UTEP and the Mountain West Conference are in serious discussions, per ESPN reporter Pete Thamel. The Miners have long wanted an invite to the Mountain West and sources say that interest is mutual between the two parties. The Mountain West, which currently sits at six full-time members plus Hawaii in football – must add two more full-time members to qualify as an FBS conference. 

UTEP joined Conference USA after the 2004-05 school year when the WAC split and left the Miners out of the new Mountain West. The WAC in 2004 included Boise State, Fresno State, Nevada, Hawaii, and others. The current CUSA television deal pays $400,000-500,000 per school. The projections in the MWC are $4-$5 million. The remaining members of the MWC are Air Force, UNLV, Nevada, San Jose State, Wyoming, and New Mexico. 

UTEP isn’t the only Texas addition the Mountain West is reportedly hoping to acquire. Thamel reported on Saturday that Texas State received an official invitation from the MWC. With the conference needing to add two teams at minimum, pairing UTEP and Texas State makes sense for television markets and geography. New Mexico State could also be a target. 

Thamel reports that a decision should come in the next few days. If UTEP and/or Texas State jump to the Mountain West, a ripple effect will follow with CUSA and the Sun Belt scrambling for replacements. All this in the middle of a football season. UTEP hosts Sam Houston State on Thursday, while Texas State plays at Troy on the same night.