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LAS VEGAS — Mountain West Conference commissioner Gloria Nevarez, who began her tenure in January, delivered an optimistic address Wednesday as she opened up the two-day football media day event in Las Vegas.
Here's a look at what the new commissioner had to say about her conference and the different issues surrounding it.
Conference realignment drama
The biggest topic centered around the foggy situation with San Diego State's status in the conference, though Nevarez insisted the conflict had been resolved.
"As it relates to San Diego State, I'm proud to report that earlier this week we came to a resolution and San Diego State will continue to be a member in good standing to the 23-24 season," she said, noting that "there's nothing concrete about where anyone's aligned these days — nobody knows what the future looks like."
In a world where college football conference alignment is fluid, Nevarez said the Mountain West, which is celebrating its 25th season as a conference, is constantly evaluating options for expansion and discussing how to remain competitive should the top teams in the conference get poached by other conferences.
"It used to be that conference movement was an anomaly," Nevarez said. "Now it seems to be a regular part of business. ... (Losing teams to other conferences is) something we think about regularly and we're prepared for; and as long as we maintain our positioning in the FBS space, in that high level position, we're going to be fine."
The commissioner remains optimistic about the future of the conference and expects to be "among the top six FBS conferences nationally."
And why shouldn't she be? In the landscape of the college football universe, a higher tier Group of Five conference might even be able to surpass a lower tier Power Five conference in today's world of media deals and conference realignment — to say nothing of its spot in next seasons College Football Playoff expansion.
The conference will switch to a single division in 2023 for the first time since 2012, with the hope to create more balance in the league and to have the two best teams play each other in the conference championship game. That move, Nevarez believes, will help the conference secure an automatic bid in a New Years Six bowl game this year and a spot in the expanded College Football Playoff next year.
The conference has not had a bid to a New Year's Six bowl since 2014, when Boise State defeated Arizona 38-30 in the Vizio Fiesta Bowl.
Nevarez said her focus of being the "megaphone" will help the nation see what is already happening in the Mountain West so their teams can gain more respect in national polls.
NIL laws
New name, image and likeness law changes could be part of the reason that conferences like the Mountain West that include teams in smaller markets have struggled to be competitive against other conferences in recent years. Nevarez spoke openly about such NIL laws and what action should be taken.
"Yesterday, I had a chance with our staff to meet with our football student-athletes and talk about some of those (national) issues (like NIL laws)," Nevarez said. "Generally speaking, our student-athletes thought it was great, but 'pay-for-play' is a problem. We need Congress to assist in a solution to help the NCAA regulate NIL in a way that we can prevent 'pay-for-play.' Without national regulation, you can't have national competition which culminates in national championships."
She later told KSL.com that she hoped Congress implemented a proposal to ensure transparency with NIL deals rather than a market "governed by rumor and hearsay." She added that, overall, most athletes felt NIL laws, as they stand, are a "good thing."
