The RFC Offseason Schedule Tracker: Mountain West Conference (FBS Group Of Six)

Mountain West Conference (FBS Group Of Six)

Overview: Do you notice anything different about the Mountain West Conference going into the 2026 season? The major difference is in which teams have left the now 28-year-old league, and who's coming in to join it.

The biggest change of all is that eight teams (all with the word "State" in their names) will soon become members of the new-look Pacific-12 Conference. That leaves 10 schools taking the field in the newly restructured Mountain West Conference.

The newcomers for 2026 in the MWC are UTEP from Conference USA, Northern Illinois from the Mid-American Conference, and maybe the most-talked-about newcomer of all time, the North Dakota State University Bison from Fargo, North Dakota. 

NDSU joins the FBS ranks after dominating the FCS level for most of the last 15 years, winning 10 national championships all-time dating back to the 2011 season. That run includes five straight titles from 2011-2015, 2017-2019, and their most recent crowns in 2021 and 2024.

It'll be interesting to see how competitive the Bison will be in a conference that includes longtime members such as New Mexico and UNLV. Both of those squads are expected to be serious contenders for the Mountain West Conference crown this season.

 

174. Air Force

175. Hawai'i

176. New Mexico

177. Nevada

178. North Dakota State*

179. Northern Illinois

180. San Jose State

181. UNLV

182. UTEP

183. Wyoming

*-North Dakota State is transitioning from the FCS to the FBS level in 2026.

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THE RFC Offseason Schedule Tracker: Big Sky Conference (FCS)

Big Sky Conference (FCS) 

Overview: Any discussion of Big Sky Conference football for the 2026 season should begin and end with the two teams from the same state, the Montana State University Bobcats and the University of Montana Grizzlies, respectively. 

Montana State overcame an 0-2 start to win its final 14 games, culminating in a dramatic win over Illinois State in the FCS title game on January 5th, 2026. The 35-34 win over the Redbirds gave the Bobcats their second-ever FCS/NCAA Division I-AA national championship, with their only other title coming in 1984. With the win, Montana State finished the 2025 season at 14-2 overall.

As for Montana, the Grizzlies carried an undefeated record into their annual "Brawl of the Wild" showdown in Missoula, Montana. But it was the Bobcats that ended the Griz's quest for an undefeated regular season with a 31-28 Montana State win on November 22. 

The Grizzlies then won two FCS playoff games over South Dakota State and South Dakota to earn a rematch against the Bobcats in the semifinals. However, Montana State won that battle in a contest that wasn't really close, with the Bobcats cruising to a 48-23 win on December 20th, 2025. Montana's 2025 season ended at 13-2 overall after losing to Montana State.

The only other Big Sky Conference team to advance to the FCS playoffs last fall was the University of California-Davis Aggies. UC Davis defeated Rhode Island 47-26 in the second round before being eliminated by eventual national runner-up Illinois State 42-31. The Aggies finished their 2025 season at 9-4 overall.

The upcoming 2026 season will bring multiple changes to the Big Sky Conference membership, with longtime member Sacramento State leaving for the FBS Group of Six Mountain West Conference, while Southern Utah and Utah Tech are moving into the Big Sky from the United Athletic Conference (UAC).

It will be interesting to see whether Montana and Montana State will continue to dominate the Big Sky Conference discussion or if other squads will have a say in the conference championship conversation this season. 

161. Cal Poly

162. Eastern Washington

163. Idaho

164. Idaho State

165. Montana

166. Montana State

167. Northern Arizona

168. Northern Colorado

169. Portland State

170. Southern Utah

171. UC Davis

172. Utah Tech

173. Weber State

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