Mountain West Conference
Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:For Template:Use mdy datesTemplate:Use American English Template:Infobox sports league
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 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
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
[edit]Template:Location map+ Template:Location map+
Genesis
[edit]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.<ref name="Deinhart 2011-09-14">Template:Cite news</ref>
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.<ref name="Deinhart 2011-09-14"/> Air Force was the most strident opponent of this proposal, threatening to become an independent.<ref name="Deinhart 2011-09-14"/> 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.<ref name="Deinhart 2011-09-14"/> 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
[edit]Template:See also 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.<ref name=ESPN>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On November 29, 2010, TCU announced all athletic teams would move to the Big East Conference effective in 2012.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (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.)<ref name="TCUBig12">Template:Cite news</ref> On December 10, 2010, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa accepted a bid to become the 10th member of the conference for football only.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="McMurphy 2012-04-17">Template:Cite news</ref> 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",<ref name="McMurphy 2012-03-28">Template:Cite news</ref> although the Mountain West and C-USA would have apparently remained separate legal entities.<ref name="McMurphy 2012-04-17"/> 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.<ref name="McMurphy 2012-12-31">Template:Cite news</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Further membership changes
[edit]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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On June 30, 2022, UCLA<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Southern Cal<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The MW and San Diego State reached a settlement of their dispute the following month, with SDSU remaining a member for the immediate future.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On September 23, Utah State also accepted an offer to join the Pac-12 in 2026 as its seventh member.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This move was officially announced the next day.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> On November 1, 2024, Grand Canyon University announced it was joining the Mountain West no later than July 1, 2026.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
On January 3, 2025, Northern Illinois University accepted an invitation from the MW to join for football only in 2026.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The move became official on January 7, after approval by NIU's governing board.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
Member schools
[edit]Current full members
[edit]Template:Color box Members departing for the Pac-12 Conference in 2026.
Future members
[edit]| Institution | Location | Founded | Joining | Type | Enrollment | Endowment (2017) (millions)<ref name=":0">As of June 30, 2023. Template:Cite report</ref> |
Nickname | Colors | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Canyon University | Phoenix, Arizona | 1949 | July 1, 2026 | Private for-profitTemplate:Efn Template:Small |
Template:NtsTemplate:Efn | $21.6 | Antelopes | Template:College color boxes | WAC |
| University of California, Davis | Davis, California | 1905 | Public | 40,848 | $2,172.7<ref>https://www.ucop.edu/investment-office/investment-reports/annual-reports/annual-endwoment-report-fy-2022-2023.pdf</ref> | Aggies | Template:College color boxes | Big West | |
| Template:Sort | Honolulu, Hawaii | 1907 | 19,097 | $341.4 | Rainbow Warriors/Wahine | Template:College color boxes | Big WestTemplate:Efn | ||
| University of Texas at El Paso | El Paso, Texas | 1913 | 25,121 | $241.7 | Miners | Template:College color boxes | Conference USA |
- Notes
Current affiliate members
[edit]| Institution | Location | Founded | Joined | Type | Enrollment | Endowment<ref>As of June 30, 2021. Template:Cite report</ref> | Nickname | Colors | MW sport |
Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado College | Colorado Springs, Colorado | 1874 | 2014 | Nonsectarian | 2,266 | $908.6 million | Tigers | Template:College color boxes | Women's soccer | Southern (SCAC)Template:Efn |
| Template:Sort | Honolulu, Hawaii | 1907 | 2012 | Public | 19,097 | $341.4 million | Rainbow Warriors | Template:College color boxes | Football | Big West Template:Small |
| Washington State University | Pullman, Washington | 1890 | 2024 | Public | 24,139 | $1.28 billion | Cougars | Template:College color boxes | Baseball | Pac-12 |
| Women's swimming |
- Notes
Future affiliate members
[edit]| Institution | Location | Founded | Joining | Type | Enrollment | Endowment<ref>As of June 30, 2021. Template:Cite report</ref> | Nickname | Colors | MW sport |
Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Illinois University | DeKalb, Illinois | 1895 | 2026 | Public | 16,769 | $99 million | Huskies | Template:College color boxes | Football | MAC Template:Small |
Former full members
[edit]| Institution | Location | Founded | Joined | Left | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Colors | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brigham Young University | Provo, Utah | 1875 | 1999 | 2011 | LDS Church | 34,390 | Cougars | Template:College color boxes | Big 12 |
| Texas Christian University | Fort Worth, Texas | 1873 | 2005 | 2012 | Disciples of Christ |
11,938 | Horned Frogs | Template:College color boxes | |
| Template:Sort | Salt Lake City, Utah | 1850 | 1999 | 2011 | Public | 34,900 | Utes | Template:College color boxes |
Membership timeline
[edit]<timeline> DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:1998 till:2030 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:20 top:5
