The Mountain West on Friday said it will proceed with its membership intact, while the American Athletic Conference said it has not made any invitations to other institutions.
Multiple schools have fielded interest from the AAC about joining the conference, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Both the AAC and MWC released their statements Friday amid reports that no Mountain West schools will be making the move.
“The trailblazing Western institutions of higher education in the Mountain West Conference are proud of our academic excellence, the strength of our athletics programs and the splendor of our campuses, and today we are announcing our collective commitment to membership in the Mountain West,” the Mountain West said in its statement.
“The success and positive trajectories of our respective members have created opportunities for many of our universities, yet we collectively believe in the strength and shared spirit of the Mountain West and in the future possibilities for our conference.”
The Air Force Academy was viewed by those around the conference as the school most likely to leave for the AAC, sources told ESPN. Academy leadership, including longtime football coach Troy Calhoun, have questioned in the past whether the MWC remained the right spot for the Falcons. However, multiple sources said it would have been tough for the Academy to justify a move without another school, which could serve as a travel partner.
Colorado State emerged as a possible option, but reports linking CSU with a move to the AAC confounded several people in administrative positions around the conference. With the looming departures of Houston, Cincinnati and UCF from the AAC to the Big 12, the MWC is well-positioned to become the top Group of Five conference and multiple sources questioned why CSU would be interested in leaving its geographic footprint for a depleted AAC.
“The American Athletic Conference has not offered membership to any institution,” the conference said in a statement. “Our process for considering potential members remains deliberate, strategic and focused on the continued proven success of our conference.”
The Mountain West has 11 full-time members and Hawaii, which is a member for football.