A conference rebuilt from the ground up, an FCS dynasty moving up a division, and a league footprint that now runs from DeKalb, Illinois to Honolulu. Here is the whole Mountain West season, week by week.
Times are Eastern. Conference games are in bold. TBA means the networks have not set the window.
A new league
The Mountain West lost Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State to the Pac-12 rebuild. What replaced them is one of the more interesting rosters of new members in recent memory.
North Dakota State moves up from the FCS, where it has been the most dominant program in the division for fifteen years. The Bison now play a full conference schedule against FBS opposition.
Northern Illinois joins for football only. Its other fourteen sports went to the Horizon League, a split arrangement modelled on the service academies.
UTEP arrives from Conference USA, giving the league a Texas outpost and, in the Sun Bowl, its largest stadium.
The football membership is ten: Air Force, Hawai’i, Nevada, New Mexico, NIU, North Dakota State, San José State, UNLV, UTEP and Wyoming.
Week 1 — August 29 to September 5
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV | Pick |
| San José State at USC | Sat Aug 29 | 3:00 | NBC | Pick → |
| Jacksonville State at North Dakota State | Sat Aug 29 | 5:30 | CBSSN | Pick → |
| Hawai’i at Stanford | Sat Aug 29 | 7:00 | ACC Network | Pick → |
| Memphis at UNLV | Sat Aug 29 | 10:00 | FOX | Pick → |
| San José State at Eastern Michigan | Fri Sep 4 | 6:30 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| UTEP at Oklahoma | Fri Sep 4 | 8:00 | SECN+ | Pick → |
| Duquesne at Air Force | Sat Sep 5 | 1:00 | MW+ | Pick → |
| Fordham at North Dakota State | Sat Sep 5 | 3:30 | MW+ | Pick → |
| NIU at Iowa | Sat Sep 5 | 4:15 | BTN | Pick → |
| Wyoming at Colorado State | Sat Sep 5 | 6:00 | USA | Pick → |
| UNLV at Hawai’i | Sat Sep 5 | 10:00 | The CW | Pick → |
| Western Kentucky at Nevada | Sat Sep 5 | 10:30 | CBSSN | Pick → |
| Central Michigan at New Mexico | Sat Sep 5 | 10:00 | FS1 | Pick → |
San José State plays twice in the first week, and the league opens conference play immediately with UNLV in Honolulu.
Week 2 — September 12
| Matchup | Time | TV | Pick |
| UNLV at North Texas | 3:45 | ESPNU | Pick → |
| Northern Colorado at Wyoming | 4:00 | MW+ | Pick → |
| Mercyhurst at New Mexico | 4:00 | TBA | Pick → |
| Illinois State at NIU | 7:00 | MW+ | Pick → |
| Texas Southern at UTEP | 9:00 | MW+ | Pick → |
| North Dakota State at Air Force | 10:00 | FS1 | Pick → |
| Montana State at Nevada | 10:30 | The CW | Pick → |
| New Mexico State at Hawai’i | 12:00 AM | TBA | Pick → |
| Cal Poly at San José State | TBA | MW+ | Pick → |
North Dakota State‘s first conference road game is at Air Force, at 10:00 Eastern.
Week 3 — September 19
| Matchup | Time | TV | Pick |
| Wyoming at Central Michigan | 1:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| UTEP at Michigan | 3:30 | BTN | Pick → |
| Nevada at Middle Tennessee | 7:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| New Mexico at Oklahoma | 7:30 | ESPN2 | Pick → |
| North Dakota State at Sacramento State | 10:30 | ESPN | Pick → |
| Fresno State at San José State | 11:00 | FS1 | Pick → |
| NIU at Arizona | 11:30 | TNT | Pick → |
Week 4 — September 26
| Matchup | Time | TV | Pick |
| Hawai’i at Wyoming | 3:00 | The CW | Pick → |
| New Mexico at New Mexico State | 3:30 | CBSSN | Pick → |
| Oregon State at UTEP | 9:00 | MW+ | Pick → |
| Air Force at Nevada | TBA | FOX | Pick → |
| NIU at Georgia State | TBA | TBA | Pick → |
| UNLV at Akron | TBA | ESPN Networks | Pick → |
New Mexico at New Mexico State is the Rio Grande Rivalry, and it is now a non-conference game.
Week 5 — October 3
| Matchup | Time | TV | Pick |
| Navy at Air Force | 3:00 | CBS | Pick → |
| California at UNLV | 3:30 | CBSSN | Pick → |
| Wyoming at North Dakota State | 3:30 | The CW | Pick → |
| UTEP at New Mexico | 4:00 | MW+ | Pick → |
| San José State at Hawai’i | 12:00 AM | MW+ | Pick → |
Air Force hosts Navy for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, and San José State kicks off in Honolulu at midnight Eastern.
Week 6 — October 9 and 10
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV | Pick |
| Wyoming at San José State | Fri Oct 9 | 9:00 | CBSSN | Pick → |
| North Dakota State at UNLV | Sat Oct 10 | 7:00 | The CW | Pick → |
| Air Force at NIU | Sat Oct 10 | 7:30 | CBSSN | Pick → |
| Nevada at UTEP | Sat Oct 10 | TBA | FOX | Pick → |
| Hawai’i at Arizona State | Sat Oct 10 | TBA | TBA | Pick → |
Week 7 — October 17
| Matchup | Time | TV | Pick |
| NIU at Wyoming | 3:30 | The CW | Pick → |
| UNLV at Air Force | 3:30 | CBSSN | Pick → |
| Nevada at North Dakota State | 7:00 | CBSSN | Pick → |
| San José State at UTEP | 9:00 | MW+ | Pick → |
| New Mexico at Hawai’i | TBA | FOX | Pick → |
Five conference games, the first full league Saturday of the season.
Week 8 — October 23 and 24
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV | Pick |
| Air Force at Wyoming | Fri Oct 23 | 8:00 | The CW | Pick → |
| Hawai’i at NIU | Sat Oct 24 | 3:30 | MW+ | Pick → |
| San José State at Nevada | Sat Oct 24 | 5:00 | MW+ | Pick → |
| North Dakota State at New Mexico | Sat Oct 24 | 10:00 | The CW | Pick → |
Hawai’i to DeKalb is the longest conference trip in FBS football.
Week 9 — October 31
| Matchup | Time | TV | Pick |
| UConn at Air Force | 3:00 | MW+ | Pick → |
| UTEP at North Dakota State | 3:30 | MW+ | Pick → |
| NIU at UNLV | 10:30 | CBSSN | Pick → |
| New Mexico at San José State | TBA | MW+ | Pick → |
| Nevada at UCLA | TBA | TBA | Pick → |
Week 10 — November 6 and 7
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV | Pick |
| New Mexico at Nevada | Fri Nov 6 | 9:00 | CBSSN | Pick → |
| Air Force at Army | Sat Nov 7 | 7:30 | CBS | Pick → |
| Wyoming at UNLV | Sat Nov 7 | 10:30 | CBSSN | Pick → |
| NIU at San José State | Sat Nov 7 | TBA | MW+ | Pick → |
| Hawai’i at UTEP | Sat Nov 7 | TBA | FOX | Pick → |
Air Force goes to West Point for the second leg of the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.
Week 11 — November 14
| Matchup | Time | TV | Pick |
| Nevada at NIU | 3:30 | MW+ | Pick → |
| San José State at Air Force | 7:00 | CBSSN | Pick → |
| UNLV at New Mexico | 7:30 | The CW | Pick → |
| North Dakota State at Hawai’i | 11:00 | The CW | Pick → |
| Wyoming at UTEP | TBA | FOX | Pick → |
Week 12 — November 20 and 21
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV | Pick |
| UTEP at Air Force | Fri Nov 20 | 8:00 | The CW | Pick → |
| New Mexico at Wyoming | Fri Nov 20 | 9:00 | FS1 | Pick → |
| NIU at North Dakota State | Sat Nov 21 | 4:00 | The CW | Pick → |
| UNLV at San José State | Sat Nov 21 | 7:00 | CBSSN | Pick → |
| Hawai’i at Nevada | Sat Nov 21 | TBA | FOX | Pick → |
Week 13 — November 27 and 28
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV | Pick |
| North Dakota State at San José State | Fri Nov 27 | 3:30 | CBSSN | Pick → |
| Air Force at New Mexico | Fri Nov 27 | 3:30 | The CW | Pick → |
| UTEP at NIU | Sat Nov 28 | 3:30 | MW+ | Pick → |
| Nevada at UNLV | Sat Nov 28 | 9:00 | CBSSN | Pick → |
| Sacramento State at Hawai’i | Sat Nov 28 | 11:00 | MW+ | Pick → |
| UConn at Wyoming | Sat Nov 28 | TBA | FOX | Pick → |
Nevada at UNLV is the Fremont Cannon, the heaviest rivalry trophy in college football.
Dig deeper
- Make your picks — week by week, +20 points each
- See the whole league — the Mountain West hub has every school and every sport
- Compare two teams — the School Rivalry tool stacks any two side by side
- Track the race — the Heisman NIL Power Rankings score every contender on performance, NIL visibility, social power and fan demand
- Read the rest — the 2026 SEC, Big Ten, ACC, Big 12 and American schedules
- Watch the movement — the Transfer Tracker
