:Mountain West Conference

{{Location map+ | USA West | width = 350

| float = right

| caption = Mountain West Conference member locations (Western United States)
10px – Full member
10px — Departing member
10px — Future member
10px – Associate member (women's soccer)
10px – Associate member (baseball & women's swimming)

| places =

{{Location map~ | USA West | mark = Red pog.svg | label = San Diego State | position=top | lat_deg =32 | lat_min =47 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =117 | lon_min =4 | lon_dir = W}}

{{Location map~ | USA West | mark = Purple pog.svg | label = San Jose State | position=left | lat_deg =37 | lat_min =20 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =121 | lon_min =53 | lon_dir = W}}

{{Location map~ | USA West | mark = Red pog.svg | label = Fresno State | position=right | lat_deg =36 | lat_min =49 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =119 | lon_min =45 | lon_dir = W}}

{{Location map~ | USA West | mark = Purple pog.svg | label = UNLV | position=right | lat_deg =36 | lat_min =6 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =115 | lon_min =9 | lon_dir = W}}

{{Location map~ | USA West | mark = Purple pog.svg | label = Nevada | position=right | lat_deg =39 | lat_min =33 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =119 | lon_min =49 | lon_dir = W}}

{{Location map~ | USA West | mark = Red pog.svg | label = Boise State | position=right | lat_deg =43 | lat_min =36 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =116 | lon_min =12 | lon_dir = W}}

{{Location map~ | USA West | mark = Red pog.svg | label = Utah State | position=left | lat_deg =41 | lat_min =44 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =111 | lon_min =49 | lon_dir = W}}

{{Location map~ | USA West | mark = Purple pog.svg | label = New Mexico | position=top | lat_deg =35 | lat_min = 5 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =106 | lon_min = 37 | lon_dir = W}}

{{Location map~ | USA West | mark = Red pog.svg | label = {{nowrap|Colorado State}} | position=left | lat_deg =40 | lat_min =34 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =105 | lon_min =5 | lon_dir = W}}

{{Location map~ | USA West | mark = Purple pog.svg | label = Air
Force | position=right | lat_deg =38 | lat_min =59 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =104 | lon_min =52 | lon_dir = W}}

{{Location map~ | USA West | mark = Purple pog.svg | label = Wyoming | position=top | lat_deg =41 | lat_min =19 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =105 | lon_min =35 | lon_dir = W}}

{{Location map~ | USA West | mark=Green pog.svg | label=UTEP | position=top | lat_deg =31 | lat_min =46 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =106 | lon_min =30 | lon_dir = W}}

{{Location map~ | USA West | mark=Green pog.svg | label=Grand Canyon | position=right | lat_deg =33 | lat_min =30 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =112 | lon_min =7 | lon_dir = W}}

{{Location map~ | USA West | mark=Green pog.svg | label=UC Davis | position=top | lat_deg =38 |lat_min =32 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =121 | lon_min =45 | lon_dir =W}}

{{Location map~ | USA West | mark = Yellow pog.svg | label = Colorado College | position=left | lat_deg =38 | lat_min =85 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =104 | lon_min =83 | lon_dir = W}}

{{Location map~ | USA West | mark = Orange pog.svg | label = Washington State| position=left | lat_deg =46 | lat_min =43 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =117 | lon_min =9 | lon_dir = W}}

}}

{{Location map+ | USA Hawaii | width = 200

| float = right

| caption = Mountain West Conference member locations (Hawaii)
10px – Football-only and future full member

| places =

{{Location map~ | USA Hawaii | mark = Green-blue pog.svg | label = Hawaii | position=bottom | lat_deg =21 | lat_min =18 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg =157 | lon_min =48 | lon_dir = W}}

}}

{{Location map+ | USA Illinois | width = 200

| float = right

| caption = Mountain West Conference member locations (Illinois)
10px – Future football-only member

| places =

{{Location map~ | USA Illinois | mark = Blue pog.svg | label = NIU | position = bottom | lat_deg = 41 | lat_min = 56 | lat_dir = N | lon_deg = 88 | lon_min = 47 | lon_dir = W}}

}}

File:MountainWestMD-2016-0726-CraigThompson.png.]]

