Mountain West will play football this fall. What’s that mean for Air Force?

Army and Navy won’t be the only two opponents Air Force will face this season in football.

The Mountain West is going to play this fall after all.

Late Thursday night, the conference released a hype video announcing the return of the season.

The Mountain West has yet to issue a full press release, but it will play an eight-game schedule with contests beginning on Oct. 24. The Mountain West Championship Game will be played Dec. 19. All games are subject to approval by state, county and local officials.

Back in early August, the MWC was the second FBS league to announce it was suspending fall sports, following the MAC. Still, the conference left the door open for Air Force if it wanted to pursue games against Army and Navy. The Falcons took the conference up on that offer and will host Navy on Oct. 3 and travel to Army later this season.

Still, it’s unclear what Air Force’s team will look like. Fans could see a shell of the squad that posted one of the best seasons in academy history last year, as the Falcons went 11-2 and finished the year ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll.

As Brent Briggeman reported recently for The Gazette in Colorado Springs, turnbacks have “significantly altered” the Falcons’ roster. The defense could be a bit decimated, as returning starters Demonte Meeks, Jordan Jackson, Lakota Wills and Milton Bugg III are not at the academy this semester, according to Briggeman’s reporting.

Air Force’s offense might be in decent shape, but it’s unknown who will be starting under-center when the Falcons take on Navy. Earlier this summer, Donald Hammond III — who accounted to 26 Air Force touchdowns last season — was no longer a “cadet in good standing.” It’s unclear if that’s changed.

So, we know that Mountain West football will be played in 2020. But we don’t yet know what kind of team Air Force will be putting on the field.