Mountain West could reportedly suffer another realignment blow

SALT LAKE CITY – Uncertainty in the Mountain West was already at an all-time high, but was made a little worse by recent rumors of a realignment.

Pete Thamel, ESPN’s senior college football writer, reported Thursday that Air Force is considering a move to the American Athletic Conference.

Sources: Air Force has emerged as a serious target for admission into the American Athletic Conference. Air Force had surfaced in talks as a potential AAC addition in recent months before the Pac-12 acquired four Mountain West schools last week. pic.twitter.com/yDhK1nBNaA

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) 16 September 2024

This news comes after it was announced that the Pac-12 would acquire four schools from the Mountain West in 2026.

Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State will all jump ship and join the Conference of Champions, leaving the MWC with just Utah State, Wyoming, UNLV, Air Force, Nevada and New Mexico.

If reports of the Air Force withdrawal are true, only five schools would remain in the Mountain West.

Good morning! It’s a beautiful new day 😎#BackThePac pic.twitter.com/jfIU1Gk22u

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) 12 September 2024

What’s next for the Mountain West?

Although five is considerably more than two in this context, the Mountain West is now in a similar position to the Pac-12 a few months ago.

Nevertheless, it is quite clear that neither conference has finished its activities.

The Pac-12 will continue to look elsewhere for new recruits, but what’s next for the Mountain West?

Sources: Every school talks to every conference about reorientation

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) 16 September 2024

Sacramento State, New Mexico State and the University of Texas at El Paso are among those in contention for a Mountain West bid.

However, as the Pac-12 has proven over the past two years, conferences must be proactive rather than reactive.

If the Mountain West cannot quickly fill the void left by the departing teams, it will not bode well for the future of the conference.

Chandler Holt is co-host of the Jazz Notes Podcasta Locals In The NFL Insider and Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com. Consequences Chandler about X for updates on Utah Jazz and Locals In The NFL.

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