The Mountain West will look dramatically different in 2026. Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State and Utah State have departed for the new-look Pac-12, while UTEP, Northern Illinois and former FCS powerhouse North Dakota State join the conference. Keep track of everything this spring with our college football news as well as college football depth charts, which are updated periodically as spring rosters get released.
Despite the turnover in the Mountain West, this league has a recent track record of producing fantasy standouts — and there are plenty of names capable of emerging in 2026. Let's take a look at some of the names who could make a mark on the college fantasy football rankings this fall.
Air Force Falcons Spring Preview
Building with Szarka
Liam Szarka (arm) will be limited to start spring camp after missing the Falcons' final two games last season. When healthy, however, he revitalized Air Force's offense, completing 62.5 percent of his passes for 1,294 yards and nine touchdowns while rushing for another 922 yards with 13 scores. If Szarka takes a step forward as a junior, expect this offense to put up big numbers.
Running back Owen Allen is another big weapon returning in 2026. The rising senior totaled 750 yards and five touchdowns on 132 carries last year, though he topped 100 yards in five of his last seven games.
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Spring Preview
Rolling with Alejado
To the surprise of some, quarterback Micah Alejado (ankle) elected to return to Hawaii after throwing for 3,106 yards with 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions across 11 games. While Alejado will be limited in spring practices, he's expected to be ready to go for the start of the season, at the helm of what should be one of the conference's stronger offenses.
The receiving room will be headlined by senior Pofele Ashlock, who's totaled 220 receptions for 2,288 yards and 23 touchdowns in his first three seasons with the Rainbow Warriors. Behind Ashlock, however, there's a lot of production to make up following the departure of Jackson Harris, their leading receiver in 2025. Hawaii did bring in three Power-Five transfers in Audric Harris (Washington), Carson Brown (Iowa State) and Devin Alves (Virginia Tech). It'll be worth monitoring these three in camp, as head coach Tommy Chang's air-raid system has consistently churned out multiple fantasy-relevant receivers.
Nevada Wolfpack Spring Preview
QB competition likely
Carter Jones enters the spring as the early favorite to open the season under center after starting seven games as a true freshman. However, Jones was inconsistent in 2025, finishing the season with 1,019 yards, six touchdowns and eight interceptions. Senior AJ Bianco is also returning to Reno, though UCLA transfer Luke Duncan is a name to watch. The 6-foot-6 Duncan was a highly-regarded recruit in 2023. He appeared in two games for the Bruins last year, completing 21-of-34 passes for 235 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Whoever does ultimately start for the Wolf Pack will have an unproven group of receivers to work with. Marshaun Brown is the top returning option -- he brought in 16 receptions for 164 yards and a touchdown. Nevada also brought in an intriguing trio of wideouts from the FCS ranks in Jaceon Doss, Donnie Cheers and Damien Morgan. Running back Herschel Turner should help provide some stability on offense. He's returning for his junior season after averaging 5.1 yards per carry across 10 games in 2025.
New Mexico Lobos Spring Preview
Continuity after strong 2025
New Mexico was the surprise team in the Mountain West last year, finishing the regular season 9-3 en route to its first bowl appearance since 2016. The Lobos will be returning many key contributors in 2026. Quarterback Jack Layne was solid in his first campaign in the FBS ranks, completing 65.1 percent of his throws for 2,486 yards, 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He'll have his top wideout returning as well in Keagan Johnson, who broke out with 59 receptions for 754 yards and three touchdowns. One new name to keep an eye on is Troy Omeire. Omeire, a former highly-ranked recruit out of Texas, signed with the Lobos after totaling 514 yards and five touchdowns on 31 receptions with UNLV last year.
New Mexico will miss DJ McKinney, now with Tulsa, in the backfield. However, they do have a pair of senior backs returning in Damon Bankston and Scottre Humphrey. The duo combined for 1,403 all-purpose yards in 2025. With all their returning talent, expectations will be higher for the Lobos next season as they look to compete for their first conference title in over 60 years.
North Dakota State Bisons Spring Preview
Highly anticipated FBS debut on tap
North Dakota will make what was seen as a surprising jump to the FBS ranks after winning 10 FCS titles in their last 15 seasons. The Bison represent the biggest wildcard in the new-look Mountain West -- while their transition to the top level of college football will present unknowns, this is a team that many expect to compete from the start.
While the Bison have built a strong foundation, their depth chart does pose some questions offensively. At quarterback, Nathan Hayes is presumed to take over the starting job -- the junior appeared in 10 games last year, mostly in mop-up duty, completing 56.8 percent of his 44 throws for 381 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. At wideout, the duo of Mekhi Collins and Jackson Williams will be tasked with making up for the production of Bryce Lance, who's projected to go in the middle rounds of April's NFL draft. Collins and Williams combined for 452 yards on just 23 receptions last season. On paper, North Dakota's strength should be their backfield -- former Kennesaw State transfer DJ Scott is expected to lead the group after rushing for 502 yards and six touchdowns in 13 games.
