The Pac-12 nearly dissolving and its rebuild continues to have impacts on the Group of Five. The Mountain West has added a couple teams after losing several members to the Pac-12.
The MW announced the league is bringing in UTEP, which is currently a member of Conference USA.
Here’s more about the situation.
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Reasoning For UTEP’s Mountain West Move
UTEP is joining a conference that’s stronger in terms of on-the-field performance.
And that’s not including the five teams which will be members of the Pac-12 in two years. For example, Air Force and UNLV appeared in the AP Top 25 the past two years.
There’s also familiarity with the Miners and the other current Mountain West teams, as UTEP played against all of those programs while in the Western Athletic Conference.
UTEP’s decision appears to be financially sound as well. The money made from the Mountain West’s TV deal could be more than four times as much as UTEP is making with Conference USA’s. That’s going off of the current numbers of those deals, and that could of course end up changing with so many teams leaving the Mountain West, which has a TV deal that will reportedly expire after next season.
“There’s no doubt this will be better for our student-athletes, our fans, and for El Paso,” UTEP president Heather Wilson said in a press release. “We look forward to rekindling former rivalries and welcoming teams and their fans to El Paso.”
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When Is UTEP Joining The Mountain West?
UTEP will become a member of the Mountain West on July 1, 2026. The Miners’ football team will begin Mountain West play during the 2026 season.
“We are excited to welcome The University of Texas at El Paso to the Mountain West as the next step in our strategic membership initiatives,” MW commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a press release. “The addition of UTEP restores historic rivalries with several of our member institutions within the geographic footprint and provides valuable exposure in the great State of Texas. We welcome and look forward to competing against the student-athletes of UTEP.”
Mountain West Teams Going To The Pac-12
San Diego State, Boise State, Colorado State, Utah State, and Fresno State are the teams from the Mountain West going to the Pac-12.
But more could be joining them soon. The Pac-12 added Gonzaga for basketball, but the league needs at least one more full-time member.
Northern Illinois Going To The Mountain West
Northern Illinois leaders voted to accept an invitation from the Mountain West. That means NIU will leave the MAC.
The ultimate question, as has been the case with basically all conference realignment, has been if moving to a new conference would lead to more money. Going to the Mountain West, the Huskies are likely aiming to make more than they would be by simply staying in the MAC.
Travel has to be considered as well. Currently, the MAC is one of the most logical conferences in the FBS in terms of geography. Within the past couple years, we’ve seen Washington and Oregon go to the Big Ten as well as Stanford and Cal go to the ACC.
While moving to the Mountain West might put NIU in a more competitive league that could arguably bring the program more notoriety, it would also put the football team in the same conference as teams like Hawaii, San Jose State, and UTEP.
It makes sense for the Mountain West, though. The league would span four time zones and it would be picking up a competitive football program. The Huskies have made 13 bowl games since 2008 and has won five MAC titles since 2011.
The Mountain West was also thinking about adding Toledo, but the Rockets’ interest has waned.
UTEP’s CUSA Buyout
The buyout for UTEP to leave Conference USA is about $8 million, as reported by The Athletic.
That’s significantly less than the money some of the Mountain West teams are shelling out to go to the Pac-12. Those five programs are paying at least $17 million per school in exit fees and could be paying millions more in poaching penalties.
Conference USA’s TV Deal
Conference USA agreed to a five-year media rights deal that began during the 2023 football season with ESPN and CBS. There’s an option for a sixth year as well, which would be for the 2028-29 academic year. Teams were scheduled to be paid about $750,000 per year on average.
Mountain West’s TV Deal
The Mountain West agreed to a $270 million media rights deal in 2020 with CBS and FOX, per The Athletic. It would end after the 2025-26 season. Teams were to be paid about $4 million per year.
How Long Has UTEP Been In Conference USA?
UTEP has been a member of CUSA since the 2005 season.
Previously, UTEP was in the WAC from 1968 to 2004. Before that, the Miners were an independent program.
New College Football Playoff Format
Earning a bye in the College Football Playoff became much more difficult for Group of Five teams recently.
CFP executives unanimously voted to move to straight seeding for the 2025 College Football Playoff. That means the highest-ranked four teams will receive byes, not necessarily the highest-ranked conference champions as was the case before.
The five highest-ranked conference champions and the next-highest ranked seven teams will still make the College Football Playoff field. However, where they end up in the bracket could end up looking different.
Proponents of this rule change argue the highest-ranked teams should be rewarded. However, some argue for more incentive for teams to win their respective conferences. For example, Arizona State was on the bubble at No. 12 in the CFP rankings going into the Big 12 Championship last season. If the Sun Devils had lost that extra game, they might’ve fallen out of the CFP picture. SMU lost the ACC title game but squeezed into the CFP field with the last at-large bid.
This exact format has yet to be approved for the 2026 season, meaning the CFP could go back to the old format – which seems unlikely – or officials go in a new direction altogether.
It may be difficult for G5 teams to climb up to the fourth-highest spot. Generally teams from the Group of Five don’t start the season ranked very highly, and if any of those teams lose even once during conference play, they drop further in those rankings than if a P4 team were to lose in October. And it’s much harder for G5 teams to climb back up even if they do only have a loss or two during the regular season.
It’s not impossible for a great G5 team to rise up the rankings, especially with a tough non-conference slate, but the margin for error is very small.
