Besides the Las Vegas Bowl, the MWC currently has affiliations with four other bowl gamesGETTY IMAGES
The Mountain West Conference appears to be "on the verge of big changes to its television contracts, football bowl affiliations and even its membership structure," according to Mike Grimala of the LAS VEGAS SUN. MWC Commissioner Craig Thompson said that the conference's TV deals with CBS and ESPN have been an "ongoing topic of internal conversation among the league office and university presidents and athletic directors, with revenue and start times among the priorities for the league." The current contracts run through the '19-20 season. Thompson said that while the deals can "open for renegotiation in the spring," the networks are "taking a wait-and-see approach." Thompson said that the MWC wants to "secure as much revenue as possible while maintaining some control of game times." With news that the Las Vegas Bowl could be "ending its relationship" with the MWC when the game moves to the new Raiders stadium in '20, Thompson was "pressed on the possibility of new bowl allegiances." The MWC has "affiliations with four other bowl games," and it can "sign up to as many as six bowl affiliation deals." Thompson said that a second bowl game in Las Vegas is a "possibility but far from a sure thing at this point" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 7/25).
HOPE FOR A BETTER OUTCOME: In Las Vegas, Mark Anderson writes the MWC can "look warily at what Conference USA experienced two years ago" when its members went from making $1.1M per year from TV rights to $200,000. MWC members "currently make" $1.1M. If the number comes in low, the MWC can "decide to go heavy on digital coverage rather than a traditional TV contract and gain greater control of kickoff and tipoff times." Thompson: "That very well could be an outcome." He added that a five-person subcommittee is "devoted to working on the next set of TV contracts," and conference officials are "updated three or four times per week" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 7/25).
