Posted on November 1, 2022
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The San Diego State Aztecs suffered a brutal loss to the Fresno State Bulldogs and coughed up the Oil Can in the final seconds in a thrilling finish.
San Jose State and Wyoming each won their games by a score, but the SDSU-Fresno game was the talk of the weekend.
Week 9 of the college football season is over, and let’s examine the latest power rankings for the topsy-turvy MWC.
1. Boise State Broncos (6-2, 5-0) â—„â–º
Istill have Boise on top of the MWC.
They had a bye this weekend, and they haven’t done anything yet for them to be moved down the list.
The Broncos face BYU and Wyoming as tough games but also have Utah State and Nevada.
They have a path to an undefeated MWC season.
2. Wyoming Cowboys (6-3, 4-1) â—„â–º
Wyoming is on its way to a bowl game and have been one of the biggest surprises of the entire college football season.
They face Colorado State this weekend, then have a tough back-to-back against Boise State and Fresno State.
The final two games will show how good this Cowboys team is.
3. Fresno State Bulldogs (4-4, 3-1) â–²1
Yes, the Bulldogs escaped San Diego State in a wild game.
They trailed 28-10 late in the third quarter, and the Bulldogs scored to make it 28-25 with less than 90 seconds left.
Somehow, they got the onside kick and watched Jake Haener (who miraculously returned to start the game) deliver a game-winning strike to Nikko Remigio.
It was a fantastic finish, and the Bulldogs never quit—and are tied with San Jose State for the West Division lead.
4. San Jose State Spartans (5-2, 3-1) â–²1
If it weren’t for San Jose’s loss to Fresno State a few weeks ago, they would be third on this list and in the driver’s seat for a spot in the MWC title game.
However, they lost, and now they face Colorado State, SDSU, Utah State, and Hawai’i to finish the year.
That’s a decent schedule, but they most likely need to go 4-0 and hope the Bulldogs lose one game in order to win the West Division.
Nonetheless, Brent Brennan is drawing a ton of interest for a promotion this offseason.
5. San Diego State Aztecs (4-4, 2-2) â–²1
The Aztecs have been marvelous since Jalen Mayden stepped in as QB.
They nearly topped the Bulldogs, but the Aztecs defense collapsed late in the game and gave up 15 points in the final two minutes in a stunning loss.
Still, San Diego State is trending in the right direction.
6. Air Force Falcons (5-3, 2-3) â–¼3
Air Force has been so confusing. At times, they looked like the best team in the MWC.
But, they have three losses in the conference (including one to Utah State) and they still have to play San Diego State to finish out the season.
Air Force should finish with a winning record overall.
7. UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (4-4, 2-2) ◄►
UNLV came crashing down to Earth quickly.
The Rebels were 4-1 but lost three straight games and scored just one touchdown in back-to-back games before scoring a couple of more against Notre Dame.
The Rebels play SDSU and Fresno State over the next two weeks, so a 4-6 record could be a reality pretty soon.
8. Utah State Aggies (3-5, 2-2) â—„â–º
We won’t spend much time with the next few teams because there isn’t much to like.
The Aggies have three wins this year, somehow, and topped Air Force and Colorado State.
They face New Mexico and Hawai’i the next two weeks, so they could realistically be 4-2 in the MWC by that time.
9. Colorado State Rams (2-6, 2-2) â—„â–º
The Rams looked like they wouldn’t win a single game earlier this year.
But, they have defeated Nevada and Hawai’i before getting routed by Boise State.
The next three weeks are disastrous for the Rams: San Jose State, Wyoming, and Air Force.
10. Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors (2-7, 1-5) ◄►
Hawai’i would normally be the last team on this list with a 2-7 overall record.
But, the MWC has been brutal from the bottom half of the conference.
Hawai’i has two wins (which came against Duquesne and Nevada) and they probably don’t win another game all year.
11. Nevada Wolfpack (2-7, 0-5) â—„â–º
Honestly, just flip a coin between Nevada and New Mexico.
Neither has looked good, neither has a MWC win, and to be honest, neither program wins a single conference game since they don’t play each other this year.
It’s been bad in Reno, and the post-Carson Strong and post-Romeo Doubs era is off to a rough start.
12. New Mexico Lobos (2-6, 0-5) â—„â–º
The Lobos only wins came against UTEP and Maine and they have lost five in a row.
In the last two games, they scored 9 points in each contest, including a 41-9 loss to the Jake Haener-less Bulldogs right before their bye.
If New Mexico wins any game, it will be against Utah State this weekend, but don’t count on it.
—More from Matt Wadleigh—
- Wadleigh: SDSU’s Dream Season 25 Years in the Making
- Matt Wadleigh’s Week 15 MWC Hoops Previews & Picks
- Matt Wadleigh’s Week 14 MWC Hoops Previews and Picks
- Matt Wadleigh’s Week 13 Top MWC Hoops Previews & Picks
- Matt Wadleigh’s Mountain West Hoops Previews and Picks
- Matt Wadleigh’s Week 11 MWC Men’s Hoops Previews
- Matt Wadleigh’s WK 9 MWC Hoops Preview & Picks
- Matt Wadleigh’s Dec. 27-30 Mountain West Bowl Previews
- Matt Wadleigh’s Dec 20-24 Mountain West Bowl Previews
- Matt Wadleigh’s Fresno State & Boise State Bowl Previews
- Matt Wadleigh’s 2022 SuperWest All-MWC Teams & Awards
- Final 2022 Regular-Season Mountain West Power Rankings
- Matt Wadleigh’s 2022 Week 13 Mountain West Previews
- 2022 Week 13 Mountain West Power Rankings
- Matt Wadleigh’s 2022 Week 12 Mountain West Previews
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Wadleigh: SDSU’s Dream Season 25 Years in the Making
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