No separate divisions as Mountain West Conference releases fall football schedule

The Mountain West Conference released its 2020 schedule Thursday, which includes abbreviated conference slates for Boise State, Air Force and San Diego State.

Boise State will play seven conference games, plus an additional home game against No. 22 BYU on Nov. 7. Air Force will play six conference games in addition to its matchups against Navy and Army. San Diego State has eight games scheduled after announcing Friday that it will face BYU on Dec. 12.

The Mountain West will not feature separate divisions this year, and the two teams with the best conference winning percentage will play in the title game on Dec. 19.

"We are excited to get our student-athletes back on the football field this fall," Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson said in a statement. "The shift away from a two-division format was necessary to optimize the schedule and allow for maximum flexibility given the various constraints which had to be considered.

"Inasmuch as the season begins with an uneven number of Conference games, and the possibility exists additional games may be lost to COVID-19 challenges, the procedures for determining the participants in and location for the MW Football Championship Game were adapted to accommodate a range of outcomes in as equitable a fashion as possible."

Thompson said last week he would fully anticipate not all 12 teams in the conference would be able to complete their full eight-game schedules due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The schedule is subject to approval from state, county and local officials and comes less than a week after the conference announced it would play a fall season after postponing it in early August.