Mountain West stops the expansion while negotiating media offers


Las Vegas – The Mountain West conference in the process of going through an important membership transition, “Paus will” adding new schools, Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said on Wednesday in the days of the conference soccer media.

The conference will add Grand Canyon in all sports, except football, as of this year. Hawaii, who plays football in Mountain West, will join as a full member in 2026, like Texas-El Paso. The northern Illinois will play only football in Mountain West and UC Davis will be a non -Fotball member.

Five schools will leave the west mountain for the PAC-12 next year: Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State.

Both conferences are in a legal dispute over the poaching rates and are directed to the Court after not reaching an agreement.

“We are going to pause at this time in terms of additional membership,” Nevarez said at his annual soccer press conference. “Never say, but we really want to overcome our negotiation of media rights, breathe deeply and then decide the problem.”

Nevarez said he hoped to announce a new media agreement soon.

She also touched several other issues:

  • Mountain West is paying for any cost associated with the addition of Grand Canyon a year earlier.

  • The headquarters of the conference will move from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Las Vegas in July 2026. The West Mountain has been in Colorado Springs since its inception in 1999.

  • Nevarez said Mountain West did not support conferences that received more than an automatic position for the University Soccer playoff. The Big has prefer such format, but has lost the support of the SEC for that type of model.

scroll to top