legacy" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. September 24, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
- ↑ "Mountain West Officially Welcomes UTEP Into The Conference" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. October 1, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
- ↑ "Mountain West Officially Welcomes Hawaiʻi as a Full-Time Member" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. October 15, 2024. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
- ↑ "West Coast Conference Adds Grand Canyon University and Seattle University as Members" (Press release). West Coast Conference. May 10, 2024. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- ↑ "GCU accepts invite to Mountain West Conference" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. November 1, 2024. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
{{cite press release}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Mountain West Welcomes UC Davis" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. December 10, 2024. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
Other websites
change- "Mountain West Conference". themw.com. Retrieved 2014-07-03.