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 José 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.{{cite news |url=http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1264788 |title=WAC a cautionary tale for superconferences |first=Tom |last=Deinhart |work=Rivals.com |publisher=Yahoo! Sports |date=September 14, 2011 |access-date=July 12, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928042810/http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1264788 |archive-date=September 28, 2013}}

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. Air Force was the most strident opponent of this proposal, threatening to become an independent. 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. 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).

{{See also|2010–2013 Mountain West Conference 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.{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/news/story?id=5735144 |title=Fresno State, Nevada to remain in WAC until 2012 |work=ESPN |date=2010-10-28 |access-date=2013-08-09}}{{cite news |last=Adelson |first=Andrea |title=Utah State turned down invite to MWC |url=https://www.espn.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/24908 |access-date=2013-08-09 |work=ESPN}} 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.{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/news/story?id=5517305 |title=BYU to leave Mountain West Conference, join West Coast Conference in all sports except football |work=ESPN |date=2010-09-01 |access-date=2013-08-09}} On November 29, 2010, TCU announced all athletic teams would move to the Big East Conference effective in 2012.{{cite web |url=http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/40416658/ns/sports-college_football/ |title=Big East Gets Bigger, Adds TCU For 2012 Season |first=Stephen |last=Hawkins |work=NBCSports.MSNBC.com |date=2010-11-29 |access-date=2010-11-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101201011523/http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/40416658/ns/sports-college_football/ |archive-date=December 1, 2010}} (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.){{cite news|url=http://gofrogs.cstv.com/genrel/101011aad.html|title=TCU Accepts Invitation To Join Big 12 Conference|publisher=TCU Athletic Department|date=October 10, 2011|access-date=October 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111012192118/http://gofrogs.cstv.com/genrel/101011aad.html|archive-date=October 12, 2011|url-status=dead}} On December 10, 2010, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa accepted a bid to become the 10th member of the conference for football only.{{cite web |url=http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/40611296/ns/sports-college_football/ |title=Hawaii Joins Mountain West Conference

|first=Jaymes |last=Song |agency=Associated Press |work=NBCSports.MSNBC.com |date=2010-12-10 |access-date=2010-12-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213141604/http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/40611296/ns/sports-college_football/ |archive-date=December 13, 2010}} 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.{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/7102822 |title=Mountain West, Conference USA announce football-only alliance |work=ESPN |date=2011-10-15 |access-date=2013-08-09}} 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.{{cite news |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/ncaa/02/13/mwc.merger.ap/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216035601/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/ncaa/02/13/mwc.merger.ap/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 16, 2012 | work=CNN | title=MWC, C-USA to form new league | date=February 13, 2012}} 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.{{cite news |url=https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/conference-usa-mountain-west-merger-unlikely/ |title=Conference Mountain West merger "unlikely" |first=Brett |last=McMurphy |publisher=CBSSports.com |date=April 17, 2012 |access-date=April 21, 2012}} 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",{{cite news |url=https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/new-c-usa-mwc-league-will-be-completed-by-early-june |title=New C-USA, MWC league will be completed by early June |first=Brett |last=McMurphy |publisher=CBSSports.com |date=March 28, 2012 |access-date=April 10, 2012}} although the Mountain West and C-USA would have apparently remained separate legal entities. In the end, this alliance never materialized due to both conferences soon adding new teams.

On May 2, 2012, San José 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.{{cite news |last=McMurphy |first=Brett |date=December 31, 2012 |title=Boise State spurns Big East |url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8796807 |access-date=December 31, 2012 |work=ESPN}}

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.{{Cite news |last=Dodd |first=Dennis |date=January 16, 2013 |title=Mountain West planning title game with 'addition' of SDSU |url=https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/mountain-west-planning-title-game-with-addition-of-sdsu |access-date=August 5, 2024 |work=CBS Sports}}

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.{{cite news|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/aztecs/sd-sp-gonzaga-mountain-west-sdsu-20180228-story.html |title=Mountain West confirms it has talked expansion with ... Gonzaga |first=Mark |last=Zeigler |newspaper=San Diego Union-Tribune |date=February 28, 2018 |access-date=March 1, 2018}} 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.{{cite news|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/aztecs/sd-sp-mountain-west-gonzaga-byu-analysis-20180307-story.html |title=Is Gonzaga (and maybe BYU) really coming to the Mountain West? |first=Mark |last=Zeigler |newspaper=San Diego Union-Tribune |date=March 7, 2018 |access-date=March 10, 2018}} 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.{{cite news|url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/apr/02/gonzaga-athletic-director-mike-roth-says-zags-stay/ |title=Gonzaga athletic director Mike Roth says Zags staying in WCC |first=Jim |last=Meehan |newspaper=The Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, WA |date=April 2, 2018 |access-date=April 2, 2018}}

