Many scenarios in play for Spartans, Mountain West championship game
The San Jose State football team’s shot at a Mountain West championship game berth will come down to its final game against Nevada — and it’ll be in the Wolf Pack’s home state as the Spartans have moved operations to Las Vegas to dodge Santa Clara County restrictions on contact sports.
San Jose State athletic director Marie Tuite said the Spartans’ experience navigating the obstacles to complete a season in the age of coronavirus has been taxing, but helpful in their move to Las Vegas.
“It’s been a heavy lift, but we just look at the positives. Roll our sleeves up and no matter what curveball is thrown our way, we figure it out,” she said on a call with reporters Monday.
“I will say it’s devastating not to be able to play our last few games in CEFCU Stadium, to say goodbye to our seniors.”
The Spartans are one of three Mountain West teams, including Nevada, jousting for two spots in the championship game. As the lone undefeated teams,
San Jose State and Boise State have the clearest path to face off in the Dec. 19 matchup. Here are the scenarios for which the championship matchup will be decided — with some complexity added with possibility of game cancellations:
• If San Jose State defeats Nevada on Friday and Boise State beats Wyoming, the Spartans and Broncos would face off in the title game on Dec. 19.
• If San Jose State beats Nevada and Boise State loses to Wyoming, the Spartans would claim the top spot but still face the Broncos. That’s because Boise State would have one conference loss to Nevada’s two.
• If Nevada beats San Jose State and Boise State beats Wyoming, the Spartans would miss out on the championship game. That’s because Boise State would be the lone undefeated team in the conference, and Nevada’s head-to-head matchup with fellow oneloss team San Jose State would tilt the tiebreaker the Wolf Pack’s way.
• If Nevada beats San Jose State and Wyoming beats Boise State — and all contenders finish with one loss — the teams with the highest winning percentage would go to the championship game. This is where a more complete schedule could boost some teams over others. Nevada at 7-1 (.875) would face off against San Jose State at 5-1 (.833). And Boise State at 4-1 (.800) would miss out, with the lowest win percentage of the three.
Who would host the game? The conference’s top team is slated to host but if that’s SJSU, it will not be able to host a championship game at home. Santa Clara County’s ban on contact sports has pushed the Spartans from CEFCU Stadium and relocated them to Las Vegas to prepare for Friday night’s game.
Then there’s the added twist of possible cancellations. The Spartans could miss out on a championship berth if several things go wrong.
If Saturday’s Boise State vs. Wyoming game is canceled, a SJSU loss to Nevada would eliminate the Spartans from title contention. If San Jose State vs. Nevada is canceled, the Spartans would lock in a championship game berth with an undefeated record. A Wyoming win over Boise State could set up a SJSU vs. Nevada rematch for the championship with that win percentage tiebreaker coming into play again.
The Spartans could also look forward to participating in a bowl game — if they all stay on schedule. The inaugural Los Angeles Bowl, which would have pitted the No. 1 in the Mountain West with the No. 5 team in the Pac-12 Conference, was postponed a year to December 2021.
San Jose State could play in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise and NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl, both against opponents from the Mid-American Conference. They could also participate in the New Mexico Bowl against Conference USA — relocated from Albuquerque to Frisco, Texas this year.