The Mountain West’s board of directors, comprised of the university presidents, issued a statement Friday morning calling itself “the nation’s top Non-Autonomy Five conference” in a little bit of a victory lap after news broke it was staying together. “And they’re looking at Mountain West schools? Then that answers that question.” “I don’t know if (the AAC sees) us as the biggest threat, but their commissioner was quoted as saying, ‘We hope to be even stronger than we are now,’” Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson said even before those schools decided to stay. But its plan didn’t work.Īir Force, Boise State, Colorado State and San Diego State all decided to stay in the Mountain West, leaving the American scrambling and the MW in position to credibly argue it is the nation’s top Group of Five conference. The American Athletic Conference targeted four MW schools as potential additions. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal) a season of change in college sports, the Mountain West is maintaining the status quo, at least for the time being. San Diego State Aztec players celebrate with San Diego State Aztecs head coach Brian Dutcher, right/front, after winning the Mountain West conference men's college basketball championship game against Utah State on Saturday, March 13, 2021, at the Thomas & Mack Center, in Las Vegas.

Mountain west conference