Mountain West Conference
![]() | |
Association | NCAA |
---|---|
Founded | May 26, 1998 |
Commissioner | Gloria Nevarez (since January 1, 2023) |
Sports fielded |
|
Division | Division I |
Subdivision | FBS |
No. of teams | 11 |
Headquarters | Colorado Springs, Colorado |
Region | Western United States |
Official website | themw |
Locations | |
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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, and Wyoming, as well as an associate member in Hawaii. Gloria Nevarez took over as Commissioner of the MW on January 1, 2023, following the retirement of founding commissioner Craig Thompson.[1][2]
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 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
![Mountain West Conference is located in USA West](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/USA_Region_West_location_map.svg/350px-USA_Region_West_location_map.svg.png)
![San Diego State](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Purple_pog.svg/8px-Purple_pog.svg.png)
![San Jose State](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Purple_pog.svg/8px-Purple_pog.svg.png)
![Fresno State](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Purple_pog.svg/8px-Purple_pog.svg.png)
![UNLV](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Purple_pog.svg/8px-Purple_pog.svg.png)
![Nevada](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Purple_pog.svg/8px-Purple_pog.svg.png)
![Boise State](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Purple_pog.svg/8px-Purple_pog.svg.png)
![Utah State](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Purple_pog.svg/8px-Purple_pog.svg.png)
![New Mexico](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Purple_pog.svg/8px-Purple_pog.svg.png)
![Colorado State](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Purple_pog.svg/8px-Purple_pog.svg.png)
![Air Force](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Purple_pog.svg/8px-Purple_pog.svg.png)
Force
![Wyoming](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Purple_pog.svg/8px-Purple_pog.svg.png)
![Colorado College](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Yellow_pog.svg/8px-Yellow_pog.svg.png)
![Washington State](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Green_pog.svg/8px-Green_pog.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/MountainWestMD-2016-0726-CraigThompson.png/220px-MountainWestMD-2016-0726-CraigThompson.png)
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 Jose 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 Jose 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 USC[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]
Member schools
Current full members
Institution | Location | Founded | Joined | Type | Enrollment | Endowment (2023) (millions)[29] |
Nickname | Colors |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States Air Force Academy | USAF Academy, Colorado[a] | 1954 | 1999 | Federal (Military) |
4,181 | $98.9 | Falcons | |
Boise State University | Boise, Idaho | 1932 | 2011 | Public | 26,155 | $143.0 | Broncos | |
California State University, Fresno | Fresno, California | 1911 | 2012 | 25,047 | $229.0 | Bulldogs | ||
Colorado State University | Fort Collins, Colorado | 1870 | 1999 | 33,648[30] | $580.0 | Rams | ||
University of Nevada, Reno | Reno, Nevada | 1874 | 2012 | 21,034 | $458.0 | Wolf Pack | ||
University of Nevada, Las Vegas | Las Vegas, Nevada[b] | 1957 | 1999 | 30,660 | $388.4 | Rebels | ||
University of New Mexico | Albuquerque, New Mexico | 1889 | 1999 | 21,738 | $661.0 | Lobos | ||
San Diego State University | San Diego, California | 1897 | 1999 | 32,599 | $415.7 | Aztecs | ||
San Jose State University | San Jose, California | 1857 | 2013 | 32,432 | $182.6 | Spartans | ||
Utah State University | Logan, Utah | 1888 | 2013 | 27,943 | $538.4 | Aggies | ||
University of Wyoming | Laramie, Wyoming | 1886 | 1999 | 11,100 | $758.8 | Cowboys & Cowgirls |
- ^ 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".
- ^ 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.
Affiliate members
Institution | Location | Founded | Joined | Type | Enrollment | Endowment[31] | 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)[a] | |
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa | Honolulu, Hawaiʻi | 1907 | 2012 | Public | 19,097 | $341.4 million | Rainbow Warriors | football | Big West | |
Washington State University | Pullman, Washington | 1890 | 2024 | Public | 24,139 | $1.28 billion | Cougars | baseball | Pac-12 | |
women's swimming |
- Notes
- ^ Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.
Former full members
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
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/timeline/2j30ft3gnw5ebt21ilhktr8663s1330.png)
Full members 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.[32]
School | Team Championships | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Total | Men | Women | Co-ed | |
San Jose State | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
Wyoming | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
New Mexico | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Fresno State | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
UNLV | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Colorado State | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Boise State | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
San Diego State | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Air Force | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Nevada | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Utah State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 23 | 14 | 6 | 3 |
Sports
The Mountain West Conference sponsors championship competition in eight men's and 11 women's NCAA sanctioned sports.[33] Hawaiʻi 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 |
- ^ Numbers of teams are as of the 2021–22 school year.
