UNLV To Remain In Mountain West Amid Major Realignment, TV Deal Negotiations Underway

As top programs exit for the Pac-12, UNLV leads the Mountain West in securing a new TV deal to shape the conference’s future beyond 2026.

The Mountain West conference logo on the field at Allegiant Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The UNLV Rebels will be staying behind in the Mountain West Conference in 2026 while the conference undergoes a ton of changes, with many of their high-profile programs leaving after this upcoming academic school year for the Pac-12. The Boise State Broncos, San Diego State Aztecs, Utah State Aggies, Fresno State Bulldogs, and the Colorado State Rams will all be making their exit.

While the new-look Pac-12 has struck a TV deal with CBS, the Rebels still don't know where their games will be televised after this season. Led by UNLV and the Air Force Falcons, the Mountain West continues to negotiate to find a long-term TV deal.

Santa Fe New Mexican has given us an update on how negotiations are going and what we should expect:

"That puts the spotlight directly on the Mountain West, which is in negotiations for its own multimedia rights deal to either extend its agreement with CBS and Fox or venture out into other platforms in an attempt to keep the league in line with other Group of Five conferences... The MWC’s membership is led by UNLV and Air Force, two cornerstone schools that leveraged their position to get lucrative guarantees from the conference to remain with the league. After the 2025-26 season, the membership will include charter members Wyoming and New Mexico, as well as longtime members Nevada and San Jose State... Hawaii will join the conference as a full partner in all sports after this season, as will UTEP. Future expansion agreements have given affiliate memberships to Northern Illinois, Grand Canyon and UC Davis."

With the Pac-12 now locked up, we expect the Mountain West to get a deal done sooner rather than later. This deal will have a massive financial impact on both the Mountain West and the teams that will remain in the conference. It will affect how the teams can maneuver in a new NIL-centric landscape and which teams the conference can lure to join them.