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Mountain West Conference
Mountain West Conference logo.svg
Association NCAA
Founded May 26, 1998; 27 years ago (1998-05-26)
Commissioner Gloria Nevarez (since January 1, 2023)
Sports fielded
  • 19
    • men's: 8
    • women's: 11
Division Division I
Subdivision FBS
No. of teams 12 (10 in 2026)
Headquarters Colorado Springs, Colorado (Current)
Las Vegas, Nevada (to relocate in 2026)
Region Western United States
TV partner(s) CBS Sports Fox Sports
Streaming partner(s) Paramount+
Locations
Location of teams in

The Mountain West Conference (MW) is a group of colleges and universities in the Western United States. These schools compete in sports as part of NCAA Division I. Their football teams play in the top level, called the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

The Mountain West Conference officially started on January 4, 1999. It covers a large area of the Western United States. Member schools are located in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and Hawaii. Gloria Nevarez became the commissioner of the MW on January 1, 2023. She took over after the first commissioner, Craig Thompson, retired.

The first schools to join the MW were 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 the MW was formed, seven of these eight schools were part of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Many of them had been in the WAC since it started in 1962.

How the Mountain West Conference Started

MountainWestMD-2016-0726-CraigThompson
Craig Thompson was the first commissioner of the Mountain West. He started in 1998 and retired in 2022.

The Mountain West Conference was created after some big changes in college sports in 1996. At that time, many conferences were changing their members. The Big Eight Conference joined with four schools from the Southwest Conference (SWC) to form the Big 12 Conference. This new conference started in 1996.

The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) also grew a lot. It added schools like Rice University, Southern Methodist University (SMU), and Texas Christian University (TCU). It also added San José State University, UNLV, and the University of Tulsa. The WAC ended up with 16 teams, which was a lot. These teams were split into different groups.

However, the new, larger WAC had problems. The older members and the new members didn't always agree. In 1998, some schools like BYU and Utah suggested splitting the WAC into two smaller groups. This idea didn't work for all schools because of where they were located.

So, five schools – Air Force, BYU, Colorado State, Utah, and Wyoming – decided to leave the WAC. They met and agreed to start a new conference. They invited New Mexico, San Diego State, and UNLV to join them. This is how the Mountain West Conference was born.

In 2005, TCU joined the Mountain West. TCU had been in another conference called Conference USA (C-USA) before.

Changes in Membership (2010s)

The Mountain West Conference saw many changes in its members around 2010. On June 11, 2010, Boise State University agreed to join. Soon after, on June 17, 2010, Utah announced it was leaving to join the Pac-12 Conference.

On August 18, 2010, the Mountain West invited California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) and the University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada) to join. Both schools accepted. BYU then announced on August 31, 2010, that it would leave the Mountain West. BYU's football team became independent, and its other sports joined the West Coast Conference (WCC) in 2011.

On November 29, 2010, TCU announced it would move to the Big East Conference in 2012. However, TCU later changed its mind and joined the Big 12 instead. On December 10, 2010, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa joined the Mountain West for football only. By 2012, the Mountain West had 10 football teams.

In 2011, the Mountain West and C-USA thought about joining forces for football. They even considered merging completely. But they found out that merging would cause them to lose a lot of money and benefits from the NCAA. So, they decided not to merge fully.

On May 2, 2012, San José State and Utah State agreed to join the Mountain West in 2013. On December 31, 2012, Boise State decided to stay in the MW instead of moving to the Big East.

On January 16, 2013, San Diego State also decided to stay in the Mountain West. Keeping San Diego State meant the conference had 12 football teams. This allowed them to start a championship game for football. The first championship game was held on December 7, 2013.

Recent Membership Changes

In February 2018, there were talks about the Mountain West expanding again. The commissioner, Craig Thompson, mentioned that Gonzaga was a possible new member for non-football sports. However, Gonzaga decided to stay in its current conference.

In June 2022, UCLA and Southern Cal announced they were leaving the Pac-12 Conference to join the Big Ten Conference in 2024. This made San Diego State a top choice for the Pac-12. In June 2023, San Diego State tried to leave the Mountain West, but the conference didn't agree to their terms. San Diego State eventually decided to stay in the Mountain West.

In September 2023, many schools left the Pac-12, leaving only Oregon State and Washington State. The Mountain West commissioner, Gloria Nevarez, started talking with these two schools. On December 1, 2023, the MW announced a football scheduling agreement with Oregon State and Washington State for the 2024 season. These games did not count as Mountain West conference games. On April 16, 2024, Washington State also joined the MW for baseball and women's swimming.

On September 12, 2024, it was announced that Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State, and San Diego State would leave the MW and join the Pac-12 in 2026. On September 23, Utah State also accepted an offer to join the Pac-12 in 2026.

