University of Hawai‘i right at home in new-look Mountain West Conference

LAS VEGAS — Nothing says Mountain West football quite like the University of Hawai‘i paying a visit to DeKalb, Ill. for a road conference game on Oct. 24, or North Dakota State heading down to the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on Nov. 14 for a matchup that figures to be pivotal in the conference championship race.

When members of the Mountain West gathered for another edition of its annual media days on Wednesday and Thursday at the Palms Resort Casino Resort, the congregation served as an unofficial celebration that the conference was still standing in 2026.

Following the departures of Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State to the Pac-12, the Mountain West retooled by adding Hawai‘i, UTEP and UC Davis as full-time members, while also securing Northern Illinois and North Dakota State as football-only affiliates.

In her Wednesday morning address to open the media day festivities, Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez said the conference is "as stable as we can be at the moment," citing the grant of rights each member has committed to. In February, the Mountain West also agreed to a six-year media rights deal with CBS Sports, Fox Sports and streaming company Kiswe, as well as a five-year deal with the CW Network.

"Honestly, the excitement level is really high, and I think with a new-look Mountain West and new members, there's just excitement," Nevarez told Aloha State Daily. "It's really fun, and we thought it was really important to provide continue to provide the stage to showcase our student-athletes in advance of the season."

No preseason poll was released by the conference, although four members of the University of Hawai‘i football team in Micah Alejado, Pofele Ashlock, Elijah Palmer and Jamih Otis were selected to the preseason All-Mountain West team.

Though no predicted order of finish was given among the 10 squads, one thing is certain — the teams will travel far and wide to play each other this fall.

"It's exciting," Nevarez said. "We've heard that all those fan bases travel really well, and I think there's a lot of excitement and newness. I think we're going to see a lot of fan travel."

For North Dakota Stare, the mid-November trip to Honolulu will surely be a welcome one.

"Probably four feet of snow and negative 20 degrees," North Dakota State senior safety Darius Givance said when asked about what Fargo looks like at that time of the year. "It's gonna be a complete climate flip, but usually they'll put us in the indoor facility for that week, turn the heat up, crank it up and get it to like 95 degrees in there, and we'll just get after it."

Northern Illinois interim head coach Rob Harley compared the Mountain West slate to that of the Big Ten, where a team like USC can travel to New Jersey to face Rutgers in a road game. Still, the notion of a Chicagoland school sharing a conference with Hawai‘i is certainly out of the ordinary.

"It's wild, the fact that it's a conference game," Harley said of the Oct. 24 matchup. "I think that's unique, but we're used to it because of (conference) expansion. But I think it's a neat thing to bring five different time zones and to bring the game of college football to most people. ... You gotta love that."

While Hawai‘i's conference slate brings fresh matchups, it also features familiar and heated rivalries.

After opening its season on Aug. 29 at Stanford, the Rainbow Warriors will begin conference play by hosting UNLV at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on Sept 5. The Rebels, like Hawai‘i, open their season on Week 0 against Memphis.

"It's going to be a big game because it's two teams that expect to play for a championship," UNLV head coach Dan Mullen said. "Whoever wins has a two-game edge over the other team (in the standings), so I think that's a big deal for a big game early in the season. ... A lot of excitement around both programs. I expect a great atmosphere."

No program in the Mountain West has had Hawai‘i's number in recent years as much as San Jose State. The Spartans own five consecutive wins over the Rainbow Warriors dating back to 2020. When the teams meet on Oct. 3 at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, it will be SJSU head coach Ken Niumatalolo's first time coaching against his alma mater at its temporary venue.

"Any games on TV, I watch. I'm a fan. I mean, still my school, so I watch a lot of their games a little bit more," Niumatalolo said. "Their games have been packed. It's not the biggest stadium, but the games that I've seen, it's a hard place to play. Talked to a few folks that went there last year, and they're they're a tough team to beat. And Tim's done a great job in creating that atmosphere.

"The other part I think about is it's sad to see Aloha Stadium go down, but I'm excited about the new stadium, too."

Another familiar face could play a major role in the matchup, as former Hawai‘i quarterback Luke Weaver is currently in the running to be the next starting quarterback at San Jose State.

"He just wanted the chance to play, so it showed me what kind of character he has. He was totally honest with why he was coming," Niumatalolo said of the process in recruiting Weaver out of the NCAA transfer portal. "It wasn't about money. He just wanted a chance to play, and I feel like we had more of those kind of guys in the fold this year."

In all, recently extended Hawai‘i head coach Timmy Chang is curious to see where his team stacks up.

"We're excited for the three new members. We're excited for the existing members. Mountain West football has been tough and competitive throughout the years," Chang said. "I've been in it now going on 10 years, and I've seen how great the teams are and how every year it's so elite and so competitive and I look forward to watching everybody play."

Hawai‘i's new full-time membership in the Mountain West meant that the school departed the Big West. Prior to leaving, the University of Hawai‘i women's volleyball team was set to host the 2026 Big West Tournament, which was since moved to Cal Poly.

While the Mountain West Conference title game for football will be hosted by the school with the highest College Football Playoff ranking or top team in the conference standings, a handful of neutral site tournaments have been locked in for the conference's other sports. In 2026-2027, women's volleyball and men's basketball will take place in Las Vegas, while baseball will take place in Mesa, Ariz.

Could the Stan Sheriff Center be the host of the Mountain West women's volleyball tournament in the future?

"All options are on the table," Nevarez told ASD. "We do have some championships that are determined by season performance, so there's opportunity there. But if it makes sense for us, and obviously there's some additional costs with travel. If we can offset some of those, we absolutely look to Hawai‘i to host."

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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.