Mountaintop View 2-21-22. Falcons spring, CFP expansion, top games in 2000s, recruiting, Bracketology

It’s Monday and we are back at it! As always, a lot going on. Basketball season is nearing conference tournament time. Football news is always plentiful even in the off-season. Through it all, coverage is still coming your way today in the form of the latest news around the internet and original content later today and all of this week.

Falcons with many answers, few questions as spring ball begins.

Air Force returns their starting QB, RB, 4 of 5 members of the offensive line, and 8 defensive starters from a team that went 10-3 last year. The biggest open positions are at nose tackle and cornerback, with some lesser concerns at guard and wide receiver. The offensive line and linebacker positions figure to be the deepest on the team. And of course, whoever the new defensive coordinator is figures to remain a secret for a while.

Playoff Expansion not happening anytime soon.

After months and months of discussions and planning, then breakdowns and disagreements, playoff expansion is officially on hold until at least 2026. Talks with be postponed for at least a year after the group could not reach a unanimous decision. While voting was not public, it is believed the commissioners from the ACC, PAC-12 and the Big Ten were the ones slowing down the 12-team playoff model. The ACC prefers 8 teams, the PAC-12 wants to figure out how the Rose Bowl fits in, and the Big Ten is for some reason leading the charge for the 5+1 model (5 P5 champs and the highest-rated G5 champ, as opposed to the 6 highest rated conference champions). For what it’s worth, Craig Thompson was one of at least three commissioners spearheading the expansion models.

MWC schools featured in best games of the 2000s.

A few former and current Mountain West teams make the list. Among them are: Hawaii over Houston (#61), Louisville over Boise State (#56), Nevada over Boise State (#7), Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl (#6). It’s great to see MWC teams appear in some of the best games over the past 21 years.

Changes could be coming to recruiting.

The NCAA has been busy with its proposals this offseason. In this one, there are four proposals that directly relate to recruiting. The biggest one, however, is the elimination of the maximum amount of official visits a recruit can take. Currently, one recruit can only visit a total of five schools officially. Any other visits have to come at the expense of the recruit and their family. The next biggest modification seems like the end of any contact college coaches can have with recruits in their high school while classes are in session (with the exception of men’s basketball). These will be voted on in April.

Bracketology.

4 Mountain West teams are in as San Diego State enters the Last Four In

Spring Practice Schedule:

Although the football season hasn’t been over for too long, teams are already starting on preparations for next year. Spring practices are already underway for some teams and are coming up quickly for others. Below is the spring practice schedule list for each of the teams in the Mountain West who have announced so far.

Air Force: February 16th - March 16th

Boise State:

Colorado State:

Fresno State:

Hawaii:

Nevada: -April 23rd

New Mexico: February 8th - March 12th

San Diego State: February 28th-

San Jose State: March 1st - March 26th

UNLV: March 29th - April 30th

Utah State: March 21st - April 23rd

Wyoming:

On the horizon:

• Later today: A new MWC Recruiting Roundup, featuring the Sleeper Team in the 2022 class.
• Coming Tuesday: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly Tight End Preview
• Coming Tuesday: 2022 Recruiting Breakdown: Air Force
• Coming Tuesday: Another round of MWC Basketball Rankings
• Coming Wednesday: Peak Perspective: 2022 Recruiting Pipelines
• Coming Wednesday: 2022 Recruiting Breakdown: Nevada