On October 1, 2024, the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) announced it would join the Mountain West in 2026. On October 14, 2024, Hawaii confirmed it would become a full MW member in 2026. This was officially announced the next day. On November 1, 2024, Grand Canyon University announced it was joining the Mountain West by July 1, 2026. On July 8, 2025, the Mountain West announced Grand Canyon would join in the 2025-26 school year.

On December 10, 2024, UC Davis announced it would join the Mountain West in all sports except football, starting July 1, 2026. On January 3, 2025, Northern Illinois University accepted an invitation to join the MW for football only in 2026. This became official on January 7, 2025.

Member Schools

Current Full Members

     Members leaving for the Pac-12 Conference in 2026.

Institution Location Founded Joined Type Enrollment Endowment (2024)
(millions)
Nickname Colors
United States Air Force Academy Air Force Academy, Colorado 1954 1999 Federal
(Military)
4,181 $98.9 Falcons          
Boise State University Boise, Idaho 1932 2011 Public 26,155 $161.5 Broncos          
California State University, Fresno Fresno, California 1911 2012 25,047 $254.8 Bulldogs          
Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado 1870 1999 33,648 $623.6 Rams          
Grand Canyon University Phoenix, Arizona 1949 2025 Private for-profit
(Non-denominational)
&&&&&&&&&0103427.&&&&&0103,427 $21.6 Antelopes               
University of Nevada, Reno Reno, Nevada 1874 2012 Public 21,034 $560.0 Wolf Pack          
University of Nevada, Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada 1957 1999 30,660 $423.8 Rebels          
University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico 1889 1999 21,738 $661.0 Lobos          
San Diego State University San Diego, California 1897 1999 Public 32,599 $415.7 Aztecs          
San José State University San Jose, California 1857 2013 Public 32,432 $203.6 Spartans               
Utah State University Logan, Utah 1888 2013 Public 27,943 $614.9 Aggies               
University of Wyoming Laramie, Wyoming 1886 1999 Public 11,100 $810.2 Cowboys & Cowgirls          

Future Members

Institution Location Founded Joining Type Enrollment Endowment (2017)
(millions)
Nickname Colors Current
conference
University of California, Davis Davis, California 1905 2026 Public 40,848 $2,172.7 Aggies           Big West
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Honolulu, Hawaii 1907 19,097 $341.4 Rainbow Warriors &
Rainbow Wahine
                   
University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, Texas 1913 25,121 $241.7 Miners                Conference USA

Current Affiliate Members

Affiliate members are schools that compete in only one or a few sports in the Mountain West.

Institution Location Founded Joined Type Enrollment Endowment Nickname Colors MW
sport
Primary
conference
Colorado College Colorado Springs, Colorado 1874 2014 Nonsectarian 2,266 $908.6 million Tigers           Women's soccer Southern (SCAC)
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Honolulu, Hawaii 1907 2012 Public 19,097 $341.4 million Rainbow Warriors                     Football Big West
(MW in 2026)
Washington State University Pullman, Washington 1890 2024 Public 24,139 $1.28 billion Cougars           Baseball Pac-12
Women's swimming

Future Affiliate Members

Institution Location Founded Joining Type Enrollment Endowment Nickname Colors MW
sport
Primary
conference
Northern Illinois University DeKalb, Illinois 1895 2026 Public 16,769 $99 million Huskies           Football MAC
(Horizon in 2026)

Former Full Members

These schools used to be full members of the Mountain West Conference.

Institution Location Founded Joined Left Type Enrollment Nickname Colors Current
conference
Brigham Young University Provo, Utah 1875 1999 2011 LDS Church 34,390 Cougars           Big 12
Texas Christian University Fort Worth, Texas 1873 2005 2012 Disciples
of Christ
11,938 Horned Frogs          
University of Utah Salt Lake City, Utah 1850 1999 2011 Public 34,900 Utes          

Membership Timeline

This timeline shows when schools joined and left the Mountain West Conference.

University of Texas at El Paso Conference USA Western Athletic Conference University of California, Davis Big West Conference NCAA Division I independent schools California Collegiate Athletic Association Northern Illinois University Mid-American Conference Grand Canyon University Western Athletic Conference Pacific West Conference NCAA Division II independent schools California Collegiate Athletic Association Washington State University Colorado College Pac-12 Conference Utah State University Western Athletic Conference Big West Conference San Jose State University Western Athletic Conference University of Nevada, Reno Western Athletic Conference Big West Conference University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Western Athletic Conference Pac-12 Conference California State University, Fresno Western Athletic Conference Pac-12 Conference Boise State University Western Athletic Conference Big West Conference Big 12 Conference Texas Christian University Conference USA Western Athletic Conference University of Wyoming Western Athletic Conference Big 12 Conference Pac-12 Conference University of Utah Western Athletic Conference Pac-12 Conference San Diego State University Western Athletic Conference University of New Mexico Western Athletic Conference University of Nevada, Las Vegas Western Athletic Conference Pac-12 Conference Colorado State University Western Athletic Conference Big 12 Conference West Coast Conference Brigham Young University Western Athletic Conference United States Air Force Academy Western Athletic Conference

 Full members  Full members (non-football)  Associate members (football only)   Associate members (other)  Other conference  Other conference 

Sports Played in the Mountain West

The Mountain West Conference holds championships in 19 different sports. There are 8 sports for men and 11 for women. Hawai'i is an associate member only for football. Colorado College is an associate member only for women's soccer.

