As the Mountain West continues to evolve and change, the conference remains searching for new teams to replace the five future departures.
Earlier in September, the Boise State Broncos, Colorado State Rams, Fresno State Bulldogs, and San Diego State Aztecs announced they would leave the conference to join the Pac-12 starting in 2026.
The Utah State Aggies announced they would also be going earlier this week.
Then, the remaining seven Mountain West schools signed a binding agreement to stay with the conference. However, since they’re still below the NCAA minimum of eight teams for conferences, they continue to look at potential expansion targets.
On Thursday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that the conference is targeting the Sun Belt’s Texas State Panthers and the Mid-American Conference’s Northern Illinois Huskies.
Sources: Texas State has emerged as a target for Mountain West expansion, which would be an all sports addition. One other target that could soon come into focus for the Mountain West is Northern Illinois, which would be as a football only member.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 27, 2024
Thamel notes that Texas State would be an all-sports addition while Northern Illinois will be football only. Texas State is a program on the rise, having been in the FBS for just over ten years and making its first bowl game in the 2023 season. Northern Illinois has won the MAC five times since 2011 and has been one of college football’s most intriguing non-power conference teams. They upset the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend earlier this season.
It’s unclear if the Mountain West would target additional schools, but presumably, they would like to return to the 12-team conference they had before the five schools left for the Pac-12.
