In its search to bolster its ranks, the Mountain West Conference turned to a familiar face.
The conference has added Hawai’i as a full-time member, the league announced Tuesday, with the move officially taking effect on July 1, 2026.
The Rainbow Warriors have been a football-only member of the Mountain West since 2012, with most of the school’s other teams competing in the Big West.
“Hawaiʻi has been a tremendous football-only member since 2012, and we’re excited to add their incredible national brand across all MW sports,” Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a statement. “As the flagship institution on the islands, with extraordinary academics and a celebrated athletics tradition, we look forward to providing their student-athletes with exceptional educational and athletic experiences.”
The Mountain West’s latest addition is a particularly critical one.
With Hawai’i now aboard, the Mountain West has eight full-time members, meeting the mandated minimum for a conference to be officially recognized as such by the NCAA.
The league could opt to continue expansion efforts, if only so that it has enough members to have an eight-game football conference schedule in which every school plays one another. Northern Illinois and Toledo from the Mid-American Conference have reportedly been targeted as football-only additions. Yahoo Sports reported on October 1 that the Mountain West has had “deep and serious discussions” with Tarleton State, a school in Stephenville, Texas that competes at the FCS level in football.
After securing commitments from its six remaining members, the conference had previously added UTEP from Conference USA before turning its attention to Hawai’i.
The Mountain West’s reshuffling has come after losing five of its members — San Diego State, Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State and Utah State — to the Pac-12. The Pac-12 remains one full-time member shy of satisfying the NCAA minimum for conference membership.
Mountain West schools
With Tuesday’s announcement of Hawai’i as a full-time member, here’s what the Mountain West will look like once it loses the five schools to the Pac-12 and its two newest members officially join:
UNLV
Air Force
Wyoming
New Mexico
Nevada
San José State
UTEP*
Hawai’i*
* Will join in advance of the 2026-27 athletic year