1. Dan Mullen, UNLV

Mullen was hired with a proven track record and an SEC pedigree. He certainly delivered in season one with the Rebels.

Let us not forget that in his stints with Mississippi State and Florida, he compiled a 103-61 mark while leading the teams to 11 bowl games in 13 seasons.

His 10-win season in the debut campaign in Las Vegas led to a trip to the MW Title game and Frisco Bowl.

Mullen can recruit and has utilized the portal to load up the Rebels.

With the departure of some of the former conference heavies, the Rebels look to be the flag bearer for the conference—and they have the right man to carry that flag in Vegas.

2. Jason Eck, New Mexico

Eck followed up a highly successful stint at Idaho with a tremendous opening act in Albuquerque.

Year One saw the Lobos finish with nine wins and a 6-2 mark in league play, good enough for a four-way tie for the regular season crown. And UNM played a postseason game for the first time since the 2016 season.

While the OT loss to Minnesota had to sting, there is progress to build on.

Eck has not known losing in his time as a head coach, and it looks like that will continue at a school that has experienced nothing but losing in the decade before his arrival.

3. Timmy Chang, Hawaii

When Chang took over his alma mater, the Hawaii program was a mess.

Chang has turned things around in his four seasons, culminating with a nine-win season a year ago, capped off by a bowl win over California, the school’s first bowl game and bowl win since the 2025 season.

Chang has proven he can develop talent and has done wonders in cultivating the QB position.

Perhaps facing a win-or-else situation one year ago, Chang’s seat now looks comfortable, and success should continue on the Islands.

4. Troy Calhoun, Air Force

The dean of Mountain West head coaches is set to lead the Air Force Academy for the 20th season in 2026.

The last two seasons were a bit forgettable in Colorado Springs as the Falcons struggled in a pair of losing campaigns, something Calhoun has not experienced very often in his career.

Despite the 4-8 mark last year, the Falcons did finish strong, winning three of their final six.

There is no denying that Calhoun gets more out of the talent at his disposal than perhaps anyone else in the nation.

5. Tim Polasek, North Dakota State

In two seasons guiding the Bison, Polasek has led NDSU to a 26-3 mark, including the 2024 National Championship in his debut season as a head coach.

With an offensive background, it is no shock that NDSU has had a ton of success on that side of the ball during his tenure.

The Bison as they averaged 500+ yards per game last season and have run for 240+ per outing in each of their two seasons with Polasek at the helm.

NDSU was a powerhouse program at the FCS level. In Polasek, they seem to have a quality coach directing them as they make the jump to the FBS.

6. Ken Niumatalolo, San Jose State

After winning 109 games and nearly 54% of his games but wearing out his welcome at Navy, Niumatalolo is set to begin his third season with San Jose State.

Following a successful debut season, expectations were certainly not met in the second season with the Spartans. SJSU struggled in 2025 and ended up dropping six of its last seven.

It was a difficult stretch that Niumatalolo has not experienced many of during his 17 years as a head coach. His teams have played a postseason game in 12 of his 17 seasons.

The only other time a Niumatalolo-led team finished with a three-win season was 2018, when Navy went 3-10; the Mids followed that up with an 11-2 campaign in 2019.

The Spartans would certainly welcome that kind of turnaround in 2026.

7. Jeff Choate, Nevada

The Wolf Pack showed improvement between Year One and Two under Choate, improving from a winless conference mark in his first season to a 2–7-mark last season.

While modest, it was an improvement, and the Pack were much more competitive a season ago.

When making a list such as this, you can’t ignore the run of success he had leading Montana State to consecutive playoff appearances in 2018 and 19 before leaving to coach the defense at Texas.

As impressive as that background may be, results will need to be seen on the scoreboard this season if Choate is to remain in Reno long term.

8. Jay Sawvel, Wyoming

The first two seasons for Sawvel in Laramie have not gone well. The Cowboys have struggled to a combined 7-17 mark and mustered just a 4-11 mark in conference play.

Sawvel has a defensive background, and the Cowboys have been solid on that side of the ball, but the offense has not produced nearly enough for UW to find success.

He has proved his willingness to make the difficult decisions needed to right the ship as he completely overhauled his offensive staff ahead of this season.

Will it be enough to get positive results? If it is, then his leadership will prove valuable. If it is not, then the next change might need to be at the top.

9. Scotty Walden, UTEP

When Walden arrived in El Paso in 2024, he was coming off a successful four-year run with Austin Peay, where he led the Governors to a 26-14 mark and playoff appearance in 2023.

His time in West Texas has brought far less success. The Miners have limped to just five wins in the last two seasons and struggled to a 1-7 mark in Conference USA in 2025.

With the move to the MW, 2026 looks to be a pivotal season for the program and the head coach.

A successful transition to the new conference will go a long way in securing a long tenure for Walden, another struggle and it could mean the Miners are looking elsewhere in 2027.

10. Rob Harley, Northern Illinois

Rob Harley jumps into the top spot at Northern Illinois in 2026 with a bit of a tenuous situation.

Following the departure of Thomas Hammock to the Seahawks last February, Harley was named the interim head coach for the Huskies.

The interim tag remains as we inch closer to fall camp starting this summer. It will be trial by fire and a chance to earn the job this season for the first-time head coach.

He brings a defensive background with him as NIU makes the move from the MAC to the MW.