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On Tuesday the Mountain West Conference announced the football rotational sequence and matchups for the next four seasons. For those of you who don't know, the MWC will be split into 2 divisions next season; the Mountain and the West. Utah State is in the Mountain Division along with Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, New Mexico, and Wyoming; the West Division includes Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, San Diego State, San Jose State, and UNLV.
This schedule is set up so that each MWC team will play a home and an away with every team in the conference during the 4 year cycle. Each team will play 5 intra-divisional games and 3 cross-divisional games each year. The same 3 cross divisional opponent will be played in consecutive years; for example, Utah State will play UNLV, Hawaii, and San Jose State in 2013 and 2014; then San Diego State, Fresno State, and Nevada in 2015 and 2016. Clear as mud? I'm glad I could help.
With an initial look at the schedule, the Aggies should be ecstatic with how this played out. First and foremost, in their first season in the MWC, they get Boise State at home. Who knows what they did to get that lucky but they should wake up every morning and say thank you out loud to no one just because.
They also lucked out not having to travel to Hawaii either. In fact, Utah State's road schedule is tailor made for them to succeed with their only real challenge coming against the Spartans in San Jose; they finished the regular season in the top 25 with the Aggies. Air Force, New Mexico, and UNLV round out their road schedule; with Colorado State and Wyoming at home.
There is a lack of familiar faces in their first 2 years though, no Fresno State and no Nevada. It's a bit disappointing they don't get to play their old WAC foes a little earlier, but I am merely nit picking.
The way this sets up, Utah State should be looking to host the first MWC Championship game on December 7. If they are anywhere close to as good as last year, their game against Boise State should decide who represents the Mountain Division.
