COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The 2007 Mountain West Conference football schedule was released today and is comprised of 72 games, including 36 Conference match-ups.
The non-conference slate features 16 contests against teams that earned bowl berths in 2006, including BCS Bowl participants Louisville, Notre Dame and Boise State. Additional non-conference opponents who earned bowl bids this past season are Arizona State, California, Cincinnati, Hawai`i, Houston, Navy, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon State, Texas, Tulsa, UCLA and Wisconsin. Eight of the non-conference opponents were ranked in last season's final polls. BYU and TCU also finished the 2006 season ranked 15th and 21st, respectively, in the USA Today Coaches poll.
The 2007 schedule currently features a minimum of 19 national telecasts on VERSUS and CSTV and 30 broadcasts on The Mtn. - MountainWest Sports Network. The Conference anticipates adding more non-conference television road appearances and game times once MWC opponents make those determinations.
The Mountain West Conference kicks off the season on Thursday, August 30 as Utah travel to Corvallis, Ore., to play Oregon State, while UNLV faces Utah State in Logan, Utah. On Saturday, Sept. 1, VERSUS will broadcast a MWC double-header beginning with Virginia at Wyoming at Noon MT, followed by Arizona at BYU at 3:30 p.m. MT. The Mtn. begins its coverage in Colorado Springs when Air Force hosts South Carolina State at Noon MT. CSTV concludes the weekend television coverage with two games featuring MWC teams as TCU hosts Baylor at 5 p.m. CT and New Mexico plays at UTEP beginning at 8 p.m. MT.
The 2007 schedule plays out in a 13-week window and concludes on the final weekend of November. As a result, The Mtn. has created a unique telecast schedule that features seven triple-headers to maximize exposure for MWC member institutions.
The 2007 MWC football television schedule again exemplifies the "Fans First" philosophy. Forty-nine of the 54 MWC-controlled games are set for Saturdays (91 percent) with kickoffs generally near institutionally-preferred time slots. As a result of the MWC's new television dynamic, today's schedule release for the first time ever includes not only dates and match-ups, but virtually every kick time and television outlet. Once again, the 2007 MWC Football schedule features unprecedented exposure for the Mountain West Conference and its member institutions.
Below is the 2007 Mountain West Conference football schedule.