Northern Illinois Huskies Spring Preview
Lots of questions in first MWC season
NIU's Mountain West debut comes at a tough time for the program. The Huskies finished 3-9 last year, their worst full-season record since 2007. Jalen Macon currently sits atop the depth chart at quarterback. Macon, a redshirt senior, started NIU's final three games in 2025, completing just nine of 21 pass attempts for 105 yards and a touchdown, though he did rush for 194 yards with five scores. Running back Chavon Wright figures to be the Huskies' top weapon on offense. The senior broke out with 875 yards and five touchdowns in 12 games last year.
San Jose State Spartans Spring Preview
Slated for rebuilding year
The Spartans were one of the bigger disappointments in the Mountain West last season, finishing with a 3-9 record. The breakout of receiver Danny Scudero was certainly a silver lining, though he was one of many SJSU playmakers to hit the transfer portal.
Tama Amisone is the early favorite to take over the quarterback job, though he'll likely face competition from Robert McDaniel and Hawaii transfer Luke Weaver in camp. Amisone appeared in eight games while backing up Walker Eget last year, completing 52 percent of his passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 160 yards and a touchdown. The Spartans' receiving group is worth watching, as they'll have to make up for a lot of production in 2026. Malachi Riley (lower body) is one name to watch, if healthy. The former Arizona transfer appeared in just one game before suffering a season-ending injury. Anthony Ivey is another intriguing option. A former four-star recruit, Ivey should immediately take over as one of SJSU's top weapons after he failed to carve out a role with Penn State.
UNLV Rebels Spring Preview
Dipping back into portal
The Rebels had success in the transfer portal in 2025, particularly with quarterback Anthony Colandrea. With Colandrea leaving for Nebraska, UNLV took the same approach this offseason, bringing in former Oklahoma and Auburn QB Jackson Arnold, who'll look to revitalize his career under second-year head coach Dan Mullen.
UNLV also turned to the portal to replenish its receiving corps, bringing in a trio of high-upside options in Troy Stellato (Kentucky), Taz Reddicks (Oregon State) and Amorion Walker (Middle Tennessee). The one piece of stability for the Rebels comes in the backfield, with senior Jai'Den Thomas returning for his fourth season in Vegas. Thomas has firmly established himself as one of the top backs in the nation -- he averaged seven yards per carry for 1,036 yards overall and 12 touchdowns in 2025.
UTEP Miners Spring Preview
Hoping for better fortune in new conference
Like NIU, the Miners struggled in their last season before joining the Mountain West, finishing with a 2-10 record, and have a lot of holes to fill heading into 2026. EJ Colson is the initial favorite to take over as quarterback. Colson, a former UCF commit, transferred to El Paso following an impressive season at Incarnate Word, where he completed 70.9 percent of his passes for 2,142 yards, 16 touchdowns and just four interceptions. If Colson can carry over some of his success to the FBS ranks, UTEP can certainly surprise some people this season.
The Miners also turned to the transfer portal to bolster their skill positions. Lamar Sperling will likely lead the backfield after rushing for 234 yards and a touchdown on 39 carries with Buffalo last year. Tavorus Jones, a Missouri transfer and four-star recruit back in 2021, is another name to keep an eye on. The receiver's group is led by former FCS standout Carver Cheeks, who logged 929 yards and six touchdowns with Northern Colorado last season. Jaden Smith's (lower body) return should also help bolster this group after he missed most of 2024 and the entire 2025 campaign with a torn ACL.
Wyoming Cowboys Spring Preview
Searching for offensive identity
It's been a rough few seasons for the Cowboys, as they've looked to establish an identity on offense. Tasked with turning things around will be new offensive coordinator Christian Taylor, who spent the previous two years as an assistant in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills. Transfer Tyler Hughes is expected to take over as the starting quarterback, following Kaden Anderson's departure. Hughes was impressive in his lone season as a starter with FCS William and Mary, completing 66.2 percent of his passes for 2,330 yards, 20 touchdowns and just three interceptions. However, to say his receiving corps is unproven may be putting it nicely -- the group is currently led by Justin Popovich, a D2 transfer who totaled 55 receptions for 686 yards and six touchdowns with Lock Haven.
With the presumptive questions in their passing game, Wyoming figures to rely heavily on its ground attack in 2026. Their backfield is led by returning sophomore Samuel Harris (lower body), who rushed for 558 yards and a touchdown on 100 carries as a true freshman. The Cowboys also brought in a pair of transfers in Markell Holman, who rushed for 1,063 yards in 12 games with FCS Western Illinois, and Diore Hubbard, a former three-star recruit who totaled 335 yards and four touchdowns with West Virginia.
