The Mountain West Conference is set to undergo changes this summer as five teams depart to form a new Pac-12. New teams like North Dakota State, Northern Illinois, and UTEP will join the Mountain West.
FRISCO, TEXAS - JANUARY 6: Cam Miller #7 and head coach Tim Polasek of the North Dakota State Bison run out to the field before the Division I FCS Football Championship game against the Montana State Bobcats held at Toyota Stadium on January 6, 2025 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) | NCAA Photos via Getty Images
Welcome to another edition of Friday Five as the month of May presses on, typically the quietest month of the college football calendar. The Mountain West is set to split this summer with the “departing five” leaving to create the reformed Pac-12. The Mountain West has added the likes of North Dakota State, Northern Illinois, and UTEP to fill the gaps.
We at the Mountain West Connection intend to cover both conferences going forward. “Friday Five” will feature the five best of, well, anything leading into football season, alternating between each conference week-to-week. Best quarterbacks, stadiums, mascots, who knows. We’re open to your ideas! This week, we start off with the Friday Five Mountain West football conference games
5. Hawaii vs. UNLV, September 5th
The 2026 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors have a considerable amount of hype after a stellar 2025 season coupled with some news outlets labeling them as a CFP bid contender. We won’t have to wait long to see if those hopes are valid. Hawaii opens the season in Week 0 on the road at Stanford and then returns home to face UNLV fresh off the Rebels playing Memphis. Usually, pivotal conference showdowns occur later in the season, not this one! Timmy Chang vs. Dan Mullen, Micah Alejado vs. Jackson Arnold. Helluva an early season conference clash that will have instant ramifications in the conference race.
4. Hawaii vs. New Mexico, October 17th
Five teams are departing the Mountain West to create a reformed Pac-12.
North Dakota State, Northern Illinois, and UTEP are among the new additions to the Mountain West.
The changes will reshape the conference landscape and impact college football dynamics in the upcoming season.
The Mountain West football season starts with games like Hawaii vs. UNLV on September 5th.
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With the likes of Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State, etc. all making up the majority of MWC champions over the last 15 years or so, it leaves this new Mountain West wide open. However, an early hierarchy seems to be developing including Hawaii, UNLV, New Mexico, and this off-season’s shocking addition: North Dakota State. Somebody in the Mountain West front office really likes Hawaii, cause the Warriors draw all three of those contenders at home. A midseason clash with Jason Eck’s Lobos could set the stage for who will fight for the conference title come November. Can Eck conjure up some magic away from Albuquerque?
3. New Mexico vs. North Dakota State, October 24th
No rest for Eck’s gang. A week after traveling to Hawaii, the Lobos return home to host North Dakota State. It’s not an exaggeration to suggest this two week stretch could define the season for the 2026 Lobos. Quarterback Jack Layne seems to be operating under the radar compared to the likes of Alejado, Arnold, Szarka. Here’s an opportunity to showcase. Winner of this game has their eyes set on the conference championship game, loser suffers a blow before November.
2. Hawaii vs. North Dakota State, November 14th
Aside from the usual ridiculousness in the Big Ten featuring conference games like Oregon at Rutgers, few conference matchups will baffle as much as the Bison of Fargo, hundreds of miles away from the ocean, traveling to Manoa to face the Hawaii Warriors. In a conference matchup! Wacky? Surely, but it’ll be reality come November 14th. Hawaii’s run-and-shoot vs. North Dakota State’s clock-control, pro-style. This figures to be one of the best Group of Six games of the season. Is it possible these two teams could be ranked come this date? Unlikely, but I expect both to be frontrunners in the conference.
1. New Mexico vs. UNLV, November 14th
A matchup of original Mountain West members, this one will feature some hard feelings. Last season, the Lobos went to Vegas and defeated UNLV on their own field. Yet when tiebreaker armageddon showed up in December between Boise State, San Diego State, New Mexico, UNLV, and Fresno State, the Lobos watched a team that they defeated on the road advance to the championship game. Only to then watch the Rebels be destroyed in Boise. Again. Hard to blame the Lobos for feeling slighted. Come November 14th, revenge is on the menu as the Lobos host the Rebels. November 14th might as well be Decision Day in the Mountain West.
Others in consideration: Naturally when populating a list of the top 5 conference games, it will feature the same 3-4 teams over and over. That’s not to say the likes of Wyoming and Air Force won’t prove to be an obstacle for the contenders, especially for those traveling to Laramie and Colorado Springs. I also find myself wondering if El Paco and DeKalb prove to be landmines for contenders, especially Hawaii who has to travel to both locations late in the season. We play the games for a reason!