MWC announces football schedule structure

The Mountain West Conference announced in a press release on Tuesday how its conference football matchup rotational sequence will operate for one four-year cycle.

Each team will play four home and four road conference games each season, and will play every Mountain West opponent home and away during each four-year cycle. Anually, each team will play five intra-divisional games and three cross-divisional contests. Matchups will be determined by computer.

According to the press release, intra-divisional opponents will alternate sites annually (three home/two away or two home/three away). The three cross-divisional opponents will be the same in each two-year period, with the site alternating from the first year to the second. The three cross-divisional opponents which are missed initially will appear on the schedule in the second two years of the cycle, again alternating sites from the third year to the fourth year. The entire four-year sequence will repeat beginning in 2017 and will continue thereafter.

Last month, Boise State and San Diego State both decided to stay in the MWC instead of joining the Big East. After the annoucement by both teams, the Mountain West's directors of athletics formed two football divisions and created the first Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game.

Beginning this fall, Mountain West football membership will include Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, New Mexico, Utah State and Wyoming in the Mountain Division with Fresno State, Hawai`i, Nevada, San Diego State, San Jose State and UNLV in the West Division.

Ryan Carreon is a web editor for DeseretNews.com. E-mail him at rcarreon@desnews.com