What is the Mountain West Conference?
Q: What is the Mountain West Conference?
A: The Mountain West Conference (abbreviated as either "MW" or "MWC") is a group of colleges and universities in the Western United States, who play NCAA Division I sports against one another.
Q: When was the MW formed?
A: The MW was formed in 1999 when eight schools split from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
Q: How many schools were originally members of the WAC?
A: There were 10 original members of the WAC before it grew to 16 in 1996.
Q: Was there ever a plan to merge with Conference USA?
A: Yes, due to a major realignment of Division I conferences, the MW and Conference USA announced plans to merge into one conference, possibly for the 2013–14 school year. However, because of money issues, they backed away from a full merger.
Q: Did they form an alliance instead?
A: Yes, they planned to form an alliance for scheduling and television purposes. After both conferences added more schools though, they backed out of this planned alliance.
Q: What division does MW play football in?
A: In football, the MW plays in the top-level Division I FBS.