Teams in Mountain West competition
Sport Men's Women's
Baseball 7
Basketball 11 11
Cross country 9 11
Football 12
Golf 11 9
Gymnastics 4
Soccer 12
Softball 9
Swimming and diving 9
Tennis 7 11
Track and field (indoor) 8 11
Track and field (outdoor) 8 11
Volleyball 11

Men's Sports Teams

Member Baseball Basket­ball Cross
country
Football Golf Tennis Track
& field indoor
Track
& field outdoor
Total
MW
sports
Air Force Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 8
Boise State No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 7
Fresno State Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes 7
Colorado State No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes 6
Grand Canyon Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes 7
Nevada Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No 6
UNLV Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No No 5
New Mexico Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 8
San Diego State Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No No 5
San Jose State Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes 7
Utah State No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 7
Wyoming No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes 6
Current Totals 8+1 12 10 11+1 12 8 9 9 69+2
Future members
Hawai'i Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No No 5
UC Davis Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Yes 6
UTEP No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes 6
2026-27 Totals 8 10 8 8+1 10 7 6 7 64+1

Women's Sports Teams

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
Boise State Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes 10
Fresno State Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 10
Colorado State Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 10
Grand Canyon 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 Diego State 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
Utah State Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
Wyoming Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
Current Totals 12 12 10 4 12+1 10 10+1 12 12 12 12 108+2
Future members
Hawai'i Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 10
UC Davis Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 11
UTEP Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
2026-27 Totals 10 10 9 3 10+1 8 9 10 10 10 10 93+1

Football in the Mountain West

Football Divisions and Matchups

From 2013 to 2022, the Mountain West football teams were split into two groups: the "Mountain Division" and the "West Division." Each division had six teams. The winners of these two divisions would play in a championship game. The first championship game was on December 7, 2013.

In May 2022, the conference changed its football schedule. Starting in the 2023 season, there are no more divisions. Instead, each team plays two special "rival" games every year. They also play six other teams on a rotating schedule. This means every team plays every other team at least once at home and once away over three years. The two teams with the best winning percentage in the conference now play in the championship game.

Here are the permanent rival matchups:

MW Permanent Matchups
School Rival 1 Rival 2
Air Force Colorado State Wyoming
Boise State New Mexico Utah State
Colorado State Air Force Wyoming
Fresno State Nevada San José State
Hawaii San Diego State UNLV
Nevada Fresno State UNLV
New Mexico Boise State San José State
San Diego State Hawaii Utah State
San José State Fresno State New Mexico
UNLV Hawaii Nevada
Utah State Boise State San Diego State
Wyoming Air Force Colorado State

Bowl Games

The Mountain West Conference has agreements with several bowl games. These are special football games played at the end of the season.

Since the 2014 season, the Mountain West champion can get a special spot in a big bowl game like the Cotton Bowl Classic, Fiesta Bowl, or Peach Bowl. This happens if they are the highest-ranked champion from the "Group of Five" conferences (which includes The American, CUSA, MAC, and Sun Belt) and are not in the top 4 teams for the national championship playoffs. In 2014, Boise State was the first team from the MW to play in and win the Fiesta Bowl.

Here are some of the bowl games the Mountain West teams can play in:

Pick Name Location Opposing
conference
Opposing
pick
1 LA Bowl Inglewood, California Pac-12 5
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 Arizona Bowl Tucson, Arizona MAC Non–specific
  • If Hawaii is eligible for a bowl game and is not the MW champion or chosen for a playoff bowl, they will play in the Hawaii Bowl.

Bowl Records

This table shows how Mountain West football teams have done in bowl games.

School Appearances W L T Win
%
BCS/
NY6
National
championships
Air Force 30 16 13 1 .550 0–0 0
Fresno State 28 17 14 0 .548 0–0 0
Boise State 22 13 9 0 .591 3–1 2 — 1958 (NJCAA), 1980 (NCAA Division I-AA)
San Diego State 20 10 10 0 .500 0–0 3 — 1966–1968 (NCAA College Division)
Nevada 18 7 12 0 .368 0–0 0
Wyoming 18 10 9 0 .526 0–0 0
Colorado State 17 6 12 0 .333 0–0 0
Utah State 15 6 11 0 .353 0–0 0
Hawai'i 14 8 6 0 .571 0–1 0
New Mexico 13 4 8 1 .346 0–0 0
San Jose State 12 7 5 0 .500 0–0 0
UNLV 6 4 2 0 .667 0–0 0

Bowl Challenge Cup

ESPN created the Bowl Challenge Cup in 2002. This award goes to the college football conference with the best record in bowl games. The Mountain West has won this cup five times, which is more than any other conference. They won it in 2004–05, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, and 2021–22.

