Mountain West adds Hawaii as full-time member, bringing conference to NCAA minimum of 8

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.

REQUIRED READING: Mountain West realignment: Current members, expansion and a race against the Pac-12

“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…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/mountain-west-adds-hawaii-full-201552324.html

Author : USA TODAY Sports

Publish date : 2024-10-15 20:15:52

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.