The news that the Mountain West Conference has notified the Mid-American Conference of its interest in adding the University of Toledo as a football-only member could be the start of a big change for the Rockets’ football program.
There is no telling when or whether a possible move might come to fruition, but should UT make the change to the MWC, it would be competing against at least seven schools currently in the conference who have committed to remain there going forward.
Air Force, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, Wyoming, and Hawaii could all be future opponents for Toledo in the Mountain West. Here is how the Rockets have fared against each school in the past:
Nevada: 5-0
Toledo has owned its series history against the Wolfpack, including winning the FBS’s first-ever overtime game in the 1995 Las Vegas Bowl. The Rockets, who had already beaten Nevada on the road in the regular season that year, battled to a 34-34 regulation tie before Wasean Tait’s walkoff touchdown in OT gave them a 40-37 win. UT beat Nevada again at the Glass Bowl in 1997, then swept a home-and-home against the Wolfpack in 2017 and 2018.
San Jose State: 2-0
Besides Nevada, the Spartans are the only other team of the bunch that Toledo has faced multiple times without a loss. The first meeting came in the thrilling 1981 California Bowl, when the Rockets surrendered a 21-3 lead only to win 27-25 on Tony Lee’s game-winning field goal. Toledo beat San Jose State 21-17 in the regular season last year at the Glass Bowl and will make a trip to San Jose in 2028 — if realignment doesn’t force a change in plans.
Air Force: 1-0
The only meeting between these two airborne-themed teams came in the 2011 Military Bowl in Washington. In an offensive shootout, UT took a 42-35 lead with 5:01 left on Terrance Owens’ pass to Bernard Reedy. Air Force responded on the following drive but elected to gamble with a two-point conversion, and Toledo came up with the stop to secure a 42-41 win and a 9-4 record.
UNLV: 2-1
The Rockets’ series against the Rebels began with a controversial 1984 California Bowl in which UNLV forfeited its 30-13 win after it was found to have used ineligible players during the season. The two programs matched up in the regular season in Toledo in 2002 and in Las Vegas in 2003, with the home team winning each contest.
Wyoming: 1-2
The Cowboys are the only team in the Mountain West’s group of future members against whom Toledo has a losing record. All three meetings have come in the past 15 years, with UT’s 16-15 loss in last year’s Arizona Bowl the most recent. Before that, the Rockets lost 20-15 at home to Wyoming in 2010 before repaying the favor on the road in 2012. Owens threw for 300 yards and four touchdowns in the thin Wyoming air in UT’s 34-31 victory.
New Mexico and Hawaii: 0-0
A matchup against either of these teams would be a first for Toledo. New Mexico and Hawaii are also home to postseason bowl games in their respective stadiums, but the Rockets have never played in either event.
First Published September 27, 2024, 10:29 p.m.