Colors =
id:line value:black id:Full value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # all sports id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # all sports except for football id:AssocF value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445) # football only id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.5,0.691,0.824) # some sports, but not all 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
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:end text:Air Force (1999–present)
bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:1999 text:WAC bar:2 color:Full from:1999 till:2011 text:BYU (1999–2011) bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:2011 till:2023 text:WCC (FB Independent) bar:2 color:OtherC2 from:2023 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:UNLV (1999–present)
bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:1999 text:WAC bar:5 color:Full from:1999 till:end text:New Mexico (1999–present)
bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:1999 text:WAC bar:6 color:Full from:1999 till:end text:San Diego State (1999–2026) bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12
bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:1999 text:WAC bar:7 color:Full from:1999 till:2011 text:Utah (1999–2011) bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:2011 till:end text:Pac-12 bar:7 color:OtherC2 from:2024 till:end text:Big 12
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:Conference 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:end text:Washington State (2024–present)
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:2026 text:WAC bar:18 color:FullxF from:2026 till:end text:Grand Canyon (2026–future)
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:CCAA bar:20 color:OtherC2 from:2004 till:2007 text:D-I Ind. bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:2007 till:2026 text:Big West bar:20 color:FullxF from:2026 till:end text:UC Davis (2026–future)
bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2005 text:WAC bar:21 color:OtherC2 from:2005 till:2026 text:Conference USA bar:21 color:Full from:2026 till:end text:UTEP (2026–future)
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:2000
</timeline>
Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color
NCAA team championships
[edit]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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
| School | Team Championships | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Men | Women | Co-ed | |
| style="Template:NCAA color cell"|San Jose State | 10 | 7 | 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"|Fresno State | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| style="Template:NCAA color cell"|UNLV | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| style="Template:NCAA color cell"|Boise State | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| style="Template:NCAA color cell"|Colorado State | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| style="Template:NCAA color cell"|San Diego State | 1 | 1 | 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"|Utah State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 23 | 14 | 6 | 3 |
Sports
[edit]The Mountain West Conference sponsors championship competition in eight men's and 11 women's NCAA sanctioned sports.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Hawai'i is only an associate member for football, and Colorado College is only an associate member for women's soccer.
| 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
[edit]Template:Notelist Template:Notelist
Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Mountain West
[edit]Future members in gray.
| School | FencingTemplate:Efn | GymnaTemplate:Shystics | Ice hockey |
LacTemplate:Shyrosse | RifleTemplate:Efn | Soccer | Swimming & diving |
Volleyball | Water polo |
Wrestling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:LeftAir Force | IndepTemplate:Shyendent | MPSF | AHA | ASUN<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> | PRC | WAC | WAC | WCC | Big 12 | |
| Template:LeftGrand Canyon | WAC | Big West | MPSF | |||||||
| Template:LeftHawai'i | Big West | Big West | ||||||||
| Template:LeftUNLV | WAC | WAC | ||||||||
| Template:LeftSan Diego State | WAC | |||||||||
| Template:LeftSan Jose State | WAC | WCC | ||||||||
| Template:LeftUC Davis | Big WestTemplate:Efn | Big WestTemplate:Efn | ||||||||
| Template:LeftWyoming | WAC | Big 12 |
Women's sports
[edit]Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Mountain West
[edit]Future members in gray.
| School | Beach volleyball |
Equestrian | FencingTemplate:Efn | Field hockey |
Lacrosse | RifleTemplate:Efn | Sailing | Water polo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:LeftAir Force | Independent | PRC | ||||||
| Template:LeftBoise State | Southland | |||||||
| Template:LeftFresno State | Big 12 | Golden Coast | ||||||
| Template:LeftGrand Canyon | TBATemplate:Efn | |||||||
| Template:LeftHawai'i | Big West | PCCSC | Big West | |||||
| Template:LeftSan Diego State | Big 12 | Golden Coast | ||||||
| Template:LeftSan Jose State | Southland | MPSF | ||||||
| Template:LeftUC Davis | Big WestTemplate:Efn | ECAC | America East | Big 12 | Big WestTemplate:Efn | |||
| Template:LeftUTEP | CUSATemplate:Efn | PRC |
Athletic department revenue by school
[edit]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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, since Air Force is not available from that source, it was obtained from Knight Commission for the 2020–2021 academic year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
| Institution | 2023–24 Total Revenue from Athletics | 2023–24 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 Nevada, Las Vegas | $56,560,028 | $66,547,435 |
| University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa | $53,867,030 | $52,696,666 |
| 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
[edit]Rivalries
[edit]Conference (football)
[edit]Totals and records following the completion of the 2022 football season.
