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The Mountain West Conference will enter the fall with 12 football-playing schools in two divisions, culminating in a conference championship game, the conference announced Tuesday.
The athletic directors of the MWC hammered out the future of the conference over the holiday weekend, setting the stage for a robust football schedule when the 2013 season arrives. The MWC recently solidified its status by retaining Boise State and San Diego State as members, a move that allows the conference to move forward more in line with its power-conference peers.
Utah State will be housed in the eastern region, dubbed the Mountain Division. It will also have Boise State, Wyoming, Air Force, Colorado State and New Mexico. The West Division will feature San Diego State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, UNLV and San Jose State. Each team will play its five division opponents and three teams from the other division for a total of eight league games.
The winners of each division will square off for the MWC title on Dec. 7, the game to be played at the home of the team with the highest BCS ranking.
The conference recently renogiated its TV contract, and the conference championship affords the opportunity for the Mountain West to get additional revenue.
There won't be any divisions for men's and women's basketball. Those teams will play an 18-game schedule for league play, with two games against eight opponents and single games against the two remaining opponents. —
The new MWC
Football division lineup:
Mountain Division:
Air Force
Boise State
Colorado State
New Mexico
Utah State
Wyoming
West Division:
Fresno State
Hawaii
Nevada
San Diego State
San Jose State
UNLV