BYU FOOTBALL

Mountain West Expects To Continually Be In Expanded College Football Playoff

Jun 20, 2024, 11:31 AM

Mountain West Football Schedule...

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 19: A Mountain West logo is displayed on the field before the Mountain West Football Championship between the Boise State Broncos and the San Jose State Spartans at Sam Boyd Stadium on December 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Spartans defeated the Broncos 34-20. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

SALT LAKE CITY – The College Football Playoff 12-team structure is finally coming this fall. It has been a bumpy road going from four teams to 12.

The demise of the Pac-12 caused a few issues with the number of automatic qualifiers (conference champions) who will get into the College Football Playoff.

The model in place will be the top-five rated conference champions, plus seven at-large teams. This will allow teams outside the power conferences to get at least one guaranteed bid.

This new expansion will give teams from the American, Conference USA, Sun Belt, MAC, and the Mountain West a shot.

Expect the seed for the Group of Five to be No. 12 nearly every year. At least they’ll get a seat at the table to take on the fifth seed.

Mountain West Expects To Earn G5 Playoff Bid

The only year a Mountain West team earned a spot in a major bowl was when Boise State defeated Arizona in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl. The conference has not been to a prestigious bowl game since then.

Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez wants to put an end to this. Joining JJ & Alex on the KSL Sports Zone, Nevarez strongly believes her conference is positioned well to frequently earn a playoff spot in the expanded field.

“There are five spots for the five top-ranked conference champions,” Nevarez said. “While there has been a canyon between us and the Power Four, I don’t see us closing that or becoming one of them anytime soon.

“Our aspiration, goals, and expectations are that we are sitting at the top of our peer conferences and that we’re squarely in that fifth spot for the expanded [College Football] Playoffs.”

The Mountain West has been on the outside looking in prior years for a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl game over the past decade. Realignment will help them as Houston, Memphis, UCF, and Cincinnati are now in a power conference.

Those four schools earned six of the 10 Group of Five spots during the four-team playoff era. With less competition in the way, it should open the spot for a Mountain West team to get a playoff bid.

As of right now, ESPN’s FPI gives Boise State the best chance at earning a playoff bid at 16.4% with UTSA out of the American as the next closest team with a 15.6% chance going to the College Football Playoff.

 

Tune into JJ & Alex every Monday through Friday, 3-6 p.m. on 1280 AM and 97.5 FM, or subscribe to the podcast. Also, download the all-new KSL Sports app on iOS or Android.

Download the new & improved KSL Sports app from Utah’s sports leader. You can stream live radio, video and stay up to date on all of your favorite teams.

BYU Football

tom holmoe...

Patrick Kinahan

PK: Tom Holmoe Leaves Firm Foundation At BYU Athletics

With the heavy lifting over for BYU – at least for now, anyway – Tom Holmoe can leave knowing his strong leadership has given the athletic department a solid foundation going forward.

22 hours ago

Tom Holmoe, BYU Athletics, Memorable Moments...

Mitch Harper

Memorable BYU Athletics Moments During Tom Holmoe Era

Looking back at the Tom Holmoe era of BYU Athletics.

23 hours ago

tom holmoe...

KSL Sports

What KSL Sports Hosts Are Saying About Tom Holmoe Retirement

Holmoe's retirement became the topic of conversation across the Wasatch Front, with KSL Sports' hosts getting in on the conversation.

23 hours ago

tom holmoe...

Tanner Tripp and Mitch Harper

Social Media Reacts To BYU AD Tom Holmoe Retiring

After the announcement, social media erupted with reactions to Holmoe's decision, with memories being shared and praise being sent from former athletes, Utah sports legends, and others.

1 day ago

BYU Football, Newcomers, 2025 Season, Keanu Tanuvasa, Kalani Sitake...

Mitch Harper

BYU Football Newcomers Who Could Make An Impact In 2025

Sizing up the potential impact newcomers for BYU football in 2025.

1 day ago

BYU Football, Recruiting, Malakai Lee, Top Six...

Mitch Harper

BYU Football Among Blue Bloods In Final Cut For Top Hawaii Recruit

BYU is in the mix for one of the nation's top offensive tackle prospects in 2026.

5 days ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Northern Utah High School Basketball Players of the Week – Week 2

SALT LAKE CITY – The John Watson Northern Utah High School Player of the Week is celebrating the best high school basketball players in Northern Utah. Presented by John Watson Chevrolet in Ogden, each week we honor athletes for their exceptional performance on the gridiron. Our winners for week two of the season were Jackson Maw from […]

salt lake county player of the week...

Salt Lake County High School Basketball Players of the Week – Week 2

SALT LAKE CITY – The Hercules Salt Lake County High School Player of the Week is celebrating the best high school basketball players in Salt Lake County. Presented by Hercules First Federal Credit Union, each week we honor athletes for their exceptional performance on the gridiron. Our winners for week two were Faythe Stauffer from Riverton High […]

...

Utah County High School Basketball Players of the Week – Week 2

SALT LAKE CITY – The Mr. Mac Utah County High School Player of the Week is awarded each week to the top prep boy’s and girl’s basketball players in Utah County. Sponsored by Mr. Mac, it honors athletes for their performances on the court and exceptional play. Our winners for week two were Easton Hawkins from Lehi […]

...

Northern Utah High School Basketball Players of the Week – Week 1

SALT LAKE CITY – The John Watson Northern Utah High School Player of the Week is celebrating the best high school basketball players in Northern Utah. Presented by John Watson Chevrolet in Ogden, each week we honor athletes for their exceptional performance on the gridiron. Our winners for week one of the season were Sam Romer from […]

salt lake county player of the week...

Salt Lake County High School Basketball Players of the Week – Week 1

SALT LAKE CITY – The Hercules Salt Lake County High School Player of the Week is celebrating the best high school basketball players in Salt Lake County. Presented by Hercules First Federal Credit Union, each week we honor athletes for their exceptional performance on the gridiron. Our winners for week one were Beckham Bayles from Cyprus High […]

...

Utah County High School Basketball Players of the Week – Week 1

SALT LAKE CITY – The Mr. Mac Utah County High School Player of the Week is awarded each week to the top prep boy’s and girl’s basketball players in Utah County. Sponsored by Mr. Mac, it honors athletes for their performances on the court and exceptional play. Our winners for week one were Jaxon McCuistion from Timpanogos […]

Mountain West Expects To Continually Be In Expanded College Football Playoff