MWC releases 2010 schedules

The Mountain West Conference has released its schedule of 2010 conference games, allowing each team to complete their schedules.  One thing to note is The MTN network is stepping up its HD coverage, as they will be broadcasting every game in HD this season.  Combined with the MWC's deals with CBS College Sports and VERSUS, all MWC games that appear on television will be available on HD (especially good news now that VERSUS is back on DirecTV).

Below is a list of all 9 MWC team schedules for 2010.

BYU and Oregon St. Agree to Home-Home

BYU has agreed with Oregon State to play a home-and-home in the 2011 and 2012 seasons.  The two teams will play season openers on Sept. 3, 2011 in Corvallis, and on Sept. 1, 2012 in Provo.  The matchup will create a small mini-series between the two schools, with BYU having beat Oregon St. 44-20 in last year's Las Vegas Bowl.

With the agreement, BYU has now beefed up its 2011 schedule with trips to Oregon State and Texas, marking a continued change in coach Mendenhall's scheduling philosophy.  The deal with Oregon State replaces a previous deal BYU had reached with Army, which has since been cancelled.

Idaho to re-up Akey

The University of Idaho and coach Robb Akey have agreed in principle to a five-year contract extension for Akey to remain the head football coach.  After struggling to a 3-21 start in his first two seasons in Moscow, Akey led the Vandals to a 9-5 record last season, which included a thrilling 43-42 win over Bowling Green in the school's second-ever bowl game.  Akey and co. famously executed a 2-point conversion with 0:04 remaining to take the victory.

The details of the contract have yet to emerge, as it awaits approval from the Idaho State Board of Education, but Akey looks to earn a raise from his current contract which currently has him as the lowest-paid coach in the WAC.

SDSU tops UNLV, wins MWC Tournament

Finally, Steve Fisher’s Aztecs can be sure of one thing: they are going to the NCAA Tournament.  San Diego State survived a rough, sloppy game to claim the Mountain West Conference Tournament championship Saturday in Las Vegas, as they downed UNLV, 55-45.

Kawhi Leonard proved he was worthy of the Mountain West Freshman of the Year award, as he led the Aztecs with 16 points and 21 rebounds.  With the game in the balance, Leonard also drained 6 of 6 free throws down the stretch.

Aztecs upset Lobos in effort to secure NCAA bid

In last season's MWC Tournament, the fourth-seeded San Diego State Aztecs defeated the top-seeded BYU Cougars to seemingly move off the bubble and assure themselves a spot in the NCAA Tournament.  The following night the Aztecs lost a close championship game to Utah. The following day the Aztecs were left out of the Big Dance. Fast forward one calendar year, and the Aztecs found themselves in a similar situation. Following a Friday night thriller, the first stage has followed suit in 2010. Fourth-seeded San Diego State reached into the 2009 time machine, defeating top-seeded New Mexico in a tremendous basketball game at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Vegas Curse: Rebels top Cougars Again

A barrage of early three-pointers and intense defense fueled the home-team UNLV Rebels to a 70-66 victory over the 15th-ranked BYU Cougars late Friday night in Las Vegas.

An announced sellout of 18,500 fans gathered in the Thomas & Mack Center, and no matter which team they were rooting for, all of them left with a familiar feeling.  BYU still hasn’t won in over a decade against UNLV in Vegas.

UNLV Solves Utah Riddle

The UNLV Rebels pride themselves on toughness and determination. Throughout its MWC season UNLV passed that test with flying colors. With one enormous exception: The Utah Utes. The Jim Boylen led Utes, who struggled mightily all season long with consistency, defeated the Rebels in both regular season meetings. And it was the Rebels lack of physicality that cost them both matchups. But the third time was the charm for the Rebels as they defeated the Utes 73-61 in the Quarterfinal of the Mountain West Conference Tournament.

Fredette's Record-Breaking 45 Leads BYU to Semis

Just two days ago the Mountain West Conference announced its regular season award recipients. At the top of that list, much to the chagrin of many BYU fans was New Mexico’s Darington Hobson, who was named the league’s Player of the Year. Second in the voting was BYU’s Jimmer Fredette. The debate: Who was more deserving?

Earlier that night, Darington Hobson took his squad upon his back with a dominating 28 point 14 rebound performance. The debate it seemed had been settled. But in his MWC Tournament opener Jimmer Fredette called Mr. Hobson’s bet, and raised the stakes. Fredette scored a MWC Tournament record 45 points as his Cougars defeated upset-minded TCU 95-85.

Aztecs Keep Tourney Hopes Alive

It was a tale of two teams. One was playing to remain in at-large consideration to the NCAA Tournament. The other had absolutely nothing to lose. One seemed to play with a visible degree of tentativeness. The other played with an unerring intensity. And when the clock had struck zero, the San Diego State Aztecs survived a heart-pounding Quarterfinal matchup in the Mountain West Conference Tournament, defeating the Colorado State Rams 72-71.

Hobson Stops AFA Upset Bid

Thankfully for the 8th ranked New Mexico Lobos basketball (29-3) squad they will not have to play the Air Force Academy until next calendar year. Just three weeks ago the Falcons (10-21) took the Lobos to the brink in Albuquerque. Today, the upstart Falcons, fresh off their MWC Tourney Play-In victory over Wyoming gave the top seeded Lobos all they could handle in the Quarterfinals of the Mountain West Conference Tournament at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. The Lobos advance into the Semifinal to face the winner of the Colorado State/San Diego State matchup.

Air Force's Spring: Business as Usual

ESPN.com looks at happenings in Colorado Springs for Air Force football's spring practices. Click title link for the article