Grand Canyon has finalized a deal allowing it to join the Mountain West Conference in time to participate in the 2025-26 athletic calendar, sources confirmed to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander. Grand Canyon was originally set to join the Mountain West no later than July 1, 2026 but it will now start competing as a member in the fall.
The Antelopes, which do not participate in football, were initially facing independence in 2025, as they originally planned on leaving the Western Athletic Conference for the West Coast Conference before reversing course and agreeing to join the Mountain West in Nov. 2024.
“We are incredibly appreciative of the Mountain West Conference’s interest in GCU and their recognition of the value we bring to its membership,” Grand Canyon president Brian Mueller said when the move to the MWC was announced. “Lope Nation has grown first and foremost because of the innovative strategies and creative delivery models that enable us to provide cutting-edge academic programs both on our campus and across the country. That has created a tremendous amount of momentum that benefits our athletic programs.”
Here’s the math and data that prove why the NCAA Tournament doesn’t need to expand
Matt Norlander
Though Grand Canyon does not sponsor football, it will bring a strong men’s basketball brand to the Mountain West Conference. The Antelopes have won three straight WAC Tournament titles and, subsequently, made three straight NCAA Tournament appearances under coach Bryce Drew. Grand Canyon also earned an NCAA Tournament bid in 2020-21, Drew’s first year with the program.
The Mountain West has been hard at work bolstering its ranks since five member institutions announced that they would be leaving for the Pac-12 in 2026. Cal-Davis, UTEP and Hawaii — which already participates in the Mountain West in football — are all set to join the MWC as full members in July 2026, joining returning members Air Force, New Mexico, Nevada, San Jose State, UNLV and Wyoming.
