Mountain West Conference

Last updated

Mountain West Conference
Mountain West Conference logo.svg
Association NCAA
FoundedMay 26, 1998;26 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 teams11 (10 in 2026)
Headquarters Colorado Springs, Colorado
Region Western United States
Official website themw.com
Locations
Mountain-west-map.png

The Mountain West Conference (MW) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the 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 California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and Hawaii. Gloria Nevarez took over as commissioner of the MW on January 1, 2023, following the retirement of founding commissioner Craig Thompson. [1] [2]

Contents

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, seven of its eight charter members had been longtime members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and half of these had been charter members of that conference from 1962. Overall, each school that has ever been either a full or football-only member of the MW spent at least three years in the WAC before joining the Mountain West.

History

USA Region West location map.svg
Red pog.svg
San Diego State
Purple pog.svg
San Jose State
Red pog.svg
Fresno State
Purple pog.svg
UNLV
Purple pog.svg
Nevada
Red pog.svg
Boise State
Red pog.svg
Utah State
Purple pog.svg
New Mexico
Red pog.svg
Colorado State
Purple pog.svg
Air
Force
Purple pog.svg
Wyoming
Green pog.svg
UTEP
Green pog.svg
Grand Canyon
Green pog.svg
UC Davis
Yellow pog.svg
Colorado College
Orange pog.svg
Washington State
Mountain West Conference member locations (Western United States)
Purple pog.svg – Full member
Red pog.svg — Departing member
Green pog.svg — Future member
Yellow pog.svg – Associate member (women's soccer)
Orange pog.svg – Associate member (baseball & women's swimming)
USA Hawaii location map.svg
Green-blue pog.svg
Hawaii
Mountain West Conference member locations (Hawaii)
Green-blue pog.svg – Football-only and future full member
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. 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.

Genesis

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

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 will play one game against either Oregon State or Washington State next season, giving both schools three home games and three away games. These games will not count towards Mountain West conference standings, and Oregon State and Washington State will remain 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 23, 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) will 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 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 is expected on July 1, 2026. [35]

Member schools

Current full members

  Members departing for the Pac-12 Conference in 2026.

InstitutionLocationFoundedJoinedTypeEnrollmentEndowment (2023)
(millions) [36]
NicknameColors
United States Air Force Academy Air Force Academy, Colorado [a] 19541999Federal
(Military)
4,181$98.9 Falcons    
Boise State University Boise, Idaho 19322011 Public 26,155$143.0 Broncos    
California State University, Fresno Fresno, California 1911201225,047$229.0 Bulldogs    
Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado 1870199933,648 [37] $580.0 Rams    
University of Nevada, Reno Reno, Nevada 18742012 Public 21,034$458.0 Wolf Pack    
University of Nevada, Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada [b] 1957199930,660$388.4 Rebels    
University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico 1889199921,738$661.0 Lobos    
San Diego State University San Diego, California 18971999 Public 32,599$415.7 Aztecs    
San José State University San Jose, California 18572013 Public 32,432$182.6 Spartans      
Utah State University Logan, Utah 18882013 Public 27,943$538.4 Aggies      
University of Wyoming Laramie, Wyoming 18861999 Public 11,100$758.8 Cowboys & Cowgirls    
  1. 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".
  2. 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.

Future members

InstitutionLocationFoundedJoiningTypeEnrollmentEndowment (2017)
(millions) [36]
NicknameColorsCurrent conference
Grand Canyon University Phoenix, Arizona 1949July 1, 2026 Private for-profit [a]
(Non-denominational)
103,427 [b] $21.6 Antelopes       Western (WAC)
University of California, Davis Davis, California 1905 Public 40,848$2,172.7 [38] Aggies     Big West
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Honolulu, Hawaii 190719,097$341.4 Rainbow Warriors/Wahine         Big West [c]
University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, Texas 191325,121$241.7 Miners       Conference USA
Notes
  1. 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.
  2. Includes online students. Current on-campus enrollment is about 25,300.
  3. Current Mountain West football affiliate

Affiliate members

InstitutionLocationFoundedJoinedTypeEnrollmentEndowment [39] NicknameColorsMW
sport
Primary
conference
Colorado College Colorado Springs, Colorado 18742014Nonsectarian2,266$908.6 million Tigers    Women's soccer Southern (SCAC) [a]
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Honolulu, Hawaii 19072012 Public 19,097$341.4 million Rainbow Warriors        Football Big West
(MW in 2026)
Washington State University Pullman, Washington 18902024Public24,139$1.28 billion Cougars    Baseball Pac-12
Women's swimming
Notes
  1. Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference

