The Mountain West is trying to be like the rest.
On Tuesday, the conference announced they will start the 2013 season with two divisions and a conference champion; just like the SEC, Pac-12, B1G and ACC.
There will be two six-team divisions, appropriately named the "Mountain" and "West."
The Mountain division features teams from the Rocky Mountain Region; Colorado State, Air Force, Wyoming, Boise State, New Mexico and Utah State. The West includes San Diego State, Hawai'i, Fresno State, San Jose State, Nevada and UNLV.
In football, teams will play eight MW games per season; five against their division members and three cross-division games. Then, after the season, the two teams with the best records will meet at the home of the school highest in the rankings at that time in the championship game. The Mountain West's first championship will take place December 3, 2013.
The move legitimizes the league by having one definite top team, allowing the MW to argue they have a contender for the National Championship. It also means a likely big payday for the league.
For basketball, where there will be 11 members (Hawaii is a football-only member), teams will play 18 MW games; eight home-and-home series and two against other conference foes.
Rich Kurtzman is a freelance jounalist. You can follow Rich on twitter or facebook for all your College Sports news and opinion.
Comments