Seven member schools in the Mountain West Conference have agreed to remain amid overtures by the Pac-12 to lure away at least one more of its teams, the MWC announced Thursday.
The move comes after the Pac-12, which was reduced to just two schools — Oregon State and Washington State — after last summer’s realignment, announced two weeks ago that four MWC teams would join the league in 2026: Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State. Utah State then agreed to join earlier this week.
The seven remaining MWC schools signed a memorandum of understanding to stay in the league. Those schools are Air Force, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, Wyoming and football-only member Hawaii.
Because Hawaii is a partial member, the MWC needs to add two more schools to be recognized as a conference under NCAA rules, but it will have until 2028 to do so.
“Our immediate priority was solidifying the membership of the Mountain West. Now our focus turns to our collective future on behalf of our student-athletes,” MWC commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a release. “The agreements announced today mark a historic moment for the Mountain West and provide much-needed stability and clarity as the world of intercollegiate athletics continues to evolve rapidly.”