Former full members

InstitutionLocationFoundedJoinedLeftTypeEnrollmentNicknameColorsCurrent
conference
Brigham Young University Provo, Utah 187519992011 LDS Church 34,390 Cougars     Big 12
Texas Christian University Fort Worth, Texas 187320052012 Disciples
of Christ
11,938 Horned Frogs    
University of Utah Salt Lake City, Utah 185019992011Public34,900 Utes    

Membership timeline

University of Texas at El PasoConference USAWestern Athletic ConferenceUniversity of California, DavisBig West ConferenceNCAA Division I independent schoolsCalifornia Collegiate Athletic AssociationGrand Canyon UniversityWestern Athletic ConferencePacific West ConferenceNCAA Division II independent schoolsCalifornia Collegiate Athletic AssociationWashington State UniversityColorado CollegePac-12 ConferenceUtah State UniversityWestern Athletic ConferenceBig West ConferenceSan Jose State UniversityWestern Athletic ConferenceUniversity of Nevada, RenoWestern Athletic ConferenceBig West ConferenceUniversity of Hawaiʻi at MānoaWestern Athletic ConferencePac-12 ConferenceCalifornia State University, FresnoWestern Athletic ConferencePac-12 ConferenceBoise State UniversityWestern Athletic ConferenceBig West ConferenceBig 12 ConferenceTexas Christian UniversityConference USAWestern Athletic ConferenceUniversity of WyomingWestern Athletic ConferenceBig 12 ConferencePac-12 ConferenceUniversity of UtahWestern Athletic ConferencePac-12 ConferenceSan Diego State UniversityWestern Athletic ConferenceUniversity of New MexicoWestern Athletic ConferenceUniversity of Nevada, Las VegasWestern Athletic ConferencePac-12 ConferenceColorado State UniversityWestern Athletic ConferenceBig 12 ConferenceWest Coast ConferenceBrigham Young UniversityWestern Athletic ConferenceUnited States Air Force AcademyWestern Athletic ConferenceMountain West Conference

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

NCAA team championships

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. [40]

SchoolTeam Championships
TotalMenWomenCo-ed
San Jose State 10 730
Wyoming 3 102
New Mexico 3 021
Fresno State 2 110
UNLV 2 200
Colorado State1100
Boise State 1 100
San Diego State 1 100
Air Force0000
Nevada0000
Utah State0000
Total231463

Sports

The Mountain West Conference sponsors championship competition in eight men's and 11 women's NCAA sanctioned sports. [41] 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 competition [a]
SportMen'sWomen's
Baseball 7
Basketball 1111
Cross country 911
Football 12
Golf 119
Gymnastics 4
Soccer 12
Softball 9
Swimming and diving 9
Tennis 711
Track and field (indoor) 811
Track and field (outdoor) 811
Volleyball 11
  1. Numbers of teams are as of the 2021–22 school year

Men's sports

MemberBaseballBasket­ballCross
country
FootballGolfTennisTrack
& field indoor
Track
& field outdoor
Total
MW
sports
Air ForceYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes8
Boise StateNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYes7
Fresno StateYesYesYesYesYesNo [a] YesYes7
Colorado StateNoYesYesYesYesNoYesYes6
NevadaYesYesYesYesYesYesNoNo6
UNLVYesYesNoYesYesYesNoNo5
New MexicoYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes8
San Diego StateYesYesNoYesYesYesNoNo5
San Jose StateYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYes7
Utah StateNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYes7
WyomingNoYesYesYesYesNoYesYes6
Current Totals7+1 [b] 11911+1 [c] 1178869+2
Future members
Grand CanyonYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYes7
Hawai'iYesYesNoYesYesYesNoNo5
UC DavisYesYesYesNo [d] YesYesNoYes6
UTEPNoYesYesYesYesNoYesYes6
2026-27 Totals1010881076764
  1. Fresno State dropped men's tennis at the end of the 2020–21 school year. [42]
  2. Affiliate member Washington State
  3. Affiliate member Hawai'i
  4. UC Davis will keep their football program at the FCS level and remain a Big Sky Conference affiliate in that sport.

    Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Mountain West

    Future members in gray.

