Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson Sheds Light On Realignment, CFP
Jul 20, 2022, 4:22 PM | Updated: 4:24 pm
Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson speaking at the conclusion of the Mountain West Conference Championship game between the Fresno State Bulldogs and the Boise State Broncos at Albertsons Stadium in Boise Idaho, USA. Boise State won the game 28-14. (Photo by Loren Orr/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Photo by Loren Orr/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The commissioner of the Mountain West Conference Craig Thompson shared his thoughts on realignment and the College Football Playoff.
Craig Thompson and the Mountain West Conference hosted Media Days in Las Vegas, beginning on Wednesday when he discussed realignment and CFP.
KSL Sports anchor Sam Farnsworth attended Thompson’s press conference, while the commissioner also caught up with Hans Olsen and Scott Garrard on the KSL Sports Zone.
Craig Thompson On Conference Realignment
It was a shock to Thompson, along with everyone around the college football world when USC and UCLA decided to leave the Pac-12 and join the Big Ten in 2024.
Hans Olsen asked the Mountain West commissioner if he thinks we are done with shifting in college sports in 2022.
“I would say possibly not,” Thompson told KSL Sports Zone. “Because now the Pac-12 is up in their exclusive negotiation window with ESPN, FOX, CBS and others. Depending on how that goes, then we might be done. The television networks might say ‘If you have these 10 schools, we’ll pay you x, if you add this school or that school, we’ll pay you x-plus.’ Until they have those conversations, I think there will be some instability.”
Craig Thompson On CFP
During the off-season, it was announced that the College Football Playoff would not be expanding to more than four teams. That left disappointment across the college football landscape at every level. Thompson had some thoughts on that.
“I would hope in a couple of years there is a new CFP format that we’re a part of,” Thompson told the media. He also mentioned that a big reason why the Mountain West is eliminating its two divisions beginning in 2023 is because of the CFP.
“To have a better chance at getting in the College Football Playoff…to get the best opportunity for our champion to play in a New Year’s Eve bowl.”
Best case scenario for the MW:
“I would hope in a couple years there is a new CFP format that we’re a part of.” – Craig Thompson in his morning press conference.@kslsports l #MWMediaDays pic.twitter.com/u1B7GJAzCS— Sam Farnsworth (@Samsworth_KSL) July 20, 2022
