UTEP joins Mountain West: League nears replenishing full-time membership as Miners defect from Conference USA

UTEP will will leave Conference USA and join the Mountain West Conference beginning in July 2026, it was announced on Tuesday. The Mountain West Conference entered serious discussions with UTEP about joining the league over the weekend, sources confirmed to CBS Sports. The move gives the MWC eight members with seven holding full-time status (Hawai’i is a football-only member). The NCAA requires eight full members for a league to be recognized as an FBS conference.

The development comes on the heels of the Mountain West reportedly pursuing Northern Illinois and Toledo as football-only members. The MW is also in the exploratory phase with Texas State, which would be a full-time member in the conference should discussions become serious, sources told CBS Sports. 

“Joining the Mountain West Conference will bring us back into competition with historic rivals in the west,” UTEP president Heather Wilson said in a statement. “There’s no doubt this will be better for our student athletes, our fans, and for El Paso.” 

UTEP will owe about $2 million to Conference USA in an exit fee. The El Paso, Texas, television market is viewed as a plus for the MW and a decision is expected soon.

UTEP has long looked to the Mountain West as a potential home well before the latest round of realignment began earlier this month with the Pac-12 snagging five members away from the current MW lineup. UTEP joined Conference USA in…