    SchoolFencing [a] Gymna­sticsIce
    hockey
    Lac­rosseRifle [b] SoccerSwimming
    & diving
    VolleyballWater
    polo
    Wrestling
    Air ForceIndep­endent MPSF AHA ASUN [43] PRC WAC WAC WCC Big 12
    Grand Canyon WAC Big West MPSF
    Hawai'i Big West Big West
    UNLV WAC WAC
    San Diego State WAC
    San Jose State WAC WCC
    UC Davis Big West [c] Big West [c]
    Wyoming WAC Big 12
    1. Fencing is officially a coeducational team sport, although a few schools field only a women's team. Air Force, like most NCAA fencing schools, has a coed team with men's and women's squads.
    2. Rifle is technically a men's sport, but men's, women's, and coed teams all compete against each other. Air Force fields a coed team.
    3. 1 2 UC Davis has not announced a future affiliation for its men's soccer or men's water polo programs.

    Women's sports

    MemberBasket­ballCross
    country
    GolfGymnasticsSoccerSoftballSwimming
    & diving
    TennisTrack
    & field indoor
    Track
    & field
    outdoor
    Volley­ballTotal
    MW
    sports
    Air ForceYesYesNoYesYesNoYesYesYesYesYes9
    Boise StateYesYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYes10
    Fresno StateYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYes10
    Colorado StateYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYes10
    NevadaYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYes10
    UNLVYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYes10
    New MexicoYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYes10
    San Diego StateYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYes10
    San Jose StateYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes11
    Utah StateYesYesNoYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYes9
    WyomingYesYesYesNoYesNoYesYesYesYesYes9
    Current Totals11119411+1 [a] 99+1 [b] 11111111108+2
    Future members
    Grand CanyonYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYes10
    Hawai'iYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYes10
    UC DavisYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes11
    UTEPYesYesYesNoYesYesNoYesYesYesYes9
    2026-27 Totals10109310+1 [a] 891010101093+1
    1. 1 2 Affiliate member Colorado College.
    2. Affiliate member Washington State.

    Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Mountain West

    Future members in gray.

    SchoolBeach
    volleyball
    EquestrianFencing [a] Field
    hockey
    LacrosseRifle [b] SailingWater
    polo
    Air ForceIndependent PRC
    Boise State Southland
    Fresno State Big 12 Golden Coast
    Grand CanyonTBA [c]
    Hawai'i Big West PCCSC Big West
    San Diego State Big 12 Golden Coast
    San Jose State Southland MPSF
    UC Davis Big West [d] ECAC America East Big 12 Big West [d]
    UTEP CUSA [e] PRC
    1. Fencing is officially a coeducational team sport, although a few schools field only a women's team. Air Force, like most NCAA fencing schools, has a coed team with men's and women's squads.
    2. 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.
    3. Grand Canyon has not announced a future affiliation for its beach volleyball program.
    4. 1 2 UC Davis has not announced a future affiliation for its beach volleyball or women's water polo programs.
    5. UTEP has not announced a future affiliation for its beach volleyball program.

    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 2021–22 academic year. [44] However, since Air Force is not available from that source, it was obtained from Knight Commission for the 2020–2021 academic year. [45]

    Institution2023–24 Total Revenue from Athletics2023–24 Total Expenses on Athletics
    San Diego State University $103,930,691$96,611,742
    United States Air Force Academy $76,587,462$67,422,052
    Colorado State University $64,304,072$64,463,788
    Boise State University $60,653,009$58,257,005
    University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa $53,867,030$52,696,666
    University of Nevada, Las Vegas $56,560,028$66,547,435
    Utah State University $51,789,705$51,389,553
    University of Wyoming $50,083,847$48,300,019
    University of Nevada, Reno $49,533,190$49,509,846
    California State University, Fresno $48,938,712$51,738,485
    University of New Mexico $47,763,222$47,048,657
    San José State University $44,546,781$44,546,341
    University of Texas at El Paso $40,707,967$35,386,434
    Grand Canyon University Does not publicly disclose athletics budget

    Conference champions

    Rivalries

    Conference (football)

    Totals and records following the completion of the 2022 football season.

    TeamsRivalry nameTrophyMeetings
    (last)
    RecordSeries
    leader
    Air Force Colorado State Air Force–Colorado State football rivalry Ram-Falcon Trophy60
    (2022)
    38–21–1Air Force
    Hawai'i Air Force–Hawai'i football rivalry Kuter Trophy22
    (2019)
    14–7–1Air Force
    Boise State Fresno State Boise State–Fresno State football rivalry Milk Can25
    (2022)
    17–8Boise State
    Nevada Boise State–Nevada football rivalry 45
    (2022)
    31–14Boise State
    Fresno State Hawai'i Fresno State–Hawai'i football rivalry The Golden Screwdriver55
    (2022)
    30–24–1Fresno State
    San Diego State Battle for the Oil Can Old Oil Can61
    (2022)
    27–30–4San Diego State
    San José state Battle for the Valley Valley Trophy86
    (2022)
    44–39–3Fresno State
    Colorado State Wyoming Border War Bronze Boot114
    (2022)
    59–50–5Colorado State
    Hawai'i San José state Dick Tomey Legacy Game Dick Tomey Legacy Trophy46

