UTEP is joining the Mountain West in 2026, and an official announcement is expected today, sources told Action Network.
The addition of UTEP comes three weeks after the Mountain West lost several schools and its future was in limbo. UTEP puts the Mountain West back in the state of Texas for the first time since 2011 when TCU was in the league.
Adding UTEP comes a week after the Mountain West received commitments from existing members Air Force and UNLV — which were highly sought after by other conferences — and five other MW members, who all signed a new Grant of Media Rights through June 30, 2032.
UTEP will join the Mountain West in 2026 as a full member in all sports. That gives the MWC seven full members — one shy of the minimum to be an FBS conference — and eight football-playing members.
Texas State has also had preliminary conversations with the Mountain West about possible membership, a source said.
In 2026, UTEP will join full members Air Force, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV and Wyoming, as well as football-only member Hawaii in the Mountain West.
The MWC has also had discussions with Northern Illinois and Toledo as football-only members, Action Network reported last week.
If the Mountain West adds Texas State — along with NIU and Toledo — it would increase the football membership to 11 schools. The MWC would be the nation’s only conference with teams in five time zones: Hawaii, Pacific, Mountain, Central and Eastern — something, sources said, that potentially could increase its future media rights value.
UTEP will join the Mountain West from Conference USA, where it has spent the past 20 years. The Miners are 0-4 this season under first-year coach Scotty Walden. Their last bowl trip came in 2021.
Also in 2026, the Pac-12 will add current MWC schools Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State to existing members Oregon State and Washington State, increasing the league to seven full members.
The Pac-12, like the Mountain West, still needs one more full member to classify as an NCAA conference.
For now, that is.
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