HONOLULU — The remnant of the Pac-12 Conference officially welcomed on Thursday four members of the Mountain West into its depleted ranks starting with the 2026 football season.
The University of Hawaii was not among them, eliciting rampant speculation about the program’s future among Rainbow Warriors observers and supporters.
Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Colorado State are out the door, with each making an announcement to accompany that of the Pac-12, which now comprises six schools including holdovers Washington State and Oregon State. It will need to get to eight schools for official NCAA FBS status. Much of the day’s discussion involved which other MWC teams could defect – and whether UH could've been better prepared for such an eventuality.
The Mountain West is down to eight, including UH as a football-only affiliate. What is left of the MWC is entitled to upward of $111 million; each outgoing school must pay more than $17 million in exit fees, and the Pac-12 must pay $43 million in poaching fees per language from the conferences’ scheduling alliance in 2024.
Word of the defections first circulated via a report by Yahoo Sports on Wednesday night.
Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a statement circulated by the conference, “The Mountain West Board of Directors will meet to determine our next steps. All departing members will be held to the Conference bylaws and policies, and all requirements of the scheduling agreement will apply to the Pac-12. The Mountain West has a proud 25-year history and will continue to thrive in the years ahead.”
Athletic Director Craig Angelos sought to reassure the Rainbow Warriors fan base in his own statement distributed by UH.
“With every great challenge comes great opportunity," Angelos said.
"I want to assure everyone that the University of Hawaii is committed to having a strong and thriving football program and will continue to position ourselves to become the best that we can be. We will work tirelessly to enhance our football program, including building a new football stadium, upgrading our practice facilities, strengthening our fundraising efforts, and improving our operating budget for recruiting, nutrition and other needed areas. There is a very proud history at UH and every day, we honor it and work to build upon its legacy. While we can't control everything, we will continue to strive toward being a program that our entire state can be proud of. We will prevail!”
But others felt that UH football, which began in 1909, is in a uniquely vulnerable chapter of its existence. It has competed at the on-campus Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex for four years and isn’t expected to have a permanent stadium home for at least another four years. Many UH fans expressed alarm on social media and message boards.
Two longtime observers of the program spoke to Spectrum News to express grave concern about what’s next, including fears that FBS status is not assured.
“I just think it’s a horrible but predictable situation,” said attorney Jeff Portnoy, a former member of the UH Board of Regents. “Unfortunately, I don’t see how Hawaii fits into their (the Pac-12’s) plans.” He noted UH's arrangement with the Mountain West has been "tenuous," noting Manoa's travel subsidy payments to the rest of the league.
Portnoy said UNLV, with its pro-level facilities and recent success, could be at the top of the Pac-12’s wish list for the remaining MWC teams. It's possible Nevada could accompany the Rebels in a conference move while Air Force is another attractive option as a U.S. service academy, he said.
Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah State and San Jose State are the other MWC members.
“My fear is this is the beginning of the end of potentially Hawaii playing Division I football,” Portnoy said. “You didn’t have to be Nostradamus to see this coming, that the two remaining Pac-12 teams were going to poach as many Mountain West teams that they thought would help them in their conference. They’ve now taken the four best teams and I think within a few weeks they’ll probably take two more, leaving just the crumbs.”
Spectrum Sports football analyst Rich Miano, a former UH associate head coach, said that the Mountain West could survive by elevating FCS schools like Portland State, Montana or Montana State and that remaining with what's left of the league is UH's best option.
Miano said what happened Thursday was “100% predictable” and directed blame at state and UH leadership over the last two decades – basically since June Jones left after the unbeaten 2007 regular season and Sugar Bowl appearance.
“They’ve made a series of bad coaching hires,” Miano said. “They’ve had athletic directors who really didn’t understand the landscape. You’ve had presidents of the university, even governors that didn’t understand how important this football program is to the athletic department and to the state of Hawaii.”
Miano said UH has vastly fallen behind its MWC peers in facilities and amenities at a pivotal time in the college landscape, and that treating Division I FBS status as a given is a mistake.
“It’s a travesty that we continue to dissipate without a stadium, without a performance center, without a nutritional center, without a legacy hall, without the proper facilities to be a D-I (school),” Miano said.
“To me, this is another sign of lack of vision, lack of leadership and lack of direction.”
UH was en route for Texas on Thursday for its first road game of the 2024 season Saturday at Sam Houston.
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.