    (2023)

    22–23–1San José state
    UNLV Hawai'i–UNLV football rivalryIsland Showdown Trophy33
    (2022)
    19–14Hawai'i
    WyomingHawai'i–Wyoming football rivalry Paniolo Trophy 27
    (2022)
    11–16Wyoming
    Nevada UNLVBattle for Nevada Fremont Cannon 48
    (2022)
    29–19Nevada
    Utah State Wyoming Bridger's Battle Bridger Rifle72
    (2022)
    40–28–4Utah State

    Non–conference (including other sports)

    SchoolsFirst
    meeting
    GameTrophyReigning champion
    (last meeting)
    Next
    meeting
    Air Force / Army / Navy 1972 Commander-in-Chief's Trophy Army
    (2023)
    2024
    Boise State Idaho 1971 Battle of Idaho Governor's CupBoise State
    (2010)
    Colorado State Colorado 1893 Rocky Mountain Showdown Centennial CupColorado
    (2024)
    2029
    New Mexico Arizona 1908 Arizona–New Mexico football rivalry Kit Carson RifleArizona
    (2024)
    No future games scheduled at the moment
    New Mexico State 1894 Rio Grande Rivalry New Mexico
    (2024)
    2025
    San José state Stanford 1900 Bill Walsh Legacy Game Stanford
    (2013)
    2024
    Utah State Brigham Young (BYU)1922Battle for The Old Wagon Wheel The Old Wagon Wheel BYU
    (2022)
    Utah 1892 Battle of the Brothers Utah
    (2015)
    Utah State / BYU / Utah1971 Beehive Boot BYU
    (2022)
    2025
    UTEP New Mexico State 1914 Battle of I-10 Silver Spade Trophy and the Mayor's CupNew Mexico State
    (2023)
    2024

    Football

    Divisions

    Beginning in 2013, the conference split into two divisions, named the "Mountain Division" and "West Division," of six teams each for football. The Mountain West also added a conference championship game, pitting the winners of the two divisions. This first championship game took place on December 7, 2013, at Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, California, the home stadium of Fresno State, the divisional winner with the higher BCS ranking. [46] Each team played five divisional games and three cross-divisional contests annually. [47] The 2015 championship game featured the Air Force Academy Falcons against the San Diego State University Aztecs. The 2016 championship game featured the San Diego State University Aztecs against the University of Wyoming Cowboys.

    On May 20, 2022, the conference approved a new football schedule format, set to take effect in the 2023 season. [48] [49] Under this format, the conference will remove divisions, and instead play a 2–6 format, where each team plays 2 designated rivals every year along with six separate 6-team rotations that flip every other year, such that every team will have at least one home game and one away game against every other team in a three-year cycle (less than the standard length of a college player's career). The MW Championship will also no longer be determined by the winners of the two divisions; the two teams with the highest conference winning percentage will play instead. [50] [51] The designated rivals under this system are as follows:

    MW Permanent Matchups [50]
    SchoolRival 1Rival 2
    Air ForceColorado StateWyoming
    Boise StateNew MexicoUtah State
    Colorado StateAir ForceWyoming
    Fresno StateNevadaSan José state
    HawaiiSan Diego StateUNLV
    NevadaFresno StateUNLV
    New MexicoBoise StateSan José state
    San Diego StateHawaiiUtah State
    San José stateFresno StateNew Mexico
    UNLVHawaiiNevada
    Utah StateBoise StateSan Diego State
    WyomingAir ForceColorado State

    Prior to this, the division format was as follows:

    MW Football Divisions (2013–2022)
    Mountain DivisionWest Division
    Air ForceFresno State
    Boise StateHawaiʻi
    Colorado StateNevada
    New MexicoUNLV
    Utah StateSan Diego State
    WyomingSan José state

    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, C-USA, 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,

    PickNameLocationOpposing
    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 C-USA Non–specific
    Non–specific Arizona Bowl Tucson, Arizona MAC Non–specific
    Conditional* Cactus Bowl Phoenix, Arizona Big 12 or Pac-12 6 (Big 12) or 7 (Pac-12)
    Conditional* San Francisco Bowl Santa Clara, California Big Ten or Pac-12 Non–specific (Big Ten) or 4 (Pac-12)

