The Mountain West Conference is considering making Hawaii a full member, as reported by Brett McMurphy of Action Network. Hawaii joined the conference in 2012 as a football-only affiliate but may now become a full member to help the conference meet the requirement of eight schools for FBS and College Football Playoff eligibility.
The MW recently lost five full members to the Pac-12, leaving them in need of more schools to meet the requirements. Hawaii’s addition could boost the MW’s baseball offerings, as only five current full members sponsor the sport. Hawaii also has successful volleyball and men’s basketball programs.
However, there are financial concerns with adding Hawaii, as they sponsor 20 sports and would likely request a larger portion of the exit fees the MW is set to receive. In the Pac-12, there have been conflicting reports on potential conference expansion with Memphis and other schools. The conference recently added Gonzaga, but still needs one more member to meet requirements.
Both the Mountain West and Pac-12 are in the process of evaluating their membership and media rights deals to ensure they have the necessary number of schools to remain competitive at the FBS level. Stay tuned for further developments as these conferences navigate the changing landscape of collegiate athletics.
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