Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference (abbreviated as either "MW" or "MWC") is a group of colleges and universities in the Western United States, who play NCAA Division I sports against one another. In football, the MW plays in the top-level Division I FBS.
The league was formed in 1999 when eight schools split from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Most of the original members had been members of the WAC before it grew from 10 schools to 16 in 1996.
Due to a major realignment of Division I conferences, the MW and Conference USA announced plans to merge into one conference, possibly for the 2013–14 school year.[1] However, because of money issues, the conferences backed away from a full merger. They planned to form an alliance for scheduling and television purposes.[2] After both conferences added more schools, they backed out of the planned alliance.
During the 2020s conference realignment, the MW survived an attempted raid from the American Athletic Conference, which had courted four of its members,[3] but would later be raided by the Pac-12 Conference, which had lost all but two of its 12 members in 2024. In September 2024, the Pac-12 announced that Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State would join the Pac-12 in 2026.[4]
Current members
[change | change source]Eleven schools are "full members", meaning that they play almost all of their sports in the MW. Departing schools are highlighted in pink.
| School | Location | Type | Joined MW | Nickname |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States Air Force Academy (Air Force) |
USAF Academy, Colorado[a] | Federal | 1999 | Falcons |
| Boise State University | Boise, Idaho | Public | 2011 | Broncos |
| California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) |
Fresno, California | Public | 2012 | Bulldogs |
| Colorado State University | Fort Collins, Colorado | Public | 1999 | Rams |
| University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada) | Reno, Nevada | Public | 2012 | Wolf Pack |
| University of New Mexico | Albuquerque, New Mexico | Public | 1999 | Lobos |
| San Diego State University | San Diego, California | Public | 1999 | Aztecs |
| San Jose State University | San Jose, California | Public | 2013 | Spartans |
| University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) | Las Vegas, Nevada[b] | Public | 1999 | Rebels |
| Utah State University | Logan, Utah | Public | 2013 | Aggies |
| University of Wyoming | Laramie, Wyoming | Public | 1999 | Cowboys & Cowgirls |
- ↑ Almost all of the Air Force Academy grounds, including the cadet area and all athletic facilities, is outside the Colorado Springs city limits. The U.S. Census Bureau treats the Academy as "Air Force Academy, Colorado", and the U.S. Postal Service uses "USAF Academy, Colorado".
- ↑ The UNLV campus lies outside the Las Vegas city limits in the unincorporated area of Paradise, Nevada. The U.S. Postal Service uses "Las Vegas" as the postal address for all areas in the Las Vegas Valley that are outside of an incorporated city.
Associate members
[change | change source]Two schools are "associate members", meaning that they play in the MW in some sports while playing most other sports in another league. Both schools play only one sport in the MW.
| School | Location | Type | Joined MW | MW Sport | Nickname | Main Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (Hawaiʻi) |
Honolulu, Hawaii | Public | 2012 | Football | Rainbow Warriors | Big West Conference |
| Colorado College | Colorado Springs, Colorado | Private | 2014 | Women's soccer | Tigers | Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (NCAA Division III) |
Former members
[change | change source]Two of the MW's first members, plus one school that joined later, are no longer in the conference. All three are now members of the Big 12 Conference.
| School | Location | Type | Joined MW | Left MW | Nickname | Next conference | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brigham Young University (BYU) |
Provo, Utah | Private | 1999 | 2011 | Cougars | West Coast Conference (FBS independent) |
Big 12 Conference |
| Texas Christian University (TCU) |
Fort Worth, Texas | Private | 2005 | 2012 | Horned Frogs | Big 12 Conference | |
| University of Utah | Salt Lake City, Utah | Public | 1999 | 2011 | Utes | Pac-12 Conference | Big 12 Conference |
MountainWest Sports Network
[change | change source]The MountainWest Sports Network was an American college sports television channel. It was dedicated to the Mountain West Conference, including studio programs following the conference, live events, and documentary-style programs profiling the conference's members. It was launched on September 1, 2006. The channel shut down on May 31, 2012.
Notes
[change | change source]References
[change | change source]
- ↑ Katz, Andy (February 13, 2012). "MWC, C-USA to form new conference". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
- ↑ McMurphy, Brett (April 17, 2012). "Conference USA-Mountain West merger "unlikely"". College Football Insider. CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 27, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ Sallee, Barrett (October 1, 2021). "Air Force, Colorado State join Boise State, San Diego State in sticking with Mountain West over AAC". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
- ↑ "Ushering in a new era, the Pac-12 Conference strengthens its legacy by welcoming four respected academic and athletic universities" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. September 12, 2024. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
Other websites
[change | change source]- "Mountain West Conference". themw.com. Retrieved 2014-07-03.