Men's sports
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[a] | Yes | Yes | 7 |
Colorado State | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | 6 |
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 |
Totals | 7+1[b] | 11 | 9 | 11+1[c] | 11 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 69+1 |
Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Mountain West
School | Fencing[a] | Gymnastics | Ice hockey |
Lacrosse | Rifle[b] | Soccer | Swimming & diving |
Water polo |
Wrestling |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Air Force | Independent | MPSF | AHA | ASUN[35] | PRC | WAC | WAC | WCC | Big 12 |
UNLV | WAC | WAC | |||||||
San Diego State | WAC | ||||||||
San Jose State | WAC | WCC | |||||||
Wyoming | WAC | Big 12 |
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
Women's sports
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 |
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 |
Totals | 11 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 11+1[a] | 9 | 9+1[b] | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 108+1 |
Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Mountain West
School | Beach volleyball |
Equestrian | Fencing[a] | Lacrosse | Rifle[b] | Water polo |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Air Force | Independent | PRC | ||||
Boise State | Southland | |||||
Fresno State | Big 12 | Golden Coast | ||||
San Diego State | Big 12 | Golden Coast | ||||
San Jose State | Southland | MPSF | ||||
Utah State |
- ^ 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.
- ^ Rifle is technically a men's sport, but men's, women's, and coed teams all compete against each other. Air Forces fields a coed team.
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.[36] However, since Air Force is not available from that source, it was obtained from Knight Commission for the 2020–2021 academic year.[37]
Institution | 2021–22 Total Revenue from Athletics | 2021–22 Total Expenses on Athletics |
---|---|---|
San Diego State University | $67,245,917 | $67,245,917 |
United States Air Force Academy | $65,914,558 | $58,680,602 |
Colorado State University | $59,275,605 | $59,275,605 |
California State University, Fresno | $53,448,649 | $45,811,581 |
University of Nevada, Reno | $45,228,708 | $45,228,708 |
Boise State University | $44,813,743 | $44,813,269 |
University of New Mexico | $43,937,555 | $43,922,247 |
Utah State University | $43,035,302 | $43,035,302 |
University of Nevada, Las Vegas | $42,320,074 | $42,320,074 |
University of Wyoming | $41,751,385 | $41,751,385 |
San Jose State University | $37,717,297 | $37,717,297 |
Conference champions
Rivalries
Conference (football)
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 Jose 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 Jose State | Dick Tomey Legacy Game | Dick Tomey Legacy Trophy | 46
(2023) |
22–23–1 | San Jose 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)
Schools | First meeting |
Game | Trophy | Reigning champion (last meeting) |
Next meeting | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Air Force / Army / Navy | 1972 | Commander-in-Chief's Trophy | Air Force (2022) |
2023 | ||
Boise State | Idaho | 1971 | Battle of Idaho | Governor's Cup | Boise State (2010) |
|
Colorado State | Colorado | 1893 | Rocky Mountain Showdown | Centennial Cup | Colorado (2023) |
2024 |
New Mexico | Arizona | 1908 | Arizona–New Mexico football rivalry | Kit Carson Rifle | Arizona (2015) |
2024 |
New Mexico State | 1894 | Rio Grande Rivalry | New Mexico State (2023) |
2024 | ||
San Jose 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 |
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.[38] Each team played five divisional games and three cross-divisional contests annually.[39] 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.[40][41] 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.[42][43] 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 Jose State |
Hawaii | San Diego State | UNLV |
Nevada | Fresno State | UNLV |
New Mexico | Boise State | San Jose State |
San Diego State | Hawaii | San Jose State |
San Jose State | Fresno State | San Diego State |
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 | Hawaiʻi |
Colorado State | Nevada |
New Mexico | UNLV |
Utah State | San Diego State |
Wyoming | San Jose 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
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,
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 | 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) |
- 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
As of the 2019–20 bowl games
School | Appearances | W | L | T | Win % |
BCS/ NY6 |
National championships |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Air Force | 29 | 15 | 13 | 1 | .534 | 0–0 | 0 |
Fresno State | 28 | 14 | 14 | 0 | .500 | 0–0 | 0 |
Boise State | 20[a] | 13 | 7 | 0 | .650 | 3–0 | 2 — 1958 (NJCAA), 1980 (NCAA Division I-AA[b]) |
San Diego State | 20 | 10 | 10 | 0 | .500 | 0–0 | 3 — 1966–1968 (NCAA College Division[c]) |
Nevada | 18 | 7 | 11 | 0 | .389 | 0–0 | 0 |
Wyoming | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | .500 | 0–0 | 0 |
Colorado State | 17 | 6 | 11 | 0 | .353 | 0–0 | 0 |
Utah State | 15 | 6 | 9 | 0 | .400 | 0–0 | 0 |
Hawaiʻi | 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 | .583 | 0–0 | 0 |
UNLV | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | .750 | 0–0 | 0 |
- ^ Appeared in the 2018 First Responder Bowl, but the game was canceled midway through the first quarter due to lightning.
