Mountain West Sends Seven Teams to Postseason
* Mountain West press release
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Mountain West has placed seven teams in bowl games in 2023, marking the fourth time in five years with at least seven teams competing in the postseason.
Fresno State (Isleta New Mexico Bowl), Boise State (Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk), Air Force (Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl), Utah State (Famous Idaho Potato Bowl), San José State (EasyPost Hawai‘i Bowl), UNLV (Guaranteed Rate Bowl) and Wyoming (Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl) will represent the Mountain West in the postseason.
The Mountain West has earned 118 bowl bids since 1999 and holds a 66-52 (.559) all-time record. Over the last 19 seasons, the league has captured the Bowl Challenge Cup five times and owns the third-best win percentage in bowl games among the 10 FBS conferences with a 59-44 (.573) mark.
Isleta New Mexico Bowl | Fresno State vs. New Mexico State
Saturday, December 16 | Albuquerque, N.M. | 3:45 p.m. MT | ESPN
Fresno State (8-4, 4-4 MW) will play New Mexico State (10-4, 7-1 CUSA) on Saturday, Dec. 16, in the Isleta New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Bulldogs, who will be making their third straight bowl appearance and will be seeking their fifth consecutive bowl win, were ranked as high as No. 24 nationally this season. Fresno State, which will be making its fourth appearance in the New Mexico Bowl, is 18-1 all-time against New Mexico State, with the teams last meeting in 2019. The squads are also scheduled to meet in September 2024. The Aggies fell to No. 20 Liberty in the CUSA Championship Game on Friday.
Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk | Boise State vs. UCLA
Saturday, December 16 | Los Angeles, Calif. | 4:30 p.m. PT | ABC
2023 Mountain West champion Boise State (8-5, 6-2 MW) will face off against UCLA (7-5, 4-5 Pac-12) on Saturday, Dec. 16, in the Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk. The Broncos, who are coming off a 44-20 victory over UNLV in the 2023 MW Football Championship Game, are riding a four-game win streak and have secured their 26th consecutive winning season. Paced by MW Offensive Player of the Year Ashton Jeanty, Boise State will be playing in its first bowl game under the direction of Spencer Danielson, who was named BSU’s head coach Sunday after spending the previous three games in the interim role. Boise State, which is bowl eligible for a 26th consecutive season – the second-longest active streak in the nation – will be facing the Bruins for just the second time, with UCLA winning the lone meeting between the squads in September 1999. MW squads are 2-0 all-time against UCLA in bowl games, as BYU won the 2007 Las Vegas Bowl (17-16) and Wyoming won the 2004 Las Vegas Bowl (24-21).
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl | Air Force vs. James Madison
Saturday, December 23 | Fort Worth, Texas | 2:30 p.m. CT | ABC
Air Force (8-4, 5-3 MW) will face No. 24 James Madison (11-1, 7-1 Sun Belt) in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, on Saturday, Dec. 23. The Falcons will be making their second straight appearance in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl and record seventh overall. Air Force will be making its fourth bowl appearance in the last five seasons and has won its last four bowl games, dating back to 2016. Air Force, which was ranked as high as No. 17 nationally this season, opened its season with eight straight wins, racing out to its best start since 1985. The Falcons, who are appearing in their 13th bowl game under head coach Troy Calhoun, will face James Madison, which will be appearing in its inaugural bowl, for the first time.
Famous Idaho Bowl | Utah State vs. Georgia State
Saturday, December 23 | Boise, Idaho | 1:30 p.m. MT | ESPN
Utah State (6-6, 4-4 MW) will face Georgia State (6-6, 3-5 Sun Belt) in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise, Idaho, on Saturday, Dec. 23. The Aggies will be making their fifth appearance in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, which is the most by any team in the bowl’s history. Utah State, which will be making their sixth bowl appearance in seven years, have never faced the Panthers before and will be facing a Sun Belt team in a bowl for the first time.
EasyPost Hawai‘i Bowl | San José State vs. Coastal Carolina
Saturday, December 23 | Honolulu, Hawai‘i | 5:30 p.m. HT | ESPN
As previously announced on Thursday, San José State (7-5, 6-2 MW) accepted a bid to play Coastal Carolina (7-5, 5-3 Sun Belt) on Saturday, Dec. 23, in the EasyPost Hawai‘i Bowl, marking the third time in the last four seasons the Spartans have earned a bowl bid. SJSU claimed a share of the regular-season MW title and has won a league-best six straight games entering bowl play. Head coach Brent Brennan is the first San José State coach to lead the program to three bowls, while quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, the Mountain West’s career leader in total offense yards and plays and touchdowns responsible for, returns to his home state, where he played the first four years of his career at the University of Hawai‘i. The Spartans and Chanticleers have never met in football.
Guaranteed Rate Bowl | UNLV vs. Kansas
Tuesday, December 26 | Phoenix, Ariz. | 7 p.m. MST | ESPN
UNLV (9-4, 6-2 MW) will take on Kansas (8-4, 5-4 Big 12) in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday, Dec. 26. The Rebels, who claimed a share of their first MW regular-season title and made their first appearance in the MW Championship on Saturday, will be making their first bowl appearance since 2013 and are 3-1 in bowls all-time. UNLV, which has its most overall wins since 1984, boasts the MW Coach of the Year in Barry Odom, the MW Special Teams Player of the Year in Jose Pizano and the MW Freshman of the Year in Jayden Maiva. UNLV and Kansas have met twice previously, with the Rebels winning in 2002 and the Jayhawks victorious in 2003.
Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl | Wyoming vs. Toledo
Saturday, December 30 | Tucson, Ariz. | 2:30 p.m. MST | The CW & Barstool.TV
Wyoming (8-4, 5-3 MW) will meet Toledo (11-2, 8-0 MAC), which is coming off a defeat in the MAC championship game to Miami (Ohio), in the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 30, in Tucson, Arizona. This year marks the sixth time Wyoming has made a bowl game in the last eight seasons and the second straight season in the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl and third time in the bowl in the last five seasons. Wyoming will be making a third consecutive bowl appearance for the first time in program history. The Cowboys and Rockets have squared off twice, with Wyoming winning in 2010 (20-15) and Toledo winning in 2012 (34-31).