| Teams | Rivalry name | Trophy | Meetings (last) |
Record | Series leader | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Force | Colorado State | Air Force–Colorado State football rivalry | Ram-Falcon Trophy | 60 (2022) |
38–21–1 | Air Force |
| Hawai'i | Air Force–Hawai'i football rivalry | Kuter Trophy | 22 (2019) |
14–7–1 | Air Force | |
| Boise State | Fresno State | Boise State–Fresno State football rivalry | Milk Can | 25 (2022) |
17–8 | Boise State |
| Nevada | Boise State–Nevada football rivalry | — | 45 (2022) |
31–14 | Boise State | |
| Fresno State | Hawai'i | Fresno State–Hawai'i football rivalry | The Golden Screwdriver | 55 (2022) |
30–24–1 | Fresno State |
| San Diego State | Battle for the Oil Can | Old Oil Can | 61 (2022) |
27–30–4 | San Diego State | |
| San José State | Battle for the Valley | Valley Trophy | 86 (2022) |
44–39–3 | Fresno State | |
| Colorado State | Wyoming | Border War | Bronze Boot | 114 (2022) |
59–50–5 | Colorado State |
| Hawai'i | San José State | Dick Tomey Legacy Game | Dick Tomey Legacy Trophy | 46
(2023) |
22–23–1 | San José State |
| UNLV | Hawai'i–UNLV football rivalry | Island Showdown Trophy | 33 (2022) |
19–14 | Hawai'i | |
| Wyoming | Hawai'i–Wyoming football rivalry | Paniolo Trophy | 27 (2022) |
11–16 | Wyoming | |
| Nevada | UNLV | Battle for Nevada | Fremont Cannon | 48 (2022) |
29–19 | Nevada |
| Utah State | Wyoming | Bridger's Battle | Bridger Rifle | 72 (2022) |
40–28–4 | Utah State |
Non–conference (including other sports)
[edit]| Schools | First meeting |
Game | Trophy | Reigning champion (last meeting) |
Next meeting | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Force / Army / Navy | 1972 | Commander-in-Chief's Trophy | Navy (2024) |
2025 | ||
| Boise State | Idaho | 1971 | Battle of Idaho | Governor's Cup | Boise State (2010) |
|
| Colorado State | Colorado | 1893 | Rocky Mountain Showdown | Centennial Cup | Colorado (2024) |
2029 |
| 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 | New Mexico (2024) |
2025 | ||
| San José State | Stanford | 1900 | Bill Walsh Legacy Game | Stanford (2013) |
2024 | |
| Utah State | Brigham Young (BYU) | 1922 | Battle for The Old Wagon Wheel | The Old Wagon Wheel | BYU (2022) |
|
| Utah | 1892 | Battle of the Brothers | Utah (2015) |
|||
| Utah State / BYU / Utah | 1971 | Beehive Boot | BYU (2022) |
2025 | ||
| UTEP | New Mexico State | 1914 | Battle of I-10 | Silver Spade Trophy and the Mayor's Cup | UTEP (2024) |
2025 |
Football
[edit]Divisions
[edit]Template:See also 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Each team played five divisional games and three cross-divisional contests annually.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name=perrivals>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The designated rivals under this system are as follows:
| 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 |
Prior to this, the division format was as follows:
| Mountain Division | West Division |
|---|---|
| Air Force | Fresno State |
| Boise State | HawaiTemplate:Okinai |
| Colorado State | Nevada |
| New Mexico | UNLV |
| Utah State | San Diego State |
| Wyoming | San José State |
- No other MW sport is split into divisions—including women's soccer, the only other conference sport with 12 competing schools (with Colorado College as the 12th member).
Bowl games
[edit]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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 12 or Pac-12 | Non–specific (Big Ten) or 4 (Pac-12) |
- 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
[edit]As of the 2024-25 bowl games
| School | Appearances | W | L | T | Win % |
BCS/ NY6 |
National championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:LeftAir Force | 30 | 16 | 13 | 1 | Template:Winpct | 0–0 | 0 |
| Template:LeftFresno State | 28 | 17 | 14 | 0 | .548 | 0–0 | 0 |
| Template:LeftBoise State | 22Template:Efn | 13 | 9 | 0 | .591 | 3–1 | 2 — 1958 (NJCAA), 1980 (NCAA Division I-AATemplate:Efn) |
| Template:LeftSan Diego State | 20 | 10 | 10 | 0 | Template:Winpct | 0–0 | 3 — 1966–1968 (NCAA College DivisionTemplate:Efn) |
| Template:LeftNevada | 18 | 7 | 12 | 0 | Template:Winpct | 0–0 | 0 |
| Template:LeftWyoming | 18 | 10 | 9 | 0 | Template:Winpct | 0–0 | 0 |
| Template:LeftColorado State | 17 | 6 | 12 | 0 | Template:Winpct | 0–0 | 0 |
| Template:LeftUtah State | 15 | 6 | 11 | 0 | Template:Winpct | 0–0 | 0 |
| Template:LeftHawai'i | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | Template:Winpct | 0–1 | 0 |
| Template:LeftNew Mexico | 13 | 4 | 8 | 1 | Template:Winpct | 0–0 | 0 |
| Template:LeftSan Jose State | 12 | 7 | 7 | 0 | Template:Winpct | 0–0 | 0 |
| Template:LeftUNLV | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | Template:Winpct | 0–0 | 0 |
Bowl Challenge Cup
[edit]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,<ref name="espn">Template:Cite news</ref> 4–1 in 2007–08,<ref name="mwc">Mountain West Posts Top Bowl Win Percentage Among FBS Subdivision Conferences</ref> 4–1 in 2009–10,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 4–1 in 2010–11<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and 5–1 in 2021–22.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Men's basketball
[edit]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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
NCAA tournament records
[edit]As of the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
| School | Appearances | W | L | Win % |
Wins per appearance |
National championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:LeftUtah State | 23 | 6 | 24 | .200 | 0.273 | 0 |
| Template:LeftUNLV | 20 | 33 | 19 | Template:Winpct | 1.650 | 1 (1990) |
| Template:LeftSan Diego State | 16 | 11 | 14 | .440 | 0.733 | 0 |
| Template:LeftWyoming | 16 | 9 | 21 | Template:Winpct | 0.563 | 1 (1943) |
| Template:LeftNew Mexico | 15 | 8 | 16 | Template:Winpct | 0.533 | 0 |
| Template:LeftColorado State | 12 | 5 | 12 | Template:Winpct | 0.363 | 0 |
| Template:LeftNevada | 11 | 6 | 11 | .353 | 0.600 | 0 |
| Template:LeftBoise State | 10 | 0 | 10 | Template:Winpct | 0.000 | 0 |
| Template:LeftFresno State | 5 | 2 | 5 | Template:Winpct | 0.400 | 0 |
| Template:LeftAir Force | 4 | 0 | 4 | Template:Winpct | 0.000 | 0 |
| Template:LeftSan Jose State | 3 | 0 | 3 | Template:Winpct | 0.000 | 0 |
Women's basketball
[edit]NCAA tournament records
[edit]| School | Appearances | W | L | Win % |
Wins per appearance |
National championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:LeftUNLV | 10 | 3 | 10 | .231 | 0.300 | 0 |
| Template:LeftNew Mexico | 8 | 3 | 8 | Template:Winpct | 0.375 | 0 |
| Template:LeftSan Diego State | 9 | 6 | 9 | Template:Winpct | 0.571 | 0 |
| Template:LeftFresno State | 7 | 0 | 7 | Template:Winpct | 0.000 | 0 |
| Template:LeftBoise State | 6 | 0 | 6 | Template:Winpct | 0.000 | 0 |
| Template:LeftColorado State | 6 | 5 | 6 | .455 | 0.833 | 0 |
| Template:LeftWyoming | 2 | 0 | 2 | Template:Winpct | 0.000 | 0 |
| Template:LeftAir Force | 0 | 0 | 0 | Template:Winpct | 0.000 | 0 |
| Template:LeftNevada | 0 | 0 | 0 | Template:Winpct | 0.000 | 0 |
| Template:LeftSan Jose State | 0 | 0 | 0 | Template:Winpct | 0.000 | 0 |
| Template:LeftUtah State | 0 | 0 | 0 | Template:Winpct | 0.000 | 0 |
Facilities
[edit]- Notes
Elevation
[edit]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 Template: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
[edit]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) |
|---|---|---|
| Template:LeftAir Force Academy | 7,258 | 6,621 |
| Template:LeftWyoming | 7,220 | 7,220 |
| Template:LeftColorado College | 6,053 | 6,053 |
| Template:LeftNew Mexico | 5,174 | 5,100 |
| Template:LeftColorado State | 5,007 | 5,190 |
| Template:LeftUtah State | 4,777 | 4,710 |
| Template:LeftNevada | 4,564 | 4,610 |
| Template:LeftBoise State | 2,697 | 2,695 |
| Template:LeftUNLV | 2,024 | 2,190 |
| Template:LeftSan Diego State | 433 | 25 |
| Template:LeftFresno State | 338 | 335 |
| Template:LeftHawai'i | 105 | 19 |
| Template:LeftSan Jose State | 85 | 93 |
References
[edit]External links
[edit]Template:Mountain West Conference navbox Template:NCAA Division I all-sports conferences Template:NCAA Division I FBS conference navbox Template:Subject bar