The Mountain West Conference (MWC) seems to be in jeopardy following the announced departures of four member schools to the rebuilding Pac-12 Conference.
In the past few days, after the scheduling agreement between the Mountain West and the two Pac-12 teams, Washington State and Oregon State, was not extended, rumors began swirling that the MWC could be losing a few teams to the “Pac-2” as they are so known. In response to those rumors, MWC commissioner Gloria Nevarez put out a statement.
“The Mountain West Conference is aware of media reports regarding the potential departure of several of our members & we will have more to say in the days ahead,” Nevarez said [h/t Brett McMurphy]. “All members will be held to the Conference bylaws & policies should they elect to depart. The requirements of the scheduling agreement will apply to the Pac-12 should they admit Mountain West members. Our Board of Directors is meeting to determine our next steps. The Mountain West has a proud 25-year history & will continue to thrive in the years ahead.”
Mountain West loses 4 teams to Pac-12
Well, things move fast in college football, and rumors became reality this morning when Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State, and Fresno State announced they would leave the Mountain West for the Pac-12 in 2026.
That would leave the MWC with eight football programs in two years: Air Force, Nevada, UNLV, New Mexico, San Jose State, Wyoming, Utah State, and Hawaii, the latter of which is a football-only affiliate member. However, there is always the possibility that a few more teams could depart considering the Pac-12 must add at least two more schools to reach the eight-team minimum to be an FBS conference.
Whether the Pac-12 targets a team like UNLV, which is in a relatively large market, or goes after American Athletic Conference (AAC) schools such as Memphis, USF, UTSA, and Tulane remains to be seen. Although the Mountain West will likely try to make some moves of its own to replace at least a few of the departing schools.
If they could be convinced, it would be wise for the Mountain West to try to lure FCS powerhouses such as Montana, Montana State, North Dakota State, South Dakota, or South Dakota State to the MWC. But if the conference decided to stick to just current FBS programs, Conference USA's New Mexico State and UTEP would seem like logical additions considering their geographical proximity to the current member schools and past playing many of the teams.
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