Mountain West Conference

Mountain West Conference
AssociationNCAA
FoundedMay 26, 1998 (1998-05-26)
CommissionerGloria Nevarez (since January 1, 2023)
Sports fielded
  • 19
    • men's: 8
    • women's: 11
DivisionDivision I
SubdivisionFBS
No. of teams12 (10 in 2026)
HeadquartersColorado Springs, Colorado (Current)
Las Vegas, Nevada (to relocate in 2026)
RegionWestern United States
Broadcaster(s)CBS Sports
Fox Sports
Streaming partner(s)Paramount+
Fox One
Official websitethemw.com
Locations

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 Arizona, 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]

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, all eight charter members had been members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and half of these had been charter members of that conference from 1962.

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "Gloria Nevarez Named Mountain West Commissioner" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. November 11, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.