Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game
| Mountain West Conference football championship game | |
|---|---|
| Conference football championship | |
| Sport | College football |
| Conference | Mountain West Conference |
| Current stadium | Hosted by selected division winner (see below) |
| Current location | Varies by year |
| Played | 2013–present |
| Last contest | 2016 |
| Current champion | San Diego State |
| Most championships | San Diego State (2) |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN |
| Official website | League Site |
The Mountain West Conference football championship game is an annual postseason college football game played to determine the champion of the Mountain West Conference (MW). From 1999 to 2012, the champion of the Mountain West was determined by regular season record. Beginning in 2013, following the expansion to twelve members and the division of the conference into Mountain and West Divisions, the conference championship game is held between the two division winners. The Mountain West is one of three conferences to have its championship game at a campus site, along with the American Athletic Conference and Conference USA. The Sun Belt Conference will do the same once it launches its title game in 2018.
The inaugural MW Championship Game was played on December 7, 2013 at Fresno State's Bulldog Stadium and televised by CBS.[1]
The Mountain West Conference champion customarily receives a berth to play in the Las Vegas Bowl. However, if the MW champion finishes ranked ahead of the champions from the other "Group of Five" mid-major conferences (American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, MAC, and Sun Belt) by the selection committee of the College Football Playoff, it is guaranteed a berth in one of the non-semifinal "New Year's Six" bowls. If ranked in the top four, the conference champion will play in the national championship playoff.
Divisions
Membership reflects changes that took effect with the 2013 season.
| Mountain Division | West Division |
|---|---|
| Air Force | Fresno State |
| Boise State | Hawaii |
| Colorado State | Nevada |
| New Mexico | San Diego State |
| Utah State | San Jose State |
| Wyoming | UNLV |
Past champions
Pre-championship game era (1999–2012)
| Season | Champion(s) | Conf. record |
Overall record |
Bowl result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Utah | 5–2 | 9–3 | Won Las Vegas Bowl |
| BYU | 5–2 | 8–4 | Lost Motor City Bowl | |
| Colorado State | 5–2 | 8–4 | Lost Liberty Bowl | |
| 2000 | #14 Colorado State | 6–1 | 10–2 | Won Liberty Bowl |
| 2001 | #25 BYU | 7–0 | 12–2 | Lost Liberty Bowl |
| 2002 | Colorado State | 6–1 | 10–4 | Lost Liberty Bowl |
| 2003 | #21 Utah | 6–1 | 10–2 | Won Liberty Bowl |
| 2004 | #4 Utah | 7–0 | 12–0 | Won Fiesta Bowl |
| 2005 | #11 TCU | 8–0 | 11–1 | Won Houston Bowl |
| 2006 | #16 BYU | 8–0 | 11–2 | Won Las Vegas Bowl |
| 2007 | #14 BYU | 8–0 | 11–2 | Won Las Vegas Bowl |
| 2008 | #2 Utah | 8–0 | 13–0 | Won Sugar Bowl |
| 2009 | #6 TCU | 8–0 | 12–1 | Lost Fiesta Bowl |
| 2010 | #2 TCU | 8–0 | 13–0 | Won Rose Bowl |
| 2011 | #14 TCU | 7–0 | 11–2 | Won Poinsettia Bowl |
| 2012 | #18 Boise State | 7–1 | 11–2 | Won Maaco Bowl Las Vegas |
| Fresno State | 7–1 | 9–4 | Lost Hawaii Bowl | |
| San Diego State | 7–1 | 9–4 | Lost Poinsettia Bowl |
Final AP rankings shown.
Mountain West Conference Championship Game (2013–present)
| Season | West | Score | Mountain | Site | Attendance | Game notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | #24 Fresno State | 24–17 | Utah State | Bulldog Stadium • Fresno, CA | 31,362 | Notes |
| 2014 | Fresno State | 14–28 | #22 Boise State | Albertsons Stadium • Boise, ID | 26,101 | Notes |
| 2015 | San Diego State | 27–24 | Air Force | Qualcomm Stadium • San Diego, CA | 20,959 | Notes |
| 2016 | San Diego State | 27–24 | Wyoming | War Memorial Stadium • Laramie, WY | 24,001 | Notes |
Rankings from the AP Poll at time of matchup
Results by team
| Appearances | School | W | L | Pct | Year(s) Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | San Diego State | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 2015, 2016 |
| 2 | Fresno State | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2013 |
| 1 | Boise State | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2014 |
| 1 | Air Force | 0 | 1 | .000 | |
| 1 | Utah State | 0 | 1 | .000 | |
| 1 | Wyoming | 0 | 1 | .000 |
- Colorado State, Hawai'i, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, and UNLV have yet to make an appearance in a Mountain West Championship Game.
Championship game MVPs
| Season | MVP | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Derek Carr | Fresno State | Quarterback |
| 2014 Offensive | Grant Hedrick | Boise State | Quarterback |
| 2014 Defensive | Tanner Vallejo | Boise State | Middle linebacker |
| 2015 Offensive | Christian Chapman | San Diego State | Quarterback |
| 2015 Defensive | Na'im McGee | San Diego State | Defensive back |
| 2016 Offensive | Rashaad Penny | San Diego State | Running back |
| 2016 Defensive | Damontae Kazee | San Diego State | Defensive back |
Selection criteria
The division champion is the team with the highest conference winning percentage.
Two-team tiebreaker procedure
- Head-to-head record between the tied teams
- Winning percentage of the tied teams within the division
- Winning percentage against the next-highest placed team in the division, with placing based on the team's conference record, and proceeding through the division
- Winning percentage of the tied teams against common conference opponents
- Higher College Football Playoff ranking (or composite of selected computer ranking if neither team is ranked) following the final week of the regular season
- Overall winning percentage against FBS opponents
- Coin toss
Three or more-team tiebreaker procedure
- Head-to-head record among the tied teams
- Winning percentage among the tied teams within the division
- Winning percentage among the tied teams against the next-highest placed team in the division, with placing based on the team's conference record, and proceeding through the division
- Winning percentage among the tied teams against common conference opponents
- Higher College Football Playoff ranking (or composite of selected computer ranking if neither team is ranked) following the final week of the regular season
Once the tie is reduced to two teams, then the two-team tiebreaker is used.[2]
Host determination
The division champion with the higher College Football Playoff ranking going into the final week of regular season is designated as the host school unless it loses its final regular season game. If the latter occurs, or neither team is ranked in the latest available College Football Playoff rankings, then the following procedure is used:[2]
- Team with better composite ranking among selected computer rankings
- Head-to-head record
- Record versus common conference opponents
- Winning percentage against the next-highest placed common conference opponent and proceeding through the conference, with placing based on:
- Placement within the division
- Overall conference record
- Composite of selected computer rankings
- Coin toss
See also
List of NCAA Division I FBS Conference Championship games
References
- ^ Published August 19, 2013. "CBS Sports Gets TV Rights To Mountain West Football Championship - SportsBusiness Daily | SportsBusiness Journal | SportsBusiness Daily Global". SportsBusiness Daily. Retrieved 2013-08-30.
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