Fearing Football Withdrawal? MWC to the Rescue

By Mark Knudson, The Mtn. Insider
March 7, 2011

Already in a cold sweat about the prospect of no football on Sundays next fall?

Fear not.

College football isn’t going anywhere. In fact, with the changes in conference affiliation and the growth of the sport in general, it’s quite possible that next fall’s collegiate season will be the most anticipated and entertaining ever. The full schedules have just been released, and there’s something to look forward to just about every week.

The Mountain West Conference has been front and center in the game of musical conferences, so the camera will be focused squarely on the new-look league when the season kicks off on September 3. Conference newcomer Boise State charges out of the gate and across the country (again) that day to meet SEC power Georgia in the Georgia Dome. National television and all the trappings. A statement game for the MWC, you think?

That same day, two other MWC teams have a chance to make similar statements when TCU visits Baylor from what’s left of the Big 12 and UNLV heads to Madison to meet powerful Wisconsin from the Big 10 (now 12).

Could the MWC take, say, two of three?

The fun doesn’t end there, of course. The Conference race gets started the following week when TCU visits Air Force. The defending Conference champs embark on their final season in the MWC with a target squarely on their backs. On paper, the Falcons appear to be very strong and have always played TCU tough in Colorado Springs.

The very next week, we’re treated to the annual Colorado vs. Colorado State battle in Denver. They don’t open the season against each other this year, but there will be plenty of emotion on both sides once again.

There’s a pair of must-see match-ups the final week of September when the MWC takes on the Big 10 (now 12) twice: Wyoming finally gets a chance to bring next door neighbor Nebraska to Laramie the week before the Huskers open their first ever Big 10 (now 12) schedule. And in what promises to be an emotional day in Ann Arbor, new Michigan coach Brady Hoke and his Wolverines host a team of Hoke’s recruits, San Diego State. No doubt both sidelines will be fired up for this one.

Early October presents Air Force with stern back-to-back tests. The Falcons travel to meet much-improved Notre Dame on October 1 and then go to Navy the following week as they try to defend the Commander in Chiefs Trophy. Meanwhile, the conference race takes another turn when TCU visits San Diego State, who played the Horned Frogs very close this past season. By the end of the month, we’ll know exactly where Air Force stands as the Falcons visit Boise State on the 22nd.

And remember BYU? TCU will get another shot at the independent Cougars on October 28.

While the season does not officially wrap up until four Conference games take place on December 3, what most expect to be the defacto MWC title game takes place on November 12 when TCU travels to Boise to meet the Broncos in the “Hello, Goodbye Bowl,” a match up of BCS busters and Conference rivals for a single year. No doubt the Frogs may be a little miffed that this game was moved from Fort Worth to Boise by the Conference.

Then there’s that late ending to the season, where rivalry games like Colorado State vs. Wyoming are played the same day as many conference title games. It’s going to keep the MWC firmly in the national spotlight right up until the end of the season.

With TCU leaving after the next season, 2011 promises to be unique and memorable with or without the NFL.

Start marking your calendars.

See all of Mark Knudson's blog entries HERE.