The Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game is an annual postseason college football game played to determine the champion of the

Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference (MW) is one of the collegiate athletic conferences affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) (formerly I-A). The MW officially began operations o ...

(MW).

History

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 The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...

Conference USA Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are l ...

, and the

Sun Belt Conference The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams participa ...

. The upcoming 2022 championship game is 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. 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. The inaugural MW Championship Game was played on December 7, 2013 at Fresno State's Bulldog Stadium and televised by

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

. The Mountain West Conference champion customarily receives a berth to play in the

Las Vegas Bowl The Las Vegas Bowl is an NCAA Division I FBS annual post-season college football bowl game held in the Las Vegas area. First played in 1992, the bowl was originally held at the 40,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada before moving to the ...

. However, if the MW champion finishes ranked ahead of the champions from the other "Group of Five" mid-major conferences (

, MAC, and

Sun Belt The Sun Belt is a region of the United States generally considered to stretch across the Southeast and Southwest. Another rough definition of the region is the area south of the 36th parallel. Several climates can be found in the region — des ...

) by the selection committee of the

College Football Playoff 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 ...

, 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 Changes may refer to: Books * ''Changes'', the 12th novel in Jim Butcher's ''The Dresden Files'' Series * ''Changes'', a novel by Danielle Steel * ''Changes'', a trilogy of novels on which the BBC TV series was based, written by Peter Dickinson ...

that took effect with the 2013 season.

Past champions

Pre-championship game era (1999–2012)

Final

AP Poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadca ...

rankings shown.

Mountain West Conference Championship Game (2013–present)

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

released prior to the game. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the 2020 game was played behind closed doors without fans.

Results by team

{, class="sortable wikitable" style="text-align:center" , - !Games !School !W !L !Pct !Titles !Runners-up , - , 6 , align=left style=, , 3 , 3 , ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, - , 5 , align=left style=, , 3 , 2 , ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, - , 3 , align=left style=, , 2 , 1 , ,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, - , 2 , align=left style=, , 1 , 1 , .500 ,

, - , 1 , align=left style=, , 1 , 0 , ,

, style="background:#DCDCDC;", , - , 1 , align=left style=, , 0 , 1 , .000 , style="background:#DCDCDC;", ,

, - , 1 , align=left style=, , 0 , 1 , .000 , style="background:#DCDCDC;", ,

* Colorado State,

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

, and

UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...

have yet to make an appearance in a Mountain West Championship Game.

Selection criteria

The division champion is the team with the highest conference

winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

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

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 ''NOTE: If inclement weather forces the head-to-head game between the two tied teams to be cancelled or end in a tie, the tiebreaker procedure ensures the tie will be broken by other means if necessary.''

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

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.

Host determination

Current procedure

The division champion with the better conference record will host the championship game. If the teams have the same record, the following tie-breaking procedure is used: #Head-to-head record #Higher

ranking going into the final week of regular season, excluding teams who are not ranked and/or that lost their final regular season game #Composite of selected computer rankings #Record versus common conference opponents #Highest overall winning percentage (conference and non-conference excluding exempt games) #Coin toss

2013–2017 procedure

From 2013 to 2017, the division champion with the higher

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:Host and divisional tiebreakers
/ref> #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 This procedure was discontinued after the

2017 Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game 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 Divis ...

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.

Game records

{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! style="background:#4e2d7f; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #afafaf;", Team ! style="background:#4e2d7f; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #afafaf;", Record, Team vs. Opponent ! style="background:#4e2d7f; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #afafaf;", 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) , 59, Utah State (46) vs. San Diego State (13) , 2021 , - , 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) , 42, Utah State vs. San Diego State (2nd half) , 2021 , - , 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 , 498, San Jose State (453 passing, 45 rushing) vs. Boise State , 2020 , - , 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 , - ! style="background:#4e2d7f; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #afafaf;", Individual ! style="background:#4e2d7f; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #afafaf;", Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent ! style="background:#4e2d7f; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #afafaf;", Year , - , All-purpose yards , , 437, Nick Starkel, San Jose State vs. Boise State , , 2020 , - , Touchdowns (all-purpose) , , 4, Logan Bonner, Utah State vs. San Diego State , , 2021 , - , 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 Davante Lavell Adams (born December 24, 1992) is an American football wide receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Fresno State, and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the s ...

, Fresno State vs. Utah State , , 2013 , - , Receiving touchdowns , , 2, Brandon Bowling, Utah State vs. San Diego State , , 2021 , - , Tackles , , 16,

Leighton Vander Esch Leighton Vander Esch (born February 8, 1996) is an American football middle linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boise State, and was drafted by the Cowboys in the first round of ...

, 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 , - ! style="background:#4e2d7f; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #afafaf;", Long Plays ! style="background:#4e2d7f; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #afafaf;", Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent ! style="background:#4e2d7f; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #afafaf;", Year , - , Touchdown run , , 28,

Rashaad Penny Rashaad Armein Penny (born February 2, 1996) is an American football running back for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at San Diego State, where, in 2017, he led the nation with 2,248 rushing ...

, San Diego State vs. Air Force , , 2015 , - , Touchdown pass , , 58, Brandon Bowling from Logan Bonner, Utah State vs. San Diego State , , 2021 , - , Kickoff return , , 75,

, 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, Jonah Dalmas, Boise State vs. San Jose State , , 2020 , - ! style="background:#4e2d7f; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #afafaf;", Miscellaneous ! style="background:#4e2d7f; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #afafaf;", Record, Team vs. Team ! style="background:#4e2d7f; color:#FFFFFF; border:2px solid #afafaf;", Year , - , Game attendance , , 31,362, Fresno State vs. Utah State , , 2013 , - Source:

References

{{NCAA Division I FBS conference championship game navbox Recurring sporting events established in 2013 2013 establishments in California