UNLV Rebels Athletic Director Erick Harper 'We Simply Have To Continue Being The Best Possible UNLV That We Can Be'

With the UNLV Rebels football team going 4 - 0 and wrapping up their non-conference schedule and set to start their Mountain West Conference schedule following their Week 5 bye, it's time we start focusing on the Mountain West. This is a particularly intriguing year because it is the final season that the Mountain West will resemble what it is now before realignment hits in 2026, and the conference both gains and loses quite a few teams. With the Rebels about to face this Mountain West schedule for the final time, we want to take a look back at what UNLV athletic director Erick Harper told the UNLV official website about the realignment and why he chose to stay in the Mountain West rather than leave for the new-look Pac-12.

UNLV Rebels Athletic Director Erick Harper On The New Pac-12 And Why He Decided To Stay In The Mountain West Conference

"When it comes to conference realignment, I’m someone who looks at and considers everything — short term and long term — before ultimately determining what’s best for us. And based on the current landscape, we felt the best decision for us was to stay in the Mountain West.

For one thing, the Pac-12 is not what the Pac-12 once was. It’s the same logo but without USC, UCLA, Oregon, Washington, Utah, it’s not the same conference. And that’s no disrespect to those schools that are in the Pac-12 right now.

Also, there’s going to be another conference realignment — everybody knows that. What that’s going to look like, who knows? If anyone tells you they know exactly how everything is going to shake out, they’re absolutely full of it. The only certainty is that those programs that have a strong history of success, reside in strong media markets and are consistently ranked at seasons end are not changing conferences. However, there can be surprises as we have seen in recent years.

The good news for us is that we no longer have to worry about paying an exit fee if we receive an offer to join a power conference.

For now — and as I’ve said many times when the topic of conference realignment comes up — we simply have to continue being the best possible UNLV that we can be. And wherever things fall, they fall."