UC Davis to join Mountain West: Aggies join conference in all sports except football starting in 2026

UC Davis will become a member of the new-look Mountain West starting in 2026, the school and conference announced Tuesday. The Aggies will leave the Big West and join the Mountain West in all sports except football, giving the Mountain West its fourth new member, joining UTEP, Hawaii, which was already a football-only member of the MW and Grand Canyon, which doesn’t sponsor football.

“Adding UC Davis further strengthens the trajectory of the Mountain West as it continues to build its brand that has proven to elevate institutions and student-athletes,” Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a statement. “Chancellor Gary S. May and Director of Athletics Rocko DeLuca have shared their strategic plan and financial vision for enhancing student-athlete development, welfare, and competitive excellence, and I believe UC Davis brings a wealth of positives in the continuing growth of the Mountain West.”

The Mountain West will include Grand Canyon, Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, UTEP, and Wyoming starting in 2026. GCU and UC Davis will be the only non-football institutions in the conference. UC Davis will compete in 16 conference-sponsored sports, which includes men’s and women’s basketball, but it’s football program will remain at the FCS level.

“We are grateful to the Mountain West Conference membership for this incredible opportunity and for sharing our vision of academic and athletics excellence,” UC Davis athletic director Rocko DeLuca said in the release. “Our campus leadership, students, Aggie alumni, fans, the Davis community, and the broader Sacramento region all recognize the unique spirit of UC Davis and carry Aggie Pride with them each and every day.”

The news of UC Davis joining the conference comes months after the Pac-12 announced it was poaching away member schools Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State starting in 2026.

Under current coach Jim Les, UC Davis participated in its only NCAA Division I Tournament in 2017, when it won the Big West Tournament and lost as a No. 16 seed to No. 1 seed Kansas 100-62 in the first round.