Men's Basketball

The Mountain West and Missouri Valley Conferences have an annual basketball challenge series. This series started in 2009–10 and was renewed in 2015–16. It's similar to other challenges where teams from different conferences play each other.

NCAA Tournament Records (Men's Basketball)

This table shows how Mountain West men's basketball teams have performed in the NCAA Tournament.

School Appearances W L Win
%
Wins per
appearance
National
championships
Utah State 23 6 24 .200 0.273 0
UNLV 20 33 19 .635 1.650 1 (1990)
San Diego State 16 11 14 .440 0.733 0
Wyoming 16 9 21 .300 0.563 1 (1943)
New Mexico 15 8 16 .333 0.533 0
Colorado State 12 5 12 .250 0.363 0
Nevada 11 6 11 .353 0.600 0
Boise State 10 0 10 .000 0.000 0
Fresno State 5 2 5 .286 0.400 0
Air Force 4 0 4 .000 0.000 0
San Jose State 3 0 3 .000 0.000 0

Women's Basketball

NCAA Tournament Records (Women's Basketball)

This table shows how Mountain West women's basketball teams have performed in the NCAA Tournament.

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
San Diego State 9 6 9 .400 0.571 0
Fresno State 7 0 7 .000 0.000 0
Boise State 6 0 6 .000 0.000 0
Colorado State 6 5 6 .455 0.833 0
Wyoming 2 0 2 .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
Utah State 0 0 0 0.000 0

Athletic Facilities

This table shows the main sports stadiums and arenas for each school in the Mountain West Conference.

School Football stadium Capacity Basketball arena Capacity Baseball stadium Capacity
Air Force Falcon Stadium 39,441 Clune Arena 5,858 Erdle Field 1,000
Boise State Albertsons Stadium 36,387 ExtraMile Arena 12,480 Non-baseball school
Colorado State Canvas Stadium 41,000 Moby Arena 8,745
Fresno State Valley Children's Stadium 40,727 Save Mart Center 15,544 Pete Beiden Field 5,757
Grand Canyon Non-football school Global Credit Union Arena 7,500 Brazell Field 4,500
Hawaiʻi Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex 15,000 Stan Sheriff Center 10,300 Les Murakami Stadium 4,312
Nevada Mackay Stadium 27,000 Lawlor Events Center 12,000 William Peccole Park 3,000
New Mexico University Stadium 39,224 The Pit 15,411 Santa Ana Star Field 1,000
Northern Illinois Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium 23,595 Future football-only member
San Diego State Snapdragon Stadium 35,000 Viejas Arena 12,414 Tony Gwynn Stadium 3,000
San Jose State CEFCU Stadium 21,520 Provident Credit Union Event Center 5,000 Excite Ballpark 4,200
UC Davis Non-football member University Credit Union Center 7,600 Dobbins Stadium 3,500
UNLV Allegiant Stadium 65,000 Thomas & Mack Center (men)
Cox Pavilion (women)
17,923
2,500
Earl Wilson Stadium 3,000
Utah State Maverik Stadium 25,513 Dee Glen Smith Spectrum 10,270 Non-baseball school
UTEP Sun Bowl Stadium 51,500 Don Haskins Center 12,222
Washington State Baseball (and women's swimming)-only member Bailey–Brayton Field 3,500
Wyoming War Memorial Stadium 30,514 Arena-Auditorium 11,612 Non-baseball school

High Elevation of Mountain West Schools

The Mountain West's slogan is "Above the rest." This is because many of its schools are located high above sea level. More than half of the member schools are over 4,000 feet (about 1,200 meters) high. This includes Colorado College, which is a women's soccer-only member.

Playing sports at high elevations can affect athletes. It can impact how well they perform in endurance sports like football, soccer, and long-distance running. It can also affect how air resistance works in sprints and jumps. For sports like baseball, softball, tennis, and golf, the thin air can change how the ball flies. The Mountain West schools have the highest average elevations in all of NCAA Division I sports.

Campus and Stadium Elevations

This table shows how high above sea level each school's campus and football stadium are.

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
Colorado State 5,007 5,190
Utah State 4,777 4,710
Nevada 4,564 4,610
Boise State 2,697 2,695
UNLV 2,024 2,190
San Diego State 433 25
Fresno State 338 335
Hawai'i 105 19
San Jose State 85 93

See also

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