Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Sport | College football |
Conference | Mountain West Conference |
Current stadium | Hosted by top regular-season team (see below) |
Current location | Varies by year |
Played | 2013–present |
Last contest | 2023 |
Current champion | Boise State Broncos |
Most championships | Boise State (4) |
TV partner(s) | Fox/FS1 |
Official website | League Site |
Sponsors | |
Hampton by Hilton |
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 four conferences to have its championship game at a campus site, along with the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, and the Sun Belt Conference.
The most recent 2022 championship game was the last to feature division winners. On May 20, 2022, the MW announced that it would eliminate its football divisions effective with the 2023 season, instead sending the top two teams in the conference standings to the title game. [1] Two days earlier, the NCAA Division I Council had approved a rule change that gave all FBS conferences full freedom to determine the participants in their football championship games. [2]
The inaugural MW Championship Game was played on December 7, 2013, at Fresno State's Bulldog Stadium and televised by CBS. [3]
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 twelve, the conference champion will play in the national championship playoff.
Membership reflects changes that took effect with the 2013 season.
Air Force | Fresno State |
Boise State | Hawaii |
Colorado State | Nevada |
New Mexico | San Diego State |
Utah State | San Jose State |
Wyoming | UNLV |
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 | No. 14 Colorado State | 6–1 | 10–2 | Won Liberty Bowl |
2001 | No. 25 BYU | 7–0 | 12–2 | Lost Liberty Bowl |
2002 | Colorado State | 6–1 | 10–4 | Lost Liberty Bowl |
2003 | No. 21 Utah | 6–1 | 10–2 | Won Liberty Bowl |
2004 | No. 4 Utah | 7–0 | 12–0 | Won Fiesta Bowl |
2005 | No. 11 TCU | 8–0 | 11–1 | Won Houston Bowl |
2006 | No. 16 BYU | 8–0 | 11–2 | Won Las Vegas Bowl |
2007 | No. 14 BYU | 8–0 | 11–2 | Won Las Vegas Bowl |
2008 | No. 2 Utah | 8–0 | 13–0 | Won Sugar Bowl |
2009 | No. 6 TCU | 8–0 | 12–1 | Lost Fiesta Bowl |
2010 | No. 2 TCU | 8–0 | 13–0 | Won Rose Bowl |
2011 | No. 14 TCU | 7–0 | 11–2 | Won Poinsettia Bowl |
2012 | No. 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 | |
Total | 18 bowl games | 11 wins, 7 losses |
Final AP Poll rankings shown.
Below are the results from all Mountain West Conference Football Championship Games played. The winning team appears in bold font, on a background of their primary team color. Rankings are from the AP Poll released prior to the game.
Year | West | Mountain | Site | Attendance | MVP | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | 24 Fresno State Bulldogs | 24 | Utah State Aggies | 17 | Bulldog Stadium • Fresno, CA | 31,362 | QB Derek Carr, Fresno State |
2014 | Fresno State Bulldogs | 14 | 22 Boise State Broncos | 28 | Albertsons Stadium • Boise, ID | 26,101 | Offensive: QB Grant Hedrick, Boise State Defensive: MLB Tanner Vallejo, Boise State |
2015 | San Diego State Aztecs | 27 | Air Force Falcons | 24 | Qualcomm Stadium • San Diego, CA | 20,959 | Offensive: QB Christian Chapman, San Diego State Defensive: S Na'im McGee, San Diego State |
2016 | San Diego State Aztecs | 27 | Wyoming Cowboys | 24 | War Memorial Stadium • Laramie, WY | 24,001 | Offensive: RB Rashaad Penny, San Diego State Defensive: S Damontae Kazee, San Diego State |
2017 | 25 Fresno State Bulldogs | 14 | Boise State Broncos | 17 | Albertsons Stadium • Boise, ID | 24,515 | Offensive: QB Brett Rypien, Boise State Defensive: LB Leighton Vander Esch, Boise State |
2018 | 25 Fresno State Bulldogs | 19 | 19 Boise State Broncos | 16OT | 23,662 | Offensive: RB Alexander Mattison, Boise State Defensive: DE Mykal Walker, Fresno State | |
2019 | Hawaii Rainbow Warriors | 10 | 19 Boise State Broncos | 31 | 23,561 | Offensive: QB Jaylon Henderson, Boise State Defensive: DT Sonatane Lui, Boise State | |
Year | No. 1 seed | No. 2 seed | Site | Attendance | MVP | ||
2020 | 25 San Jose State Spartans | 34 | Boise State Broncos | 20 | Sam Boyd Stadium • Whitney, NV | 0† | Offensive: QB Nick Starkel, San Jose State [4] Defensive: DE Cade Hall, San Jose State |
Year | West | Mountain | Site | Attendance | MVP | ||
2021 | 19 San Diego State Aztecs | 13 | Utah State Aggies | 46 | Dignity Health Sports Park • Carson, CA | 13,445 | Offensive: QB Logan Bonner, Utah State Defensive: DE Byron Vaughns, Utah State |
2022 | Fresno State Bulldogs | 28 | Boise State Broncos | 16 | Albertsons Stadium • Boise, ID | 24,037 | Offensive: QB Jake Haener, Fresno State Defensive: DB Cam Lockridge, Fresno State |
Year | No. 1 seed | No. 2 seed | Site | Attendance | MVP | ||
2023 | UNLV Rebels | 20 | Boise State Broncos | 44 | Allegiant Stadium • Paradise, NV | 31,473 | Offensive: Taylen Green, Boise State Defensive: Alexander Teuber, Boise State |
† Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 game was played behind closed doors without fans. [5]
Games | School | W | L | Pct | Titles | Runners-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
7 | Boise State Broncos | 4 | 3 | .571 | 2014, 2017, 2019, 2023 | 2018, 2020, 2022 |
5 | Fresno State Bulldogs | 3 | 2 | .600 | 2013, 2018, 2022 | 2014, 2017 |
3 | San Diego State Aztecs | 2 | 1 | .667 | 2015, 2016 | 2021 |
2 | Utah State Aggies | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2021 | 2013 |
1 | San Jose State Spartans | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2020 | |
1 | Air Force Falcons | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2015 | |
1 | Wyoming Cowboys | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2016 | |
1 | Hawaii Rainbow Warriors | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2019 | |
1 | UNLV Rebels | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2023 |
The Tiebreaking procedures for both selection for the Championship game and determination of the host for the 2023 Season are as follows. [6]
This procedure is used until two teams remain tied, then the two-team tiebreaker procedures will be used.
Once the tie is reduced to two teams, then the two-team tiebreaker is used.
The team with the best conference record hosts the championship game. The tiebreaker procedure for determining which teams are selected for the championship game also serves as the tiebreaking procedure for determining who is the host.
The team with the best conference record hosts the championship game. Before 2023, the division champion with the better conference record hosted the game. If the teams have the same record, the following tie-breaking procedure is used: [7]
From 2013 to 2017, the division champion with the higher College Football Playoff ranking going into the final week of regular season was designated as the host school unless it lost its final regular season game. If the latter occurred, or neither team was ranked in the latest available College Football Playoff rankings, then the following procedure was used: [8]
This procedure was discontinued after the 2017 Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game after Boise State was selected to host the game despite having the same conference record as their opponent Fresno State and losing to Fresno State during the regular season.
Team | Record, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
---|---|---|
Most points scored (one team) | 46, Utah State vs. San Diego State | 2021 |
Most points scored (losing team) | 24, Air Force vs. San Diego State Wyoming vs. San Diego State | 2015 2016 |
Fewest points scored (winning team) | 17, Boise State vs. Fresno State | 2017 |
Fewest points scored | 10, Hawaii vs. Boise State | 2019 |
Most points scored (both teams) | 64, Boise State (44) vs. UNLV (20) | 2023 |
Fewest points scored (both teams) | 31, Boise State (17) vs. Fresno State (14) | 2017 |
Most points scored in a half | 32, Utah State (2nd half) vs. San Diego State | 2021 |
Most points scored in a half (both teams) | 48, Boise State vs. UNLV (1st half) | 2023 |
Largest margin of victory | 33, Utah State (46) vs. San Diego State (13) | 2021 |
Smallest margin of victory | 3, San Diego State (27) vs. Air Force (24) San Diego State (27) vs. Wyoming (24) Boise State (17) vs. Fresno State (14) Fresno State (19) vs. Boise State (16) | 2015 2016 2017 2018 |
Total yards | 527, Boise State (226 passing, 301 rushing) vs. UNLV | 2023 |
Rushing yards | 305, Air Force vs. San Diego State | 2015 |
Passing yards | 453, San Jose State vs. Boise State | 2020 |
First downs | 26, San Jose State vs. Boise State | 2020 |
Fewest yards allowed | 258, San Jose State vs. Boise State (221 passing, 37 rushing) | 2020 |
Fewest rushing yards allowed | 37, San Jose State vs. Boise State | 2020 |
Fewest passing yards allowed | 35, San Diego State vs. Air Force | 2015 |
Individual | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
Total Offense | 437, Nick Starkel, San Jose State vs. Boise State | 2020 |
Touchdowns (all-purpose) | 4, shared by: Logan Bonner, Utah State vs. San Diego State Taylen Green, Boise State vs. UNLV | 2021, 2023 |
Rushing yards | 200, Alexander Mattison, Boise State vs. Fresno State | 2018 |
Rushing touchdowns | 3, Timothy McVey, Air Force vs. San Diego State | 2015 |
Passing yards | 453, Nick Starkel, San Jose State vs. Boise State | 2020 |
Passing touchdowns | 4, Logan Bonner, Utah State vs. San Diego State | 2021 |
Receiving yards | 168, Davante Adams, Fresno State vs. Utah State | 2013 |
Receiving touchdowns | 2, Brandon Bowling, Utah State vs. San Diego State | 2021 |
Tackles | 16, Leighton Vander Esch, Boise State vs. Fresno State | 2017 |
Sacks | 2, shared by seven players, most recent: Cade Hall, San Jose State vs. Boise State | 2020 |
Interceptions | 2, shared by: Brian Suite, Utah State vs. Fresno State Damontae Kazee, San Diego State vs. Wyoming | 2013 2016 |
Long Plays | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
Touchdown run | 70, Taylen Green, Boise State vs. UNLV | 2023 |
Touchdown pass | 58, Brandon Bowling from Logan Bonner, Utah State vs. San Diego State | 2021 |
Kickoff return | 75, Rashaad Penny, San Diego State vs. Wyoming | 2016 |
Punt return | 69, Avery Williams, Boise State vs. San Jose State | 2020 |
Interception return | 63, Tanner Vallejo, Boise State vs. Fresno State | 2014 |
Fumble return | 86, Jake Doughty, Utah State vs. Fresno State | 2013 |
Punt | 75, Tanner Blain, San Diego State vs. Wyoming | 2016 |
Field goal | 51, shared by: Jonah Dalmas, Boise State vs. San Jose State Jose Pizano, UNLV vs. Boise State | 2020, 2023 |
Miscellaneous | Record, Team vs. Team | Year |
Game attendance | 31,473, UNLV vs. Boise State | 2023 |
Source: [9]
The National Football League (NFL) playoffs is the single-elimination tournament to determine the annual league champion. The four-round tournament is held after the league's regular season. Since the 2020 season, seven teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season winning percentage, with a tie-breaking procedure if required. The top team in each conference receives a first-round bye, automatically advancing to the next round. The tournament culminates in the Super Bowl, the league's championship game, competed between teams from each conference.
Mid-major conferences in American college sports at the NCAA Division I level are athletic conferences that are not among the Power conferences. The grouping is used particularly in men's college basketball to describe conferences outside of the Big Ten, Big 12, Big East, SEC, Pac-12, and ACC, collectively referred to as the Power Six or "high majors".
The SEC Championship Game is an annual American football game that has determined the Southeastern Conference's season champion since 1992. For its first 32 seasons, the championship game pitted the SEC East Division regular season champion against the West Division regular season champion. With the SEC eliminating football divisions after the 2023 season, future games will feature the top two teams in the conference standings. Since 2007, the game has typically been played on the first Saturday of December, and the game has been held in Atlanta since 1994, first at the Georgia Dome, and at Mercedes-Benz Stadium since 2017.
The teams that participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision earn the right to compete in a series of post-season games called bowl games. As of 2023, there are 42 bowl games, and all are contractually obligated to offer bids to specific conferences, a situation known as a "tie-in". The "top" six bowl games in the nation select their teams as part of the College Football Playoff (CFP), which was put into place for a minimum of 12 years, beginning with the 2014 season. Prior to 2014, the top five games in the country were chosen under the system known as the Bowl Championship Series. The bowls outside of the CFP have individual contracts with the conferences to offer preferential bids to teams from those conferences. As long as teams are bowl eligible, they may be selected by these bowls to meet these contracts.
A wild card is a tournament or playoff berth awarded to a team or individual that does not directly qualify. In some events, wildcards are chosen freely by the organizers. Other events have fixed rules. Some North American professional sports leagues compare the records of teams which did not qualify directly by winning a division or conference.
The Conference USA Football Championship Game is an annual American football game that has determined the season champion of Conference USA (CUSA) since 2005.
The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game that has been played annually in the Miami metropolitan area since January 1, 1935. Along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, it is one of the oldest bowl games in the country behind only the Rose Bowl, which was first played in 1902 and has been played annually since 1916.
The Pac-12 Football Championship Game was an annual college football game held by the Pac-12 Conference to determine the season's conference champion. The game from the 2011–2021 seasons had the champion of the North Division against the champion of the South Division. The inaugural game was held during the 2011 season. In 2022 and 2023, the two teams with the highest conference winning percentage faced off in the championship game.
The College Football Playoff (CFP) is an annual postseason knockout invitational tournament to determine a national champion for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level of college football competition in the United States. It culminates in the College Football Playoff National Championship game. The inaugural tournament was held at the end of the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season under a four-team format. The CFP Board of Managers voted in 2023 to expand the playoff to twelve teams beginning in 2024, an arrangement that will last at least through the end of the 2025 season. After 2025, the current contract between all major players expires and a new contract will be drawn up, with indications that additional expansion may take place as soon as 2026.
The 2015–16 NCAA football bowl games were a series of college football bowl games. They completed the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The games began on December 19, 2015, and, aside from the all-star games, ended with the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship which was played on January 11, 2016.
The American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game is a college football game currently held by the American Athletic Conference each year to determine the conference's season champion. The inaugural game was held on December 5, 2015, at 12:00 pm ET.
The 2016–17 NCAA football bowl games were a series of college football bowl games which completed the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The games began on December 17, 2016, and aside from the all-star games ended with the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship which was played on January 9, 2017.
The 2016 Mountain West Conference Championship Game was played on Saturday, December 3, 2016 at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyoming, and determined the 2016 football champion of the Mountain West Conference (MW). The game featured the MW West Division champion San Diego State Aztecs visiting the Mountain Division co-champion Wyoming Cowboys, with the Aztecs winning 27–24. It was broadcast nationally by ESPN for the second consecutive year.
The 2016 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game, held on Saturday, December 3, 2016, was the second football championship game for that conference. Houston defeated Temple, 24–13, in last year's game.
The 2018 Mountain West Conference Championship Game was played on Saturday, December 1, 2018, at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho, to determine the 2018 football champion of the Mountain West Conference (MW). For the second consecutive year, the game featured the West Division champion Fresno State Bulldogs visiting the Mountain Division champion Boise State Broncos. The game was broadcast nationally by ESPN for the fourth consecutive year.
The 2017 Mountain West Conference Championship Game was played on Saturday, December 2, 2017 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho, to determine the 2017 football champion of the Mountain West Conference (MW). The game featured the MW West Division champion Fresno State Bulldogs visiting the Mountain Division champion Boise State Broncos. It was broadcast nationally by ESPN for the third consecutive year.
The New Year's Six, sometimes abbreviated as NY6, are the following NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) bowl games: the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl. These games are played annually on or around New Year's Day and represent six of the ten oldest bowl games played at the FBS level.
The Colley Matrix is a computer-generated sports rating system designed by Dr. Wesley Colley. It is one of more than 40 polls, rankings, and formulas recognized by the NCAA in its list of national champion selectors in college football.
The 2023 Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game was a college football game which was played on December 2, 2023, at Allegiant Stadium in the Las Vegas-area community of Paradise, Nevada. It was the 11th edition of the Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game and determined the champion of the Mountain West Conference (MW) for the 2023 season. The game began at 12:00 p.m. PST and was aired on Fox. The game featured the Boise State Broncos and the UNLV Rebels.
The 2023–24 NCAA football bowl games were a series of college football bowl games in the United States, primarily played to complete the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Team-competitive bowl games in FBS began on December 16 and concluded with the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship on January 8, 2024, which was won by the Michigan Wolverines. The all-star portion began on January 13 and concluded on February 24.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)