The Mountain West joined three other FBS conferences in delaying the start of their 2020 season due to the COIVD pandemic. After monitoring the situation with other conferences playing, the Mountain West decided to start their season on October 24, with only 5 non-conference games played in addition to the conference schedule.
No MWC team completed 10 games, with Nevada and Hawaii both finishing with 9 games after their bowl appearances. Due to the limited number of games, the MWC eschewed the normal divisional alignment and played as a combined conference to select the two teams to compete in the MWC Championship game.
Boise State made their fourth consecutive MWC Championship game by going 5-0 in regular season conference play. San Jose State, picked by many to finish near the bottom of the MWC West, also finished the regular season undefeated, taking down Nevada in their last game to clinch a spot in the championship. Nevada, San Diego State, and Hawaii finished (in order) behind the two unbeatens in the final MWC standings.
In the championship game, San Jose built an early 16 point lead and held off a fourth quarter challenge to beat the favored the favored Broncos 34-20. San Jose State, Nevada, and Hawaii represented the MWC in an abbreviated bowl season. Boise State opted out of bowl participation.
Nevada and Hawaii both took down foes from the American Athletic Conference to set the stage for San Jose State’s showdown with Ball State in the Arizona Bowl. The Spartans were missing two coordinators and a number of other players due to COVID-19 and quickly fell behind Ball State by 27 in the first quarter, and fell 34-13.
2020 Mountain West Final Standings
| Division/Team | Conference | All Games | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain | W | L | Pct | Points | Against | W | L | Pct | Points | Against |
 Boise State | 5 | 0 | 1.000 | 200 | 105 | 5 | 2 | 0.714 | 237 | 190 |
 Air Force | 2 | 2 | 0.500 | 99 | 73 | 3 | 3 | 0.500 | 146 | 90 |
 Wyoming | 2 | 4 | 0.333 | 159 | 126 | 2 | 4 | 0.333 | 159 | 126 |
 Colorado State | 1 | 3 | 0.250 | 89 | 143 | 1 | 3 | 0.250 | 89 | 143 |
 New Mexico | 2 | 5 | 0.286 | 167 | 228 | 2 | 5 | 0.286 | 167 | 228 |
 Utah State | 1 | 5 | 0.167 | 93 | 211 | 1 | 5 | 0.167 | 93 | 211 |
| West | W | L | Pct | Points | Against | W | L | Pct | Points | Against |
 San Jose State | 6 | 0 | 1.000 | 182 | 105 | 7 | 1 | 0.875 | 229 | 159 |
 Nevada | 6 | 2 | 0.750 | 239 | 183 | 7 | 2 | 0.778 | 277 | 210 |
 San Diego State | 4 | 2 | 0.667 | 173 | 94 | 4 | 4 | 0.500 | 197 | 142 |
 Fresno State | 3 | 3 | 0.500 | 197 | 180 | 3 | 3 | 0.500 | 197 | 180 |
 Hawaii | 4 | 4 | 0.500 | 208 | 234 | 5 | 4 | 0.556 | 236 | 248 |
 Nevada-Las Vegas | 0 | 6 | 0.000 | 104 | 228 | 0 | 6 | 0.000 | 104 | 228 |
2020 Mountain West Conference Season Awards
| Player | Team | Award |
|---|---|---|
| Carson Strong | Nevada | Offensive Player of the Year |
| Cade Hall | San Jose State | Defensive Player of the Year |
| Avery Williams | Boise State | Special Teams Player of the Year |
| Kyle Williams | UNLV | Freshman of the Year |
| Brent Brennan | San Jose State | Coach of the Year |
2020 Mountain West Conference Team Statistical Leaders
| Statistic | Team | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Team Scoring Offense and Defense | ||
| Points Scored Per Game-Total | Boise State | 33.9 |
| Average Game Margin-Total | Air Force | 9.3 |
| Points Scored Per Game-Conf | Boise State | 40.0 |
| Average Game Margin – Conf | Boise State | 19.0 |
| Passing Offense | ||
| Pass Attempts Per Game | Fresno State | 41.3 |
| Pass Completions Per Game | Nevada | 27.9 |
