By Matt Wadleigh, SuperWest Sports
September 13, 2022
Well, that was fun! The Mountain West Conference never fails to disappoint.
The final game of last week’s slate featured Oregon State at Fresno State, and the Beavers left a jam-packed Valley Children’s Stadium in disbelief as Jonathan Smith rolled the dice on a last-second play.
There were plenty of other notable outcomes, and certainly, Incarnate Word dropping a 55-spot on Nevada was a bit unexpected.
Let’s dive in and give the latest Power Rankings for the MWC.
1. Air Force Falcons (2-0, 0-0)
Yes, Air Force sits on top of the rankings for now.The Falcons were previously No. 2 in these rankings, but a 41-10 blowout against the Colorado Buffaloes has them on top.
Especially after the Bulldogs lost to Oregon State.
2. Fresno State Bulldogs (1-1, 0-0)
The Bulldogs had it right there.A missed field goal, missed extra point, and some poor defense down the stretch—as well as some interesting gamesmanship between both head coaches—caused Fresno State to fall 35-32.
It certainly lived up to its billing as one of the most exciting games of the weekend in all of college football.
3. San Diego State Aztecs (1-1, 0-0)
The Aztecs avenged their opening loss against the Arizona Wildcats.As a perfect remedy for them, they destroyed Idaho State 38-7 in their second game at Snapdragon Stadium.
This was the San Diego State team we thought would show up in 2022. Has it?
A Week 3 game against Utah will show the true identity of this team.
4. Boise State Broncos (1-1, 1-0)
The Broncos defeated New Mexico on Friday night 31-14.Hank Bachmeier played well, going 16 of 27 for 170 yards and three scores after a poor opener against Oregon State.
Boise State is a tough team to rank right now, especially because a win over the Lobos isn’t anything to hang their hats on.
5. Wyoming Cowboys (2-1, 0-0)
Wyoming has two wins. However, can we really trust this team?They scored six points in the season opener against Illinois and barely survived against Tulsa last week.
This time, they defeated Northern Colorado 33-10, although that’s not saying much. After next week’s game against Air Force, we will have a clearer outlook on the Cowboys.
6. Nevada Wolfpack (2-1, 0-0)
Boy, was I wrong, and I’ll admit it.The Wolfpack didn’t show up against Incarnate Word, Well, the defense didn’t.
The Cardinals scored 55 points and scored 31 second-half points to defeat Nevada in Reno. Oh, and the next two games for Nevada are at Iowa and at Air Force. Ouch.
7. San Jose State Spartans (1-1, 0-0)
Who knew? San Jose State actually made a game of things against Auburn.The Tigers won 24-16, but San Jose State held their own against an SEC opponent on the road. That’s a bit of a surprise.
8. UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (1-1, 0-0)
UNLV couldn’t muster up enough offense to beat Cal, and the Golden Bears won 20-14 in Berkeley.Still, this UNLV team looks to be improved from the past few seasons, and they should stay away from the bottom tier of the rankings for the majority of the season.
9. New Mexico Lobos (1-1, 0-1)
New Mexico didn’t necessarily get blown out by Boise State.That’s good news.
On the other hand, there isn’t a ton of excitement with this Lobos team, although a game against 1-2 UTEP could give the Lobos a chance at a win.
10. Utah State Aggies (1-2, 0-0)
Honestly, who knows what the last three teams look like?Utah State got embarrassed by Weber State 35-7 at home.
Logan Bonner went 12 of 31 with three interceptions and Cooper Legas ended up coming into the game.
Luckily, their best chance at a victory anytime soon comes next week against UNLV. After that: BYU and Air Force.
11. Colorado State Rams (0-2, 0-0)
For some context, Middle Tennessee State scored seven points against James Madison in Week 1.In Week 2, the Blue Raiders scored 34 against Colorado State in Fort Collins and got a 34-19 win.
What is going on with the Rams?
12. Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors (0-3, 0-0)
First off, let’s give Hawai’i some credit. The Rainbow Warriors have played Vanderbilt, Western Kentucky, and Michigan.On the other hand, they haven’t scored more than 17 points in a single game, and the Wolverines destroyed them 56-10, which was expected.
Next week’s game against Duquesne is a favorable matchup and a loss there…Well, let’s not go there just yet.
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