Craig Thompson steps down as Mountain West commissioner

Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson speaks Wednesday during the conference's football media days. (Kirk Kenney/San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS)Craig Thompson has announced his departure as the Mountain West Conference commissioner after 24 years, effective Dec. 31, 2022.

One of his final priorities as commissioner is the expansion of the College Football Playoff (CFP), and viable access for the Mountain West, Thompson said.

“I take considerable pride in my committed engagement to this effort over the past 2 ½ decades and look forward to the finalization of those details in the coming months,” he said in a news release.

Thompson graduated from the University of Minnesota with an undergraduate…