    Bowl records

    As of the 2019–20 bowl games

    SchoolAppearancesWLTWin
    %
    BCS/
    NY6
    National
    championships
    Air Force 2915131.5340–00
    Fresno State 2814140.5000–00
    Boise State 20 [a] 1370.6503–02 — 1958 (NJCAA), 1980 (NCAA Division I-AA [b] )
    San Diego State 2010100.5000–03 — 1966–1968 (NCAA College Division [c] )
    Nevada 187110.3890–00
    Wyoming 18990.5000–00
    Colorado State 176110.3530–00
    Utah State 15690.4000–00
    Hawai'i 14860.5710–10
    New Mexico 13481.3460–00
    San Jose State 12750.5830–00
    UNLV 4310.7500–00
    1. Appeared in the 2018 First Responder Bowl, but the game was canceled midway through the first quarter due to lightning.
    2. In 2006, "Division I-AA" was renamed "Division I Football Championship Subdivision" or "Division I FCS" for short.
    3. The "NCAA College Division" was split into today's "NCAA Division II" and "NCAA Division III" in 1973. The NCAA considers all College Division championships to be part of the histories of Division II championships in the same sports.

    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, [52] 4–1 in 2007–08, [53] 4–1 in 2009–10, [54] 4–1 in 2010–11 [55] and 5–1 in 2021–22. [56]

    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. [57]

    NCAA tournament records

    As of the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

    SchoolAppearancesWLWin
    %
    Wins per
    appearance
    National
    championships
    Utah State 23624.2000.2730
    UNLV 203319.6351.6501 (1990)
    San Diego State 161114.4400.7330
    Wyoming 16921.3000.5631 (1943)
    New Mexico 15816.3330.5330
    Colorado State 12512.2500.3630
    Nevada 11610.3750.6000
    Boise State 1009.0000.0000
    Fresno State 525.2860.4000
    Air Force 404.0000.0000
    San Jose State 303.0000.0000

    Women's basketball

    NCAA tournament records

    SchoolAppearancesWLWin
    %
    Wins per
    appearance
    National
    championships
    UNLV 10310.2310.3000
    New Mexico 838.2730.3750
    San Diego State 969.4000.5710
    Fresno State 707.0000.0000
    Boise State 606.0000.0000
    Colorado State 656.4550.8330
    Wyoming 202.0000.0000
    Air Force 0000.0000
    Nevada 0000.0000
    San Jose State 0000.0000
    Utah State 0000.0000

    Facilities

    SchoolFootball stadiumCapacityBasketball arenaCapacityBaseball stadiumCapacity
    Air Force Falcon Stadium 39,441 Clune Arena 5,858 Erdle Field 1,000
    Boise State Albertsons Stadium 36,387 ExtraMile Arena 12,480Non-baseball school
    Colorado State Canvas Stadium 41,000 Moby Arena 8,745Non-baseball school
    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 [a] 15,000 Stan Sheriff Center 10,300 Les Murakami Stadium 4,312
    Nevada Mackay Stadium 27,000 Lawlor Events Center [b] 12,000 William Peccole Park 3,000
    New Mexico University Stadium 39,224 The Pit 15,411 Santa Ana Star Field 1,000
    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 Plays football in the Big Sky Conference.
    UC Davis's home football games are at UC Davis Health Stadium
    10,367 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 10,270Non-baseball school
    UTEP Sun Bowl Stadium 51,500 Don Haskins Center 12,222Non-baseball school
    Washington State Baseball (and women's swimming)-only member Bailey–Brayton Field 3,500
    Wyoming War Memorial Stadium 30,514 Arena-Auditorium 11,612Non-baseball school
    Notes
    1. Temporary stadium until the new Aloha Stadium is completed. [58]
    2. Nevada men's basketball currently plans to move to a new 10,000-seat off-campus arena at the Grand Sierra Resort in 2026 or 2027. The Lawlor Events Center will remain home to women's basketball. [59]

    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 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

    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.

    SchoolCampus
    elevation (ft)
    Stadium
    elevation (ft)
    Air Force Academy7,2586,621
    Wyoming7,2207,220
    Colorado College6,0536,053
    New Mexico5,1745,100
    Colorado State5,0075,190
    Utah State4,7774,710
    Nevada4,5644,610
    Boise State2,6972,695
    UNLV2,0242,190
    San Diego State43325
    Fresno State338335
    Hawai'i10519
    San Jose State8593

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