| Completion Percentage | Nevada | 69.9% |
| Passing Yards Per Game | Fresno State | 356.3 |
| Passing TDs Per Game | Nevada | 3.0 |
| Rushing Offense | ||
| Rushing Attempts Per Game | Air Force | 52.0 |
| Rushing Yards Per Game | Air Force | 305.7 |
| Average Yards Per Carry | Air Force | 5.9 |
| Rushing TDs Per Game | Air Force, Wyoming | 2.7 |
| Total Offense | ||
| Plays Per Game | Fresno State | 77.3 |
| Total Yards Per Game | Fresno State | 479.3 |
| Average Yards Per Play | San Jose State | 6.7 |
| Penalties | ||
| Penalties Per Game (Fewest) | Air Force | 4.5 |
| Penalty Yards Per Game (Fewest) | Air Force | 40.8 |
| Offense Turnovers | ||
| Fumbles Per Game (Fewest) | San Jose State | 0.0 |
| Interceptions Per Game (Fewest) | Boise State | 0.4 |
| Total Turnovers Per Game (Fewest) | Boise State, Nevada, CSU | 1.0 |
| Team Scoring Defense | ||
| Points Allowed Per Game-Total | Air Force | 15.0 |
| Points Allowed Per Game-Conf | San Diego State | 15.7 |
| Passing Defense | ||
| Completions Allowed Per Game | Air Force | 14.7 |
| Passing Yards Allowed Per Game | Air Force | 166.8 |
| Passing Completion % Per Game | Boise State | 52.8% |
| Passing TDs Allowed Per Game | UNLV, San Jose State | 1.00 |
| Rushing Defense | ||
| Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game | San Diego State | 97.8 |
| Rushing Yards Per Carry Allowed | Colorado State | 2.5 |
| Rushing TDs Allowed Per Game | San Diego State | 0.6 |
| Total Defense | ||
| Yards Allowed Per Game | San Diego State | 283.9 |
| Total Yards Allowed Per Play | San Diego State | 4.4 |
| Turnovers | ||
| Interceptions Per Game (Most) | Hawaii | 1.3 |
| Fumbles Recovered Per Game (Most) | CSU, UW SJSU, FSU,UNM | 1.0 |
| Total turnovers Forced Per Game | Hawaii, New Mexico | 1.9 |
2020 Mountain West Conference Individual Statistical Leaders
| Statistic | Player | Team | Metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing | |||
| Completions | Carson Strong | Nevada | 249 |
| Completion % | Carson Strong | Nevada | 70.1% |
| Passing Yards | Carson Strong | Nevada | 2,858 |
| Passing Yards Per Att | Jake Haener | Fresno State | 8.7 |
| Passing TDs | Carson Strong | Nevada | 27 |
| Passer Efficiency | Carson Strong | Nevada | 160.6 |
| Rushing | |||
| Rushing Attempts | Charles Williams, Chevan Cordeiro | Nevada-Las Vegas, Hawaii | 116 |
| Rushing Yardage | Toa Taua | Nevada | 675 |
| Rush Yards Per Att | Tyler Nevens | San Jose State | 7.8 |
| Rushing TDs | Andrew Van Buren | Boise State | 8 |
| Receiving | |||
| Receptions | Romeo Doubs | Nevada | 57 |
| Receiving Yards | Romeo Doubs | Nevada | 994 |
| Yards Per Reception | Bailey Gaither | San Jose State | 17.7 |
| Receiving TDs | Cole Turner, Romeo Doubs | Nevada, Nevada | 9 |
| Total Offense | |||
| Yards From Scrimmage | Romeo Doubs | Nevada | 990 |
| Total Yards | Carson Strong | Nevada | 2,763 |
| Total Yards Per Play | Nick Starkel | San Jose State | 8.0 |
| Touchdowns | Calvin Turner | Hawaii | 11 |
| TDs Responsible For | Carson Strong | Nevada | 27 |
| Kicking | |||
| Extra Points Made | Jonah Dalmas | Boise State | 30 |
| Field Goals Made | Brandon Talton | Nevada | 15 |
| Field Goal Pct | John Hoyland | Wyoming | 92.9% |
| Avg. Punt Yards | Julian Diaz | Nevada | 46.3 |
| Defense | |||
| Solo Tackles | Darius Muasau | Hawaii | 66 |
| Total Tackles | Darius Muasau | Hawaii | 102 |
| Tackles for Loss | Junior Fehoko | San Jose State | 13 |
| Sacks | Cade Hall | San Jose State | 10 |
| Interceptions | Jerrick Reed II | New Mexico | 4 |
| Passes Defended | Kekaula Kaniho | Boise State | 7 |
| Fumbles Forced | David Perales | Fresno State | 4 |