The future of Hawaii football in the Mountain West Conference was called into question on Wednesday night as it was reported that the Pac-12 will absorb at least four MWC schools to make up for the departure of nearly all its membership due to conference realignment.

Yahoo Sports reported first that Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Colorado State have been targeted by Pac-12 remnant institutions Washington State and Oregon State and Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould.

ESPN followed by reporting that the Pac-12 Board of Directors unanimously approved applications from those schools, and that an announcement is expected Thursday for their new membership beginning in the 2026-27 season.

The University of Hawaii is a football-only affiliate member of the Mountain West, which is a 12-team Group of Five conference not entitled to the same level of financial benefits as the Pac-12, a power conference until 10 of its teams bolted for greener pastures this year.

While the Pac-12 would need two more members to meet the NCAA minimum requirement of eight for a FBS conference, UH would seem to be in a tenuous position for its primary revenue sport, and by extension its entire athletic department. UH still does not have a permanent home for its football team after the shuttering of Aloha Stadium and travel distance to the islands remains a historically thorny obstacle.

The remaining Mountain West football schools are UNLV, Nevada, San Jose State, Wyoming, Utah State, New Mexico, Air Force and UH, and that list could narrow further.

UH Athletic Director Craig Angelos had no immediate response to the national reports when reached via text message by Spectrum News on Wednesday night.

Six of the schools that now comprise the Mountain West were among the eight whose presidents infamously met at the Denver airport in 1998 to formulate a plan to break away from the old Western Athletic Conference (including UH) and form the Mountain West in 1999.

UH football, with its attractive tie-in with the Hawaii Bowl, was extended a life raft by the MWC when the WAC fell apart in 2011 and switched conferences in 2012.

The modern-day departing schools would owe the Mountain West an exit fee of between $17 million and $18 million. The Pac-12 would owe the MWC additional millions in a so-called poaching fee.

Washington State and Oregon State reached an agreement with the Mountain West to play six MWC schools in the 2024 season. UH will play at WSU on Oct. 19.

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.