San Jose State jumps to No. 1 in MW rankings
Oct. 12—LARAMIE — As with any non-power 5 conference, the standings continue to jumble more and more as the conference season moves along. Only five of the 12 teams in the Mountain West have winning records going into this weekend and division titles are still completely up for grabs on both sides of the conference.
1. San Jose State (Last week: 3)
The Spartans (4-1 overall, 2-0 Mountain West) dominated previously No. 1-ranked UNLV 40-7 last week to jump to the No. 1 spot. San Jose State totaled 439 yards of total offense against the Rebels including 230 passing yards and four total touchdowns from quarterback Chevan Cordeiro to leap two spots. The Spartans will face Fresno State on the road this weekend.
2. Boise State (last week: 4)
With two dominating wins under its belt, Boise State (4-2, 3-0) has plenty of momentum moving ahead in the conference season. The Broncos beat Fresno State 40-20 last week after scoring 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Ashton Jeanty led the Boise State's rushing attack with 109 yards and two touchdowns on 19 attempts to give the Broncos a win going into a bye weekend.
3. UNLV (last week: 1)
The Rebels (4-2, 2-1) fell two spots after a 40-7 blowout loss to San Jose State last week. UNLV's first conference loss featured just 213 total yards of offense with the Rebels' only touchdown coming late in the third quarter. UNLV will face Air Force this weekend in Colorado Springs.
4. Wyoming (last week: 5)
The Cowboys (4-3, 2-1) faced an early 14-0 deficit but improved to 2-1 in conference play to the tune of 27 unanswered points against New Mexico. Two of UW's three losses are against opponents who have been ranked inside the Associated Press top 25 at one point this season (Illinois and Brigham Young) and the Cowboys schedule softens in the second half of the season. UW will enjoy a bye this weekend before hosting Utah State at 7:45 p.m. next Saturday for homecoming.
5. Air Force (last week: 2)
Air Force (4-2, 1-2) fell three spots from last week's rankings after a puzzling 34-27 loss to Utah State in Logan. The Falcons are just 1-2 in conference play after starting the season 4-1 and allowed 414 yards defensively against the Aggies. Air Force will look to get its season back on track with a road game against UNLV this weekend in Las Vegas.
6. San Diego State (last week: 6)
The Aztecs (3-3, 1-1) barely escaped last weekend with a 16-14 win over Hawaii at home to maintain their spot at No. 6. San Diego State is ranked 118th in the country in total offense but is still very much alive in the West Division of the conference. The Aztecs are on a bye this weekend and will return to the field for a road game against Nevada on Oct. 22.
7. Utah State (last week: 9)
It's still unclear if the Aggies' (2-4, 1-1) 34-27 win over Air Force was a testament for Utah State's improvement or Air Force's regression. The duo of Calvin Tyler Jr. and Cooper Legas combined for 185 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground against the Falcons last weekend to go along with Legas' 215 passing yards and two scores through the air. The Aggies have an uphill battle if they want to continuing moving up in the Mountain Division. Utah State will face Colorado State this weekend in Fort Collins.
8. Fresno Stat (last week: 7)
The Bulldogs (1-4, 0-1) have struggled all season on both sides of the ball and are still feeling the effects of a 19-14 loss at Connecticut earlier this month. Fresno State is coming off a 40-20 loss to Boise State in Idaho to fall two spots in the rankings and will face another tough challenge when it hosts West Division frontrunner San Jose State this weekend.
9. New Mexico (last week: 8)
The Lobos (2-4, 0-3) drop one spot in the rankings after a 27-14 home loss to Wyoming last weekend. New Mexico let a 14-0 first quarter lead slip away to remain winless in conference play. The Lobos will face New Mexico State (1-5) this weekend in Las Cruces.
10. Hawaii (last week: 11)
The Rainbow Warriors (1-5, 0-1) move up one spot out of pure necessity because of the teams below them. Hawaii lost its first conference game of the season last weekend 16-14 to San Diego State for its fifth loss already this season. The Rainbow Warriors have been outscored 243-101 through their first six games going into this weekend's home matchup with Nevada.
11. Colorado State (last week: 12)
The Rams (1-4, 1-0) are no longer the 12th ranked team in the conference after earning their first win of the season 17-14 over Nevada last weekend. Still, Colorado State is by no means a playoff contender. The Rams have scored just 60 points on the season which ranks dead last (131st) in the Football Bowl Subdivision at an average of 12 points per game. Colorado State will host Utah State at home this weekend.
12. Nevada (last week: 10)
Losing to the worst team in the conference shifts the Wolf Pack (2-4, 0-2) down to the No. 12 spot. Nevada had an embarrassing 17-14 home loss to Colorado State last weekend to give the Rams their first win of the season. The Wolf Pack actually outgained Colorado State 358-255 in total yards but could not overcome an early 14-0 deficit to fall to the basement of the Mountain West. Nevada will make the trip to Hawaii this weekend.
Alex Taylor covers the University of Wyoming for WyoSports. He can be reached at ataylor@wyosports.net. Follow him on Twitter at @alex_m_taylor22.