- ^ In 2006, "Division I-AA" was renamed "Division I Football Championship Subdivision" or "Division I FCS" for short.
- ^ 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,[44] 4–1 in 2007–08,[45] 4–1 in 2009–10,[46] 4–1 in 2010–11[47] and 5–1 in 2021–22.[48]
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.[49]
NCAA tournament records
As of the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
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 | 10 | .375 | 0.600 | 0 |
Boise State | 10 | 0 | 9 | .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
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 |
Facilities
- Notes
- ^ Temporary stadium until the new Aloha Stadium is completed.[50]
- ^ 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.[51]
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 metres) 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.
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 | 1,600 |
San Diego State | 433 | 25 |
Fresno State | 338 | 335 |
Hawai'i | 105 | 19 |
San Jose State | 85 | 93 |
References
- ^ Murray, Chris (August 18, 2017). "Face of the Mountain West: Craig Thompson has been conference's anchor for 19 years". Reno Gazette-Journal. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
- ^ "Gloria Nevarez Named Mountain West Commissioner" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. November 11, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Deinhart, Tom (September 14, 2011). "WAC a cautionary tale for superconferences". Rivals.com. Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
- ^ "Fresno State, Nevada to remain in WAC until 2012". ESPN. October 28, 2010. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
- ^ Adelson, Andrea. "Utah State turned down invite to MWC". ESPN. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
- ^ "BYU to leave Mountain West Conference, join West Coast Conference in all sports except football". ESPN. September 1, 2010. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
- ^ Hawkins, Stephen (November 29, 2010). "Big East Gets Bigger, Adds TCU For 2012 Season". NBCSports.MSNBC.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
- ^ "TCU Accepts Invitation To Join Big 12 Conference". TCU Athletic Department. October 10, 2011. Archived from the original on October 12, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
- ^ Song, Jaymes (December 10, 2010). "Hawaii Joins Mountain West Conference". NBCSports.MSNBC.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 13, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
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- ^ "MWC, C-USA to form new league". CNN. February 13, 2012.
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- ^ McMurphy, Brett (March 28, 2012). "New C-USA, MWC league will be completed by early June". College Football Insider. CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
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- ^ "How the Pac-12's assets complicate Oregon State, Washington State's future". September 6, 2023.
- ^ "Mountain West Announces Football Scheduling Agreement With Oregon State and Washington State" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. December 1, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
- ^ "Mountain West Adds Washington State in Baseball and Women's Swimming" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. April 16, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
- ^ As of June 30, 2023. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Endowment Market Value, and Change* in Endowment Market Value from FY21 to FY22 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 15, 2024. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ^ "CSU campuses report increased total enrollment for 2023".
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- ^ "Championships summary through Jan. 1, 2022" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 20, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
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- ^ "ASUN Conference Announces Formation of Men's Lacrosse League" (Press release). ASUN Conference. February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
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- ^ "Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database".
- ^ Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports (January 22, 2013). "Mountain West splits 12 football schools into six-team divisions". Usatoday.com. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
- ^ "Mountain West Conference". Themwc.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
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- ^ a b Briggeman, Brent (July 14, 2022). "Mountain West reveals football scheduling format for its post-division era starting in 2023". The Gazette. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
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- ^ "2007 Bowl Challenge Cup standings". ESPN. December 26, 2007.
- ^ Mountain West Posts Top Bowl Win Percentage Among FBS Subdivision Conferences
- ^ "2009–2010 Conference Bowl Wins". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on January 5, 2010. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
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