The game, played at Bulldog Stadium on the campus of California State University, Fresno (Fresno State), was the first football conference championship game for the Mountain West Conference.

Fresno State won 24–17 and represented the Mountain West in the 2013 Las Vegas Bowl on December 21 in Las Vegas, Nevada after defeating Utah State by 7 points.

This was Utah State's first appearance in Mountain West Conference Championship series.

Fresno State comes into the championship undefeated in non–conference games against Rutgers, Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo, and Idaho.

This was Fresno State's first appearance in Mountain West Conference Championship series.