Commissioner sees stability for Mountain West
Dark clouds hung over many previous Mountain West football media days, but the mood is quite different this week.
Though not exactly a joyous atmosphere at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, there also isn't a sense of panic.
Commissioner Craig Thompson held his annual state-of-the-conference news conference on Tuesday, and he was asked about issues ranging from cost-of-attendance stipends to revenue distribution, but not about whether the league would survive beyond the 2016 presidential election.
"Last year was interesting because of the potential turmoil," Thompson said. "My peers in the five non-Group of Five leagues orchestrated very well their threats. The anguish and angst over you're going to be left behind.
"I like where it's settling in. I think the TV contracts and the (College Football Playoff) contract and the governance have gotten us into a position that maybe we're going to be stable for a while."
That doesn't mean all the Mountain West's troubles are in the past.
Another conference could expand and begin a domino effect that would affect the Mountain West, but other than the Big Ten Conference, leagues are locked into long-term TV contracts. And the Big Ten isn't far from announcing its own megadeal.
But TV viewing is changing, and that could cause issues when future contracts are negotiated. Many viewers are leaving cable and satellite and going digital, and that could result in a leveling of the playing field between the power-five conferences and the Mountain West.
Thompson, though, was skeptical the field would be leveled much, if at all, and noted the gap between his conference and the power five is growing.
But of all the Group of Five leagues, Thompson oversees the strongest one.
"We're here today still standing," he said.
GAME CHANGE — UNLV's annual game with UNR will be played on the final weekend of the regular season beginning in 2016.
The schools played on the final weekend last season, and both universities wanted to make that a tradition. But this season's game is Oct. 3 in Reno.
After both schools made their scheduling concerns known to the conference, the Mountain West membership decided to allow each institution to request one date.
That was an easy call for UNLV and UNR.
"It's rivalry weekend, so it's exciting to have that game pushed back to the end of the year," Rebels coach Tony Sanchez said.
LOOKING BACK — The end of the game at Hawaii last season left a bitter taste with the Rebels and their fans.
The feeling, understandably, was quite different in Honolulu, and Rainbow Warriors coach Norm Chow said few finishes rank up there with that one.
UNLV scored with 15 seconds left, but a series of controversial events helped Hawaii reached the end zone with no time remaining to hand the Rebels a crushing 37-35 defeat.
"That was as crazy as it got," Chow said. "The fact that we even had a shot ... it was nuts."
A Honolulu Star-Advertiser writer asked Sanchez on Tuesday about playing Hawaii, saying the Warriors refer to the series as "an in-state rivalry."
"Our nickname is the ’ninth island,'" Sanchez acknowledged. "There's a natural ebb and flow between the two places."
Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.
2015 MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
MOUNTAIN DIVISION
Rk. Team (first-place votes) Pts.
1. Boise State (28) 177
2. Utah State (2) 150
3. Colorado State 108
4. Air Force 90
5. Wyoming 64
6. New Mexico 41
WEST DIVISION
Rk. Team (first-place votes) Pts.
1. San Diego State (27) 177
2. Fresno State (3) 141
3. UNR 113
4. San Jose State 91
5. Hawaii 70
6. UNLV 38
2015 MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Offense
QB Chuckie Keeton Sr. Utah State
WR Rashard Higgins* Jr. Colorado State
WR Devonte Boyd** So. UNLV
RB Donnel Pumphrey* Jr. San Diego State
RB Marteze Waller** Sr. Fresno State
OL Marcus Henry* Sr. Boise State
OL Rees Odhiambo** Sr. Boise State
OL Alex Fifita Sr. Fresno State
OL Ben Clarke Sr. Hawaii
OL Pearce Slater Sr. San Diego State
TE Steven Walker* Sr. Colorado State
Defense
DL Alex Hansen** Sr. Air Force
DL Kamalei Correa* Jr. Boise State
DL Ian Seau** Sr. UNR
DL Eddie Yarbrough* Sr. Wyoming
LB Tanner Vallejo** Jr. Boise State
LB Kyler Fackrell Sr. Utah State
LB Nick Vigil* Jr. Utah State
DB Weston Steelhammer* Jr. Air Force
DB Donte Deayon** Sr. Boise State
DB Darian Thompson* Sr. Boise State
DB Damontae Kazee** Jr. San Diego State
Specialists
P Alex Boy** Sr. UNR
PK Donny Hageman Sr. San Diego State
Ret. Carlos Wiggins Sr. New Mexico
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Rashard Higgins, Jr., WR, Colorado State
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Kyler Fackrell, Sr., LB, Utah State
Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year: Donny Hageman, Sr., PK, San Diego State
* - member of the 2014 All-Mountain West first team.
** - member of the 2014 All-Mountain West second team.
