It’s the final season of the Mountain West as we know it.
Starting in 2026, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State will officially be members of the Pac-12. Since 2012, these schools — except for Colorado State — have been responsible for all but one Mountain West championship. The only season none of these programs claimed the MW crown was in 2020, when San Jose State did.
Besides SJSU, the last team to win a MW title outside of these teams was TCU, which won three in a row from 2009-2011. The Horned Frogs joined the Big 12 in 2012.
While we’ll unfortunately no longer see many of the great MW matchups we’ve seen over the last decade, and some rivalries may come to an end, we’re going to be introduced to some new MW royalty.
Once 2026 rolls along, there will only be one current member of the league that has a MW championship — SJSU.
The Spartans have a favorable schedule, so perhaps they have a shot at another championship and they send those programs on their way out without another trophy.
Here are some other takeaways from the 2025 Mountain West football schedule.
Another CFP Appearance?
It wasn’t a huge surprise that we saw Boise State represent the Group of Five in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.
The Broncos have a pair of non-conference contests versus App State and at Notre Dame where they’ll need quality performances if they want that CFP opportunity again, especially since I don’t see them losing more than one — if any — conference games.
They start the season with a long trip to Tampa to face USF.
Can Air Force Bounce Back?
Last season was the worst year for Air Force since 2018. The Falcons lost seven games in a row before ending the season on a four-game win streak. They lost to both Army and Navy, which was the first time that has happened since 2017.
The Falcons play both Boise State and Army at home, with the game against Army coming off a bye. They also don’t have to travel to play Wyoming and don’t have to make the trip to Hawaii.
Visiting Navy and UNLV in back-to-back weeks will be brutal, but I think the Falcons have a manageable schedule to get back over .500.
San Jose State’s Opportunity
Like I mentioned above, the Spartans have a path to potentially finish at the top of the league if they’re able to take advantage of their schedule.
SJSU only plays one of the top-five contenders to win the league — Fresno State. SJSU hosts Fresno to close out the season.
Leaving The Wyoming Cold Behind
In the dog days of winter, Wyoming will spend a lot of time in the sunshine. Out of its five games in November, only one will be in Laramie.
The Cowboys play in California on Nov. 1 and Nov. 8 and close out the regular season in Hawaii on Nov. 29.
Colorado State’s Light Travel
From Sept. 6 until Nov. 10 — a 10-week stretch — CSU will only take two road trips, and one of them is the short one-hour drive to Laramie. The other is a visit to San Diego State.
CSU will travel the least of any MW team, with the total mileage falling just short of 7,000.