On June 30, 2022, UCLA{{cite web |last=Jarmond |first=Martin |date=June 30, 2022 |title=UCLA to Join Big Ten Conference at Start of 2024–25 Season – UCLA |url=https://uclabruins.com/news/2022/6/30/bruin-athletics-ucla-to-join-big-ten-conference-at-start-of-2024-25-season.aspx |access-date=July 3, 2022 |publisher=Uclabruins.com}} and Southern Cal{{cite web|url=https://usctrojans.com/news/2022/6/30/usc-to-make-historic-move-to-big-ten-conference-in-2024.aspx |title=USC to Make Historic Move to Big Ten Conference in 2024 – USC Athletics |publisher=Usctrojans.com |date= |access-date=July 3, 2022}} 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.{{cite web |last=Thamel |first=Pete |author-link=Pete Thamel |date=June 16, 2023 |title=Sources: San Diego St. tells Mountain West it plans to exit |url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/37864747 |access-date=June 20, 2023 |work=ESPN.com}} 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.{{cite web |last=Straka |first=Dean |date=19 June 2023 |title=Mountain West rejects exceptions requested by San Diego State as it eyes withdrawal, per report |url=https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/mountain-west-rejects-exceptions-requested-by-san-diego-state-as-it-eyes-withdrawal-per-report |access-date=June 20, 2023 |publisher=cbssports.com}} 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.{{cite web |last=Kasabian |first=Paul |date=30 June 2023 |title=Report: SDSU Plans to Remain in Mountain West amid Pac-12 Move Rumors |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10081288-report-sdsu-plans-to-remain-in-mountain-west-amid-pac-12-move-rumors |access-date=30 June 2023 |publisher=Bleacher Report}} The MW and San Diego State reached a settlement of their dispute the following month, with SDSU remaining a member for the immediate future.{{cite news |last=Thamel |first=Pete |author-link=Pete Thamel |date=July 18, 2023 |title=Source: SDSU remains in Mountain West as sides resolve dispute |url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/38032484 |access-date=July 19, 2023 |website=ESPN.com}}

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.{{cite web |date=September 2, 2023 |title=Mountain West had talks with Oregon St., Wazzu |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/38314274 |access-date=August 5, 2024 |website=ESPN.com}}{{cite web |last=Prisbell |first=Eric |date=September 6, 2023 |title=How the Pac-12's assets complicate Oregon State, Washington State's future |url=https://www.on3.com/os/news/how-the-pac-12s-assets-complicate-oregon-state-beavers-washington-state-cougars-future |access-date=August 5, 2024 |website=on3.com}} 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.{{cite press release|title=Mountain West Announces Football Scheduling Agreement With Oregon State and Washington State|url=https://themw.com/news/2023/12/01/mountain-west-announces-football-scheduling-agreement-with-oregon-state-and-washington-state/|publisher=Mountain West Conference|date=December 1, 2023|access-date=December 22, 2023}} 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.{{cite press release|title=Mountain West Adds Washington State in Baseball and Women's Swimming|url=https://themw.com/news/2024/04/16/mountain-west-adds-washington-state-in-baseball-womens-swimming/|publisher=Mountain West Conference|date=April 16, 2024|access-date=April 16, 2024}}

On September 12, 2024, it was announced that Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State, and San Diego State would be leaving the MW and joining the Pac-12 in 2026.{{Cite web |title=Ushering in a new era, the Pac-12 Conference strengthens its legacy by welcoming four respected academic and athletic universities |url=https://pac-12.com/news/2024/9/12/general-ushering-in-a-new-era-the-pac-12-conference-strengthens-its-legacy-by-welcoming-four-respected-academic-and-athletic-universities.aspx |access-date=2024-09-12 |website=pac-12.com |language=en}} On September 23, Utah State also accepted an offer to join the Pac-12 in 2026 as its seventh member.{{cite web |last1=Vannini |first1=Chris |title=Utah State agrees to join Pac-12 as league pushes for Mountain West members, Gonzaga: Sources |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5789845/2024/09/23/utah-state-pac-12-mountain-west/ |website=The Athletic |access-date=23 September 2024}}

