Mountain West Conference pauses expansion amid legal dispute with Pac-12

Mountain West Conference Commissioner Gloria Nevarez announced a pause on adding new member schools during the conference's football media days in Las Vegas. This decision comes as the conference navigates a significant membership transition and focuses on upcoming media rights negotiations. Nevarez stated the conference will "pause right now as far as additional membership," wanting to complete the media deal before revisiting expansion.

The conference is adding several new members: Grand Canyon University joins in all sports except football starting this year. Hawaii (currently a football-only member) and Texas-El Paso (UTEP) will become full members in 2026. Northern Illinois will join as a football-only member, and UC Davis will be a non-football member.

Simultaneously, five current members – Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State – are departing for the Pac-12 Conference next year. This departure has resulted in a legal dispute between the Mountain West and the Pac-12 concerning poaching fees, with both conferences headed back to court after failing to reach an agreement.

Nevarez also addressed other key points: she hopes to announce a new media rights deal soon; the conference headquarters will relocate from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Las Vegas in July 2026; and the Mountain West does not support a College Football Playoff model allowing conferences more than one automatic bid, a stance differing from the Big Ten's preference.

Additionally, Nevarez confirmed the Mountain West is covering any costs associated with Grand Canyon University joining the conference a year earlier than initially planned.