Mountain West power poll: Boise State tops San Diego State
1. Boise State: The cream of the crop, