DENVER, Colo. -
The
Mountain West Conference today made several announcements prompted by
the new 12-team football alignment and 11-institution configuration in
all other sports beginning with the 2013-14
academic year. The league's directors of athletics formed two football
divisions based upon common geographic regions and traditional
rivalries, while also creating the first Mountain West football
championship game. The group also established schedule models
for men's and women's basketball and received an update on the
implementation of the recently announced Mountain West Digital Network.
The
new football alignments will feature Air Force, Boise State, Colorado
State, New Mexico, Utah State and Wyoming in the
Mountain Division and Fresno State, Hawai'i, Nevada, San Diego State,
San Jose State and UNLV in the West Division. Each team will play five
divisional games and three cross-divisional contests annually. The
actual rotational sequence and matchups will be
developed via computer scheduling models.
The inaugural Mountain West Football Championship game will be played December 7, 2013 at the home stadium of the team with
the highest BCS ranking.
There
will not be divisions for Mountain West men's and women's basketball.
The teams will play an 18-game Conference schedule
that will include home and home games with eight opponents and
single-play games against a rotation of two remaining teams in the
Conference.
The
group also discussed various format options for the postseason men's
and women's basketball championships and scheduling
formats for 2013 and beyond in all other sports. The Olympic sports
scheduling formats are currently being reviewed by the respective
coaches groups, who will then provide recommendations via the Mountain
West governance structure.