On October 1, 2024 it was announced that the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) will be joining the Mountain West starting in the 2026–27 academic year.{{Cite web |date=2024-10-01 |title=Mountain West Officially Welcomes UTEP Into The Conference |url=https://themw.com/news/2024/10/01/mountain-west-officially-welcomes-utep-into-the-conference/ |access-date=2024-10-01 |website=Mountain West Conference |language=en-US}} On October 14, Craig Angelos, athletic director of football-only member Hawaii, confirmed outside reports that the school would upgrade to full MW membership in 2026.{{cite news |url=https://www.staradvertiser.com/2024/10/14/sports/sports-breaking/most-of-uhs-non-football-sports-will-join-mountain-west/ |title=Most of UH's non-football sports will join Mountain West |first=Stephen |last=Tsai |newspaper=Honolulu Star-Advertiser |date=October 14, 2024 |access-date=October 15, 2024}} This move was officially announced the next day.{{cite press release |url=https://themw.com/news/2024/10/15/mountain-west-officially-welcomes-hawai%ca%bbi-as-a-full-time-member/ |title=Mountain West Officially Welcomes Hawaiʻi as a Full-Time Member |publisher=Mountain West Conference |date=October 15, 2024 |access-date=October 15, 2024}} On November 1, 2024, Grand Canyon University announced it was joining the Mountain West no later than July 1, 2026.{{cite press release |url=https://gculopes.com/news/2024/11/1/general-gcu-accepts-invite-to-mountain-west-conference.aspx |title=GCU accepts invite to Mountain West Conference |publisher=Grand Canyon University Athletics |date=November 1, 2024 |access-date=November 1, 2024}}

On December 10, 2024 it was announced that UC Davis would join the Mountain West Conference in all sports except football, for which it will remain in the Big Sky Conference. This move is expected on July 1, 2026.{{cite press release|title=UC Davis to join Mountain West Conference in 2026-27|url=https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2024/12/10/athletics-uc-davis-to-join-mountain-west-conference-in-2026-27.aspx |access-date=2024-12-10| language=en-US}}

On January 3, 2025, Northern Illinois University accepted an invitation from the MW to join for football only in 2026.{{cite web |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/northern-illinois-set-to-move-to-mountain-west-as-football-only-member-221640586.html |title=Northern Illinois set to move to Mountain West as football-only member |first=Nick |last=Bromberg |website=Yahoo Sports |date=January 3, 2025 |access-date=January 5, 2025}} The move became official on January 7, after approval by NIU's governing board.{{cite press release |url=https://niuhuskies.com/news/2025/1/7/niu-football-joins-mountain-west-conference.aspx |title=NIU Football Joins Mountain West Conference |publisher=Northern Illinois Huskies |date=January 7, 2025 |access-date=January 7, 2025}}

{{color box|#ffa0a0}} Members departing for the Pac-12 Conference in 2026.

{{notelist|group=full}}

;Notes

{{notelist|group=fut}}

;Notes:

{{notelist|group=aff}}

DateFormat = yyyy

ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20

Period = from:1998 till:2030

TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal

PlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:20 top:5

Colors =

id:line value:black

id:Full value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # all sports

id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # all sports except for football

id:AssocF value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445) # football only

id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.5,0.691,0.824) # some sports, but not all

id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference

id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the two

PlotData =

width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s

bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:1999 text:WAC

bar:1 color:Full from:1999 till:end text:Air Force (1999–present)

bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:1999 text:WAC

bar:2 color:Full from:1999 till:2011 text:BYU (1999–2011)

bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:2011 till:2023 text:WCC (FB Independent)

bar:2 color:OtherC2 from:2023 till:end text:Big 12

bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:1999 text:WAC

bar:3 color:Full from:1999 till:end text:Colorado State (1999–2026)

bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12

bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:1999 text:WAC

bar:4 color:Full from:1999 till:end text:UNLV (1999–present)

bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:1999 text:WAC

bar:5 color:Full from:1999 till:end text:New Mexico (1999–present)

bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:1999 text:WAC

bar:6 color:Full from:1999 till:end text:San Diego State (1999–2026)

bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12

bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:1999 text:WAC

bar:7 color:Full from:1999 till:2011 text:Utah (1999–2011)

bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:2011 till:end text:Pac-12

bar:7 color:OtherC2 from:2024 till:end text:Big 12

bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:1999 text:WAC

bar:8 color:Full from:1999 till:end text:Wyoming (1999–present)

bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2001 text:WAC

bar:9 color:OtherC2 from:2001 till:2005 text:Conference USA

bar:9 color:Full from:2005 till:2012 text:TCU (2005–2012)

bar:9 color:OtherC2 from:2012 till:end text:Big 12

bar:10 color:OtherC2 from:1998 till:2001 text:Big West

bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:2011 text:WAC

bar:10 color:Full from:2011 till:2026 text:Boise State (2011–2026)

bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12

bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2012 text:WAC

bar:11 color:Full from:2012 till:2026 text:Fresno State (2012–2026)

bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12

bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2012 text:WAC

bar:12 color:AssocF from:2012 till:2026 text:Hawaiʻi (2012–present)

bar:12 color:Full from:2026 till:end

bar:13 color:OtherC2 from:1998 till:2000 text:Big West

bar:13 shift:(20) color:OtherC1 from:2000 till:2012 text:WAC

bar:13 color:Full from:2012 till:end text:Nevada (2012–present)

bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2013 text:WAC

bar:14 color:Full from:2013 till:end text:San Jose State (2013–present)

bar:15 color:OtherC2 from:1998 till:2005 text:Big West

bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text:WAC

bar:15 color:Full from:2013 till:2026 text:Utah State (2013–2026)

bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12

bar:16 color:AssocOS from:2014 till:end text:Colorado College (2014–present)

bar:17 color:AssocOS from:2024 till:end text:Washington State (2024–present)

bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2004 text:CCAA

bar:18 color:OtherC2 from:2004 till:2005 shift:(-5) text:D-II Ind.

bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text:PacWest

bar:18 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2026 text:WAC

bar:18 color:FullxF from:2026 till:end text:Grand Canyon (2026–future)

bar:19 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2026 text:MAC

bar:19 color:AssocF from:2026 till:end text:Northern Illinois (2026–future)

bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2004 text:CCAA

bar:20 color:OtherC2 from:2004 till:2007 text:D-I Ind.

bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:2007 till:2026 text:Big West

bar:20 color:FullxF from:2026 till:end text:UC Davis (2026–future)

bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2005 text:WAC

bar:21 color:OtherC2 from:2005 till:2026 text:Conference USA

bar:21 color:Full from:2026 till:end text:UTEP (2026–future)

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:2000

1. > Legend: {{Font color||{{RGB|190|186|218}}| Full members }} {{Font color||{{RGB|141|211|199}}| Full members (non-football) }} {{Font color||{{RGB|251|128|114}}| Assoc. members (football only) }} {{Font color||{{RGB|128|177|211}}| Assoc. member (list sports) }} <#

{{Font color||{{RGB|190|186|218}}| Full members }} {{Font color||{{RGB|141|211|199}}|Full members (non-football)}} {{Font color||{{RGB|251|128|114}}| Associate members (football only) }} {{Font color||{{RGB|128|177|211}}| Associate members (other) }} {{Font color||{{RGB|255|255|179}}|Other conference }} {{Font color||{{RGB|253|180|98}}|Other conference }}

{{see also|List of NCAA schools with the most NCAA Division I championships|List of NCAA schools with the most Division I national 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.{{cite web |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/champs_records_book/Overall.pdf |title=Championships summary through Jan. 1, 2022 |date= |website=National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) |access-date=2015-02-25 |archive-date=2014-03-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320185655/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/champs_records_book/Overall.pdf |url-status=live}}

The Mountain West Conference sponsors championship competition in eight men's and 11 women's NCAA sanctioned sports.{{cite web|url=http://www.themwc.com/ |title=Mountain West Conference |publisher=Themwc.com |access-date=2013-08-09}} Hawai'i is only an associate member for football, and Colorado College is only an associate member for women's soccer.

{{notelist|group=t}}

{{notelist|group=a}}

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Future members in gray.

{{notelist|group=mn}}

{{notelist|group=b}}

Future members in gray.

{{notelist|group=wn}}

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.{{cite news |title=Equity in Athletics Data Analysis |work=U.S. Department of Education |url=https://ope.ed.gov/athletics/#/institution/search }} However, since Air Force is not available from that source, it was obtained from Knight Commission for the 2020–2021 academic year.{{cite news |title=Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database |url=https://knightnewhousedata.org/fbs/mwc/united-states-air-force-academy }}

{{Main|List of Mountain West Conference champions}}

Totals and records following the completion of the 2022 football season.

{{See also|Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game}}

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.{{cite web |last=Myerberg |first=Paul |date=2013-01-22 |title=Mountain West splits 12 football schools into six-team divisions |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2013/01/22/mountain-west-conference-football-announces-divisions/1856165/ |access-date=2013-08-09 |publisher=USAToday.com}} Each team played five divisional games and three cross-divisional contests annually.{{cite web |url=http://www.themwc.com/genrel/012213aaa.html |title=Mountain West Conference |publisher=Themwc.com |access-date=2013-08-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130216214734/http://www.themwc.com/genrel/012213aaa.html |archive-date=2013-02-16}}

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.{{cite web|first=Heather |last=Dinich|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/33952873 |title=Mountain West Conference to eliminate football divisions in 2023|publisher=ESPN|date=May 20, 2022 |access-date=July 15, 2022}}{{cite web|first=Kirk|last=Kenney|url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/aztecs/story/2022-05-20/mountain-west-football-one-division-2023-ncaa-conference-championship-game-san-diego-state-aztecs-sdsu|title=Mountain West will go to single 12-team division for football in 2023|work=The San Diego Union-Tribune|date=May 20, 2022 |access-date=July 15, 2022}} 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.{{cite web|first=Brent|last=Briggeman|url=https://gazette.com/sports/air-force-sports/mountain-west-reveals-football-scheduling-format-for-its-post-division-era-starting-in-2023/article_e265ca64-03c3-11ed-98b2-a36150d525be.html|title=Mountain West reveals football scheduling format for its post-division era starting in 2023|publisher=The Gazette|date=July 14, 2022 |access-date=July 15, 2022}}{{cite web|first=Jason|last=Turner|url=https://www.hjnews.com/sports/usu/mountain-west-releases-football-schedule-from-2023-25/article_e46f1299-867c-50c2-b764-990793ff1244.html|title=Mountain West releases football schedule for 2023–25|publisher=The Herald Journal|date=July 14, 2022 |access-date=July 15, 2022}} The designated rivals under this system are as follows:

Prior to this, the division format was as follows:

• 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).

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, CUSA, 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,

• 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.

As of the 2024-25 bowl games

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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,{{Cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/bowls07/news/story?id=3169117 |title=2007 Bowl Challenge Cup standings |date=December 26, 2007 |work=ESPN}} 4–1 in 2007–08,[https://web.archive.org/web/20080121061808/http://themwc.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/011008aab.html Mountain West Posts Top Bowl Win Percentage Among FBS Subdivision Conferences] 4–1 in 2009–10,{{Cite news |url=http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/16343161/ |title=2009–2010 Conference Bowl Wins |work=NBC Sports |access-date=2010-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105093655/http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/16343161 |archive-date=2010-01-05 |url-status=dead}} 4–1 in 2010–11{{cite news |last=Adelson |first=Andrea |url=https://www.espn.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/37567 |title=Mountain West wins Bowl Challenge Cup |work=ESPN |access-date=2013-08-09}} and 5–1 in 2021–22.{{Cite web |title=Mountain West Wins Nation's Best Fifth Bowl Challenge Cup |url=http://themw.com/news/2022/1/12/football-mountain-west-wins-nations-best-fifth-bowl-challenge-cup.aspx |access-date=2022-01-13 |website=themw.com}}

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.{{cite news | title = Missouri Valley, MWC to start basketball series | newspaper = Las Vegas Review-Journal | date = January 15, 2009 | url = http://www.lvrj.com/sports/37627364.html | access-date = January 16, 2009}}

As of the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

;Notes

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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 {{convert|4000|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} 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.

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.

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