Last season, the Hotline published weekly “Best of the West” power ratings that considered not only Pac-12 teams but those in the Mountain West and BYU. The exercise was so popular that we’re adding a MW-specific column to our array of offerings this season.
One week of non-conference play remains for the Mountain West, but the conference has completed its run of matchups against Power Five opponents. The end result is not exactly easy on the eyes.
The MW finished 4-17 against opponents from the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC and Pac-12.
It was 1-10 against the Pac-12, with Fresno State’s shutout of Arizona State on Saturday night as the lone victory.
Two years ago, the MW was 6-5 against its wealthier neighbor.
What changed? Head coaches. And coordinators. And quarterbacks.
The Pac-12 upgraded on all fronts, while the Mountain West has either held its ground or regressed ever-so-slightly.
To the power ratings …
1. Fresno State (3-0)
Last week: 1
Result: won at Arizona State 29-0
Next up: vs. Kent State (7:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network)
Comment: Not to be Debbie Downer, but 29 points is the minimum acceptable victory margin when you’re plus-8 in the turnover department. On the other hand, huge credit to the Bulldogs for having the second-longest winning streak in the country (12 consecutive games) behind those other Bulldogs (Georgia).
2. Wyoming (2-1)
Last week: 2
Result: lost at Texas 31-10
Next up: vs. Appalachian State (4 p.m. on CBS Sports Network)
Comment: Everything went exactly as planned in Austin until the fourth quarter began and the Longhorns woke up. And then 10-10 became 31-10 in the span of six minutes.
3. Air Force (3-0/1-0)
Last week: 3
Result: beat Utah State 39-21
Next up: at San Jose State (Friday, 7:30 p.m. on FS1)
Comment: From the Department of Worse-Than-It-Appears, we present the Falcons’ 18-point win over Utah State. The score was 39-7 midway through the third quarter. It was a demolition of the highest order.
4. Boise State (1-2)
Last week: 4
Result: beat North Dakota 42-18
Next up: at San Diego State (Friday, 7:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network)
Comment: The game of the week in the MW will unfold Friday night in Snapdragon Stadium, where we expect the visitors to confirm they’re contenders and the hosts to prove they’re pretenders.
5. San Jose State (1-3)
Last week: 5
Result: lost at Toledo 21-17
Next up: vs. Air Force (Friday, 7:30 p.m. on FS1)
Comment: The last time SJSU beat Air Force when there wasn’t a global pandemic raging: 1997. Then again, the schools have only played four times since then — the three Air Force wins in the 2010s and SJSU’s victory in 2020.
6. Utah State (1-2/0-1)
Last week: 6
Result: lost at Air Force 39-21
Next up: vs. James Madison (5 p.m. on MW Network)
Comment: The Dukes are no joke, folks. After dominating at the FCS level, they transitioned to the Sun Belt and are 3-0 with a victory over Virginia. Utah State must play very well to avoid a 1-3 start.
7. Colorado State (0-2)
Last week: 9
Result: lost at Colorado 43-35 (OT)
Next up: at Middle Tennessee State (4 p.m. on ESPN+)
Comment: Are the Rams as bad as they looked against Washington State or as good as they looked against Colorado (albeit a bit reckless)? We have no clue, so we split the difference and moved them to the top of the bottom half.
8. San Diego State (2-2)
Last week: 7
Result: lost at Oregon State 26-9
Next up: vs. Boise State (Friday, 7:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network)
Comment: The four most important offensive statistics are points per game, yards per play, red-zone touchdown percentage and third-down conversion percentage. The Aztecs are in the 100s nationally in all four categories.
9. UNLV (2-1)
Last week: 8
Result: beat Vanderbilt 40-37
Next up: at UTEP (6 p.m. on ESPN+)
Comment: Vanderbilt is at the bottom of the SEC and on the short list of the worst Power Five teams, and you know how much that matters to UNLV? Not. A. Lick. (Of note for MW play: The Commodores beat Hawaii.)
10. Hawaii (1-3)
Last week: 10
Result: lost at Oregon 55-10
Next up: vs. New Mexico State (9 p.m. on Spectrum)
Comment: Good thing Sacramento State isn’t on the schedule.
11. Nevada (0-3)
Last week: 12
Result: lost to Kansas 31-24
Next up: at Texas State (4 p.m. on ESPN+)
Comment: So the best result of the Wolf Pack’s season thus far is a seven-point home loss to a basketball school? Progress in any form, we suppose.
12. New Mexico (1-2)
Last week: 11
Result: lost to New Mexico State 27-17
Next up: at UMass (12:30 p.m. on ESPN+)
Comment: Danny Gonzales Watch is officially on.
