LARAMIE, Wyo. — The University of Wyoming will officially gain another new conference opponent in 2026, as the Mountain West announced today that the University of California, Davis is coming to the conference.
The addition of UC Davis marks the third new incorporation into the conference since five MW schools — Colorado State, Boise State, Utah State, Fresno State and San Diego State — announced they’d be joining the Pac-12 in 2026.
UC Davis will replace those schools July 1, 2026, alongside the University of Texas El Paso and Grand Canyon University. The University of Hawai’i, which previously only competed in the MW in football, will also be joining as a full-time member.
The conference is now set up with 10 member schools, which is two more than it would need to meet NCAA eligibility requirements. MW Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said that having another new member school in the form of UC Davis will, regardless, further the conference’s trajectory toward athletic success.
“I believe UC Davis brings a wealth of positives in the continuing growth of the Mountain West,” Nevarez said in an MW statement.
The school is set to compete in 10 women’s sports and six men’s sports. Women’s sports include basketball, cross-country, golf, indoor and outdoor track and field, soccer, softball, swim and dive, tennis and volleyball, according to the MW. Men will compete in basketball, baseball, cross-country, golf, outdoor track and field and tennis.
That means that UC Davis will not compete in collegiate football in the MW conference. According to the school, the UC Davis football program intends to continue competing in FCS football outside of MW purview.
UC Davis Chancellor Gary May said that this opportunity will present some exciting future experiences for UC Davis students and fans.
“Our transition to the highly regarded Conference will introduce our Aggie community to a broader audience in major metropolitan areas and through increased media coverage,” May said. “It also provides us with an opportunity to align with universities that share similar academic strengths — such as agriculture, engineering, and sciences — while also expanding our competitive presence in the Western United States.”
According to the MW, UC Davis intends to invest deeper into its competitive basketball program to rival its new conference foes.
