The Mountain West has become the second Football Bowl Subdivision conference to eliminate divisions this spring, the league announced Friday. The 12-team conference's division-less format will take effect in 2023.

“Our membership has been working on concepts since last summer, as part of our strategic planning for the future of the Mountain West,” commissioner Craig Thompson said in a statement. “A single-division approach provides maximum flexibility to adapt the conference schedule as the landscape continues to evolve, while also allowing member institutions to play each other more frequently."

On Wednesday, the NCAA's Division I Council approved the relaxation of championship game requirements, allowing FBS leagues to determine their championship game participants however they want. The Pac-12 immediately eliminated divisions for 2022. The Mountain West will wait until 2023. In both situations, the top two teams will meet in the conference title game.

The MWC’s scheduling model and tiebreakers for 2023 and beyond will be announced at a later date. A league source said a number of rivalries are expected to be protected in the new scheduling format.