Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game

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 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.

Past Champions

Pre-Championship Game Era (1999–2012)

Final AP rankings shown.

Mountain West Conference Championship Game (2013–present)

Rankings from the AP Poll as of the championship game.

Results by team

• 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

Selection criteria

The division champion is the team with the highest conference winning percentage.

Two-team tiebreaker procedure

1. Head-to-head record between the tied teams
2. Winning percentage of the tied teams within the division
3. 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
4. Winning percentage of the tied teams against common conference opponents
5. Higher College Football Playoff ranking (or composite of selected computer ranking if neither team is ranked) following the final week of the regular season
6. Overall winning percentage against FBS opponents
7. Coin toss

^[2]

Three or more-team tiebreaker procedure

1. Head-to-head record among the tied teams
2. Winning percentage among the tied teams within the division
3. 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
4. Winning percentage among the tied teams against common conference opponents
5. Higher College Football Playoff ranking (or composite of selected computer ranking if neither team is ranked) following the final week of the regular season

^[2]

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]

1. Team with better composite ranking among selected computer rankings
2. Head-to-head record
3. Record versus common conference opponents
4. Winning percentage against the next-highest placed common conference opponent and proceeding through the conference, with placing based on:
   1. Placement within the division
   2. Overall conference record
   3. Composite of selected computer rankings
5. Coin toss

See also

List of NCAA Division I FBS Conference Championship games

References