While the world watches the Big Ten and ACC title games on Saturday night, truly adventurous college football fans will keep an eye on the Mountain West Championship Game between San Diego State and Wyoming, live from frigid Laramie. It’s a replay of Wyoming’s thrilling 34-33 win over the Aztecs on Nov. 19.
Wyoming vs. SDSU 2016: Time, live stream, TV schedule, and 3 things to know for Mountain West Championship
Can the Pokes make it two wins over the Aztecs in a month?
Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports
San Diego State was favored to win their division before the start of the season, and they did exactly that. At 6-2 in conference play, the Aztecs finished a full two games ahead of their closest competition in the West division. They're one of the top rushing offenses in the country, led by star running back Donnel Pumphrey. The Aztecs averaged over 6 yards per carry as a team this season, but they have also been efficient throwing the ball. Christian Chapman completed over 61% of his passes and threw 19 touchdowns to only five picks.
Wyoming is in this game by virtue of their upset win over Boise State, which gave them the tiebreaker in the three-way tie atop their division with Boise State and New Mexico. The Cowboys have finally hit their stride under head coach Craig Bohl, who came to the school after winning the first three titles of North Dakota State’s FCS dynasty. A win in this game would give the Pokes easily their best season in 20 years, and their first conference title since sharing the 1993 WAC title.
How to watch, stream, and listen
TV: 7:45 p.m. ET, ESPN
Radio: San Diego State | Wyoming
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Spread: San Diego State is favored by seven points.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at Mountain West Connection.
Three big things to know
1. Wyoming’s surprise run to the Mountain West title game is one of the more unlikely stories of the 2016 season. This year is only the second time since 1998 that Wyoming has hit the eight-win mark, and this is their first appearance in the conference title game. They have yet to win a Mountain West title since joining the conference in 1999.
2. The big question is whether the Wyoming defense can contain Donnel Pumphrey. The Cowboy rushing defense is 89th in S&P+, so that answer right now seems to be "probably not." Pumphrey rushed for 1,908 yards this year, second in the nation behind Texas' D'Onta Foreman, and has scored 15 touchdowns along the way.
3. The weather in Laramie for this game will be a far cry from the balmy California coast. The high temperature is forecasted at only 29 degrees, and the mercury will drop into the teens during the game. We’ll see if San Diego State has any issues acclimating to the frigid temperatures.
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