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Mountain West members Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State and San Diego State are set to join the Pac-12 for the 2026-27 academic year.

New Mexico, for the time being, will be staying in the Mountain West.

UNM Interim Athletics Director Dave Williams got the news around 11 p.m. Wednesday. He said there had been 鈥渞umblings鈥� in the Mountain West as far back as a week ago. Williams told the Journal on Thursday that Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez鈥檚 office looked into it at the time, only to find there wasn鈥檛 a lot of perceived 鈥渃redibility to what was being said.鈥�

On Wednesday night, that all changed. When Williams picked up the phone, Nevarez was on the other end to deliver the news: The Pac-12 is back 鈥� at the Mountain West鈥檚 expense.

Last year, the Pac-12 lost 10 members to the Big 12, Big Ten and ACC, leaving Oregon State and Washington State in the lurch.

After adding four teams Thursday, the Pac-12 sits at six teams and has to add at least two more schools in order to meet the minimum number to be recognized as an FBS conference, an important step in receiving automatic bids to NCAA championships. What鈥檚 unclear is what additional schools might be selected from what conferences, and how many; Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould told the Associated Press on Thursday that there isn鈥檛 a set number or 鈥渟oft or hard鈥� timeline for the league to lock in potential additions.

For now, the eight remaining Mountain West schools 鈥� including UNM 鈥� are faced with the same existential question OSU and WSU labored through around this time last year.

What now?

鈥淚鈥檓 not sure any of us know enough to speculate what鈥檚 going to happen next,鈥� Williams said.

What does this mean for UNM hoops?

After the news that four teams would be leaving the Mountain West for the Pac-12 became official Thursday morning, Williams said his day was spent researching 鈥渨hat is involved with the situation, why are they doing it and what鈥檚 the next step for them 鈥� and then, really, what does that mean for UNM?鈥�

Williams added that he spoke with every athletic director at the remaining eight schools, five to seven other athletic directors around the country and UNM coaches such as football鈥檚 Bronco Mendenhall and men鈥檚 basketball鈥檚 Richard Pitino. Multiple conversations with Pitino centered around making sure UNM鈥檚 men鈥檚 basketball program has a chance to continue its upward trajectory after returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 10 seasons last year.

鈥淭hat is absolutely a goal of whatever we continue to do,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淲hat effect is this gonna have on our athletic department, and how do we maintain a nationally relevant structure for our basketball programs? That鈥檚 what we鈥檇 love to be able to figure out, that we have to be able to do.鈥�

Williams also credited university leadership for their commitment to ensuring the athletic department is on a path toward maintaining its current 鈥渕omentum.鈥�

鈥淭hey鈥檙e proud of the way that this athletic department has represented the school, this community and the state of New Mexico,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd we are going to work to assure that we find a relevant space in the world of college athletics to keep that momentum and keep that sense of pride within our athletic department.鈥�

Financial implications

Because of the defections, the Mountain West is entitled to a nine-figure payday. The Journal and other outlets previously reported the league would receive $111 million from exit and penalty fees, the latter negotiated through the Pac-12 and Mountain West鈥檚 scheduling alliance last November.

Williams said the figure could be even higher. While the Pac-12 has to pay a total of $43 million in penalty fees, Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Fresno State have to front between $17 million to $20 million each. If the exit fees 鈥� based on the amount of revenue created by the Mountain West in the previous year 鈥� are on the higher side, the league could receive up to $123 million.

Conversations have not been had about how that money might be split up among current members.

鈥淲e haven鈥檛 even begun to think about how that revenue gets distributed to the eight remaining members,鈥� Williams added.

What鈥檚 next for the Mountain West?

The Mountain West has the minimum eight football-playing schools needed to be considered an FBS conference. There鈥檚 no impetus to add schools at the moment, but Williams said 鈥渋nformal鈥� conversations with league leadership and fellow athletic directors were conducted Thursday.

鈥淚鈥檓 sure there will be other leagues that will be looking at other possibilities, and even the Pac-2 still may be coming after some of us,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e discussed those possibilities, and we鈥檒l have contingency plans based on all those things that could happen.鈥�

If the Mountain West were to backfill, fellow Group of Five schools remain far and away the most likely option with FCS programs in line to be evaluated. Few schools were publicly floated more than New Mexico State and UTEP, both card-carrying members of Conference USA.

NMSU Athletics Director Mario Moccia told the Journal on Thursday that he鈥檚 鈥渆cstatic鈥� over the Aggies鈥� CUSA membership, crediting the league for 鈥渂eing there鈥� for the school after five years as a football independent.

鈥淧robably no administrator outside of the SEC or the Big Ten doesn鈥檛 accept a phone call if somebody wanted to talk to you,鈥� he added. 鈥淭hat certainly does not mean you鈥檙e going to entertain (an offer) 鈥� all it means is that you wouldn鈥檛 not answer the telephone from a colleague. But the first part overrides the second part tremendously.

鈥淲e are excited and happy being in Conference USA, and did well 鈥� (we) went to the (CUSA Championship) football game. Same with volleyball, same with soccer. The budgets are very similar (among) schools outside of Liberty. So there鈥檚 a lot of positives in Conference USA.鈥�

Conference loyalty

Like Colorado State and San Diego State, UNM is a charter member of the Mountain West dating to its formation in 1998. Loyalty has been established on both sides through nearly 26 years of affiliation.

But a new era begs the question: What is UNM鈥檚 level of loyalty to the Mountain West right now?

When asked, Williams said the conference has been 鈥済reat to us and it continues to be great to us鈥� while pointing to how the league has survived previous defections in its 26-year history.

鈥淚鈥檓 sure those same worries (then are happening now),鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut our main concern and our focus is on what is best for New Mexico. Just as I鈥檓 sure the focus of the other schools is what is best for them.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 disparage anybody for wanting what鈥檚 best for their own personal situation. And so we are always evaluating, but I also think that the Mountain West has been outstanding to us and appreciate everything that the conference over the years has helped us become.鈥