By Bert Leeson

MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

• Mountain West Championship host UNLV is appearing in the title game for the first time. The Rebels also claimed a share of their first regular-season MW title in program history.
• UNLV will be the ninth team to play in the MW Conference Championship. First-time participants in the game are 2-2 when playing a non-first-time participant, with the most recent such team being San José State in 2020 (won 34-20 over Boise State).
• Boise State is making its seventh appearance in the MW Championship and will be seeking its fourth title. The Broncos, who last won in 2019, are making their second straight appearance in the game and sixth in seven seasons. BSU is 3-3 overall in the MW Championship.
• Since BSU’s first MW Championship appearance in 2014, the only other FBS teams with at least seven conference title game appearances are Clemson (seven) and Alabama (seven including 2023).
• While UNLV is hosting the MW Championship at Allegiant Stadium for the first time, the game will be returning to Las Vegas, Nevada, for a second time. San José State hosted the game at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas in 2020.
• This season’s MW Championship will be just the third contested outside of either California or Idaho since the inaugural game in 2013. In addition to the 2020 contest taking place in Las Vegas, the 2015 Championship was in Laramie, Wyoming.
• Boise State and UNLV did not meet in the regular season this year. The squads will be facing off for the first time since a 38-13 Bronco win on Oct. 5, 2019, and just the 12th time overall.
• The 2023 MW Championship will feature the two newest head coaches in the league. UNLV’s Barry Odom is in his first season, while Boise State Spencer Danielson has served two games as the Broncos’ interim head coach.
• Boise State was the preseason favorite to win the league, while UNLV was picked ninth in the preseason MW poll.
• Saturday’s game will feature four of the five individual MW postseason award winners. Boise State sophomore running back Ashton Jeanty was named the Offensive Player of the Year, while UNLV claimed three of the awards, with senior placekicker Jose Pizano being named Special Teams Player of the Year, quarterback Jayden Maiava claiming Freshman of the Year honors and Odom earning Coach of the Year distinction.
• Jeanty has a chance to do what just one MW player has done before him – sweep Offensive Player of the Year and MW Championship Offensive MVP honors. The previous instance was in 2013, the first year of the Championship, when Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr claimed both awards. It has happened three times on the defensive side, most recently by San José State’s Cade Hall in 2020.

AROUND THE MOUNTAIN WEST

• UNLV and Boise State shared the MW regular-season title with San José State, which topped the Rebels 37-31 on the final day of the regular season to force a three-way tie atop the standings. The regular-season title is the second for the Spartans, who won it outright in 2020 en route to also winning the MW Championship.
• SJSU quarterback Chevan Cordeiro became the MW’s career leader in total offense yards in the win over UNLV. The senior threw for 249 yards and ran for 5 in the win over the Rebels, pushing his career total to 13,537 and putting him ahead of previous record-holder Brett Rypien, who had 13,484 yards as a QB at Boise State from 2015-18.
• UNLV head coach Barry Odom was named one of 15 Coach of the Year finalists by College Football News on Wednesday. Odom, in his first year with the program, has led the Rebels to a 9-3 overall record and a 6-2 MW mark to claim UNLV’s first MW regular-season title and a spot in the MW Championship for the first time in program history.
• Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is a semifinalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award. Jeanty is also the award’s reigning Player of the Week after totaling 225 all-purpose yards in the Broncos’ 27-19 win over Air Force in Week 13. The sophomore running back had 14 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown and five catches for a career-best 118 yards and a touchdown. Both of his TDs were impact plays, as he rattled off a 50-yard touchdown run and a 75-yard scoring catch. He is the only FBS player with multiple touchdown runs of 50+ yards and multiple touchdown catches of 50+ yards. He has two of each.
• UNLV placekicker Jose Pizano was named one of three national finalists for the Lou Groza National Place-Kicker Award by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission on Tuesday. Pizano is 23-for-25 on field-goal attempts this season, including a pair of game-winners and a MW-record 6-for-6 performance in a win over Colorado State on Oct. 21. The senior had a streak of 19 straight makes this season, which is tied for the second-longest streak in MW history. Pizano is fourth in the FBS in total points scored (120), field goals made and field goals per game (1.92); sixth in scoring (10.0) and eighth in field-goal percentage (.920).
• Also on Tuesday, Colorado State junior Dallin Holker was named one of three finalists for the Mackey Award, which honors the nation’s top tight end. Holker paces FBS tight ends in several categories, including catches (64) and receiving yards (767). He has six touchdown catches, which is third among all tight ends nationally and is tied for the most in a single season by a CSU tight end. His receptions and receiving yards rank No. 3 and No. 2 in program history, respectively.
• Air Force senior safety Trey Taylor is one of three finalists for the 2023 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, which honors the nation’s best defensive back. Taylor has posted 71 tackles (39 solo), half a sack and three interceptions, including one for a touchdown.
• San Diego State named Sean Lewis its new head coach on Wednesday morning. Lewis replaced Brady Hoke, who retired after the Aztecs’ 33-18 win over Fresno State to end their season. Lewis comes to The Mesa after spending the 2023 season as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Colorado. Prior to that, he was the head coach at Kent State from 2018-22.
• Utah State quarterback Levi Williams was named one of eight Manning Award Stars of the Week after his performance in Week 13. Williams, making the first start in his two-year Utah State career, led the Aggies to a 44-41 double-overtime win at New Mexico to become bowl eligible. The junior accounted for 351 yards of total offense and five touchdowns, including both of USU’s scores in overtime. He was 16-for-27 for 198 yards and two TDs through the air and had 25 carries for 153 yards and three scores on the ground. Williams set the program record for carries by a QB and matched the USU quarterback record with three rushing TDs.

COURTESY MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE