THE RFC MYC: Mountain West Conference (FBS Group Of Five)

Mountain West Conference (FBS Group Of Five)

Overview: Just like the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference (MW) chose to cancel/postpone its 2020 season due to COVID-19, only to have a change of heart at midseason, with the opening week of play being on October 24. After ten weeks of regular-season action, including Air Force's two games against their fellow service academies (a 40-7 win over Navy on October 3, as well as a 10-7 loss to Army on December 19), the San Jose State University Spartans emerged as the unlikely conference champions with a 34-20 win over Boise State on December 19. However, San Jose State's quest for an undefeated season fell short, as the MAC champion Ball State University Cardinals stunned the Spartans 34-13 in the Arizona Bowl on New Year's Eve (December 31). The loss to Ball State gave San Jose State a final overall record of 7-1 for the 2020 season. 

Meanwhile, the other two Mountain West teams that moved on to bowl games won their bowl games, with the University of Nevada Wolfpack (7-2 overall in 2020) knocking off Tulane 38-27 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on December 22, while the University of Hawai'i Rainbows (5-40 defeated Houston 28-14 to claim the New Mexico Bowl crown on Christmas Eve (December 24). The wins by both teams gave the MW a 2-1 overall record for postseason play.

Looking ahead to 2021, San Jose State will look to defend its Mountain West Conference championship, while Boise State (5-2 in 2020) will look to get back into the bowl and championship conversation after "opting out" of postseason play due to the pandemic. Speaking of the Broncos, they'll hope to open the traditional fall season at UCF on September 4, in a contest that has potential early-season bowl-eligibility implications. They'll also play host to Oklahoma State just two weeks later in another contest that could decide bowl eligibility.

2021 Schedules (Teams listed in alphabetical order, click the links below to access to find the schedules)

Editor's Note: At the time this post was uploaded, there is a possibility that the 2021 college football season could be postponed or canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As always, follow RFC @realfootball and/or other media sources for any developments.

NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2020 season. When the team's schedule is submitted, the link (s) will appear in each blog post. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for schedules, schedule updates, preseason previews, and much more.

Final 2020 Mountain West Conference Football Standings

2021 Mountain West Conference Composite Schedule

Mountain Division

Air Force

Boise State 

Colorado State

New Mexico

Utah State

Wyoming

West Division

Fresno State

Hawai'i

Nevada

San Diego State

San Jose State

UNLV

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