The Mountain West Conference has announced the elimination of football divisions beginning with the 2023 season.
Under the new format, the two teams with the highest winning percentage in conference play will advance to the Mountain West Football Championship Game.
The news from the Mountain West comes two days after the NCAA Division I Council relaxed the restrictions for Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) football conference championship games. FBS conferences are now be able to determine their conference championship game participants with or without divisions. Previously, NCAA rules stated that conferences were required to be split into divisions in order to stage a championship game.
“Our membership has been working on concepts since last summer, as part of our strategic planning for the future of the Mountain West,” said MW Commissioner Craig Thompson. “A single-division approach provides maximum flexibility to adapt the Conference schedule as the landscape continues to evolve, while also allowing member institutions to play each other more frequently.”
The Mountain West football schedule and championship game format will remain unchanged for the 2022 season. The winners of the Mountain and West divisions will play in the Mountain West Football Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 3.
A new scheduling model and tiebreaking procedures for future seasons “…are being finalized and will be announced in the coming weeks.”