The Mountain West football championship game has found a new home after CBS elected to not pick up its option to air the title game. ESPN picked up the rights to the title game and will air the championship game on either ESPN or ESPN2 through the 2020 season.
The 2015 #MWFB Championship Game will be played Sat., Dec. 5 at 5:30 pm MT / 4:30 pm PT on ESPN2! @ESPNPR @ESPNCFB pic.twitter.com/NOjM7dAV66
— Mountain West (@mountainwest) May 15, 2015
Having the game on a reasonable hour for the 205 version at 7:30 p.m. ET compared to 10 p.m. ET on CBS could give the conference better exposure.
"With the addition of the Mountain West football title game, fans can follow the conference's games and developing storylines from the opening week to the crowing of the champion on ESPN," said Kurt Dargis, director, ESPN programming. "We look forward to building on our relationship with the conference that has already delivered many memorable moments on our platforms."
It makes sense to keep the title game with a familiar brand that also shows Mountain West games throughout the year, and not move it to NBCSN or a Fox outlet. Competition will be a bit more stiff at that time wit the Big Ten and ACC title game, and also whatever Big 12 games are going on.
In the end, this is a great move despite the small drop in exposure, but being on ESPN2 and an earlier time slot should make up the difference in any possible loss of viewership.