UNLV is joining Air Force in committing to remain in the Mountain West despite an offer to join the Pac-12, sources told ESPN.

“The Mountain West is not immune to this,” Konya said. “San José State will continue to provide a cutting-edge experience for our 500-plus student-athletes in the classroom, in competition, and in the community. Our brand has never been stronger, and we look forward to positioning our athletics department in the best possible way in the future.”

However, the clock is ticking. The Mountain West is in a proverbial sprint to secure its membership with financial incentives, much of which are derived from the exit and expected penalty fees owed to the league from those schools that left for the Pac-12. The exit and penalty fees are expected to eclipse $120 million.

Retaining Air Force is a big win for the Mountain West, which is set to lose a third of its current membership on July 1, 2026 after the Pac-12 announced that it will add Boise State , San Diego State ,

The Mountain West conference is reportedly "amid a significant push to keep its core of eight schools together, which includes one-time payments of

There have been a lot of conference realignment discussions in recent days, and Air Force has been a school involved. There was a lot of interest from the AAC in terms of adding the Falcons to the conference,

It looks as if Air Force is pushing its chips to the middle of the Mountain West’s table. And vice versa. The Falcons on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to the Mountain West and declined an offer to join the American Athletic Conference,