Colorado State University Athletics
Mountain West announces upcoming bowl lineup
7/24/2019 2:20:00 PM | Football
New game in Los Angeles will take conference champion
LAS VEGAS – When the Las Vegas Bowl ended its two-decade agreement with the Mountain West to take its champion, it led to some trying moments for the conference offices. However, commissioner Craig Thompson is more than happy with the solution at the back end.
The conference announced Wednesday the newly formed bowl in Los Angeles at the NFL facility which will house both the Chargers and the Rams will replace Las Vegas the marquee game in the Mountain West bowl lineup -- played against an opponent from the Pac-12 -- one which features six guaranteed spots and up to nine potential opportunities.
The agreements start next year and through the 2025-26 campaign, and at the end of the right season, the champion could still be headed to a New Year's Six game.
"I think they're both equally important, but I'm really excited about the opportunity in Los Angeles because it's a world-class facility, it's fresh, it's new," Thompson said from Mountain West media days. "Nothing against Las Vegas, where we've played a bowl game in 19 of 20 years here, but the fans will love it. It's something different, it's something new. Obviously getting everybody housed is extremely important. As I said my in remarks (Tuesday), to tell somebody they don't have a bowl slot when you earned it, deserved it, but the marketplace just didn't accommodate it, it's one of the hardest things you do.
"It is important to have six, but I'm just thrilled about Los Angeles."
The Los Angeles Bowl – there is no official name or game sponsor as of yet – will headline the Mountain West's bowl possibilities. Guarantees remain with the conference-centered events at the Hawaii Bowl, Potato Bowl, New Mexico Bowl, as well as the Arizona Bowl. In addition, the league will send a team to one of the three games in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex – the Armed Forces Bowl, the Frisco Bowl or the Heart of Dallas Bowl. All of them are owned by ESPN, allowing for a rotational flow.
Colorado State athletic director Joe Parker was pleased the conference was able to address two key areas, as a bowl-eligible team from the Mountain West was left out of the bowl picture in 2018.
"We are excited Commissioner Thompson and the Mountain West staff were able to secure a spot for our conference champion in the new bowl game in Los Angeles," Parker said. "This state-of-the-art NFL facility in Southern California will provide great exposure for all of the members and provide a remarkable destination for fans. Just as important is the fact we are now back to six guaranteed bowl spots, offering more options for our qualified teams to play in bowl games.
Thompson said there were discussions with the Phoenix-based bowl to send the champion there, but the opportunity in Los Angeles was too good to ignore.
"We recruit the heck out of Southern California. I was talking to UNLV coach Tony Sanchez on Monday night, and he said 60 percent of his roster is Southern Californians," Thompson said. "It's not that high every place, but it's a huge market for us."
For the same reasons, Thompson likes having an option in Dallas, noting Texas is another recruiting hotbed league coaches tap into annually and considers it another destination spot for fans.
The league still holds a back-up option for consideration for the Cheez-It's Bowl.
This year, the last with the Las Vegas Bowl, the Mountain West has five guarantees with back-up plans with both the Cheez-Its and Redbook bowls.
The conference announced Wednesday the newly formed bowl in Los Angeles at the NFL facility which will house both the Chargers and the Rams will replace Las Vegas the marquee game in the Mountain West bowl lineup -- played against an opponent from the Pac-12 -- one which features six guaranteed spots and up to nine potential opportunities.
The agreements start next year and through the 2025-26 campaign, and at the end of the right season, the champion could still be headed to a New Year's Six game.
"I think they're both equally important, but I'm really excited about the opportunity in Los Angeles because it's a world-class facility, it's fresh, it's new," Thompson said from Mountain West media days. "Nothing against Las Vegas, where we've played a bowl game in 19 of 20 years here, but the fans will love it. It's something different, it's something new. Obviously getting everybody housed is extremely important. As I said my in remarks (Tuesday), to tell somebody they don't have a bowl slot when you earned it, deserved it, but the marketplace just didn't accommodate it, it's one of the hardest things you do.
"It is important to have six, but I'm just thrilled about Los Angeles."
The Los Angeles Bowl – there is no official name or game sponsor as of yet – will headline the Mountain West's bowl possibilities. Guarantees remain with the conference-centered events at the Hawaii Bowl, Potato Bowl, New Mexico Bowl, as well as the Arizona Bowl. In addition, the league will send a team to one of the three games in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex – the Armed Forces Bowl, the Frisco Bowl or the Heart of Dallas Bowl. All of them are owned by ESPN, allowing for a rotational flow.
Colorado State athletic director Joe Parker was pleased the conference was able to address two key areas, as a bowl-eligible team from the Mountain West was left out of the bowl picture in 2018.
"We are excited Commissioner Thompson and the Mountain West staff were able to secure a spot for our conference champion in the new bowl game in Los Angeles," Parker said. "This state-of-the-art NFL facility in Southern California will provide great exposure for all of the members and provide a remarkable destination for fans. Just as important is the fact we are now back to six guaranteed bowl spots, offering more options for our qualified teams to play in bowl games.
Thompson said there were discussions with the Phoenix-based bowl to send the champion there, but the opportunity in Los Angeles was too good to ignore.
"We recruit the heck out of Southern California. I was talking to UNLV coach Tony Sanchez on Monday night, and he said 60 percent of his roster is Southern Californians," Thompson said. "It's not that high every place, but it's a huge market for us."
For the same reasons, Thompson likes having an option in Dallas, noting Texas is another recruiting hotbed league coaches tap into annually and considers it another destination spot for fans.
The league still holds a back-up option for consideration for the Cheez-It's Bowl.
This year, the last with the Las Vegas Bowl, the Mountain West has five guarantees with back-up plans with both the Cheez-Its and Redbook bowls.
Thursday, May 14
Monday, May 11
Friday, May 08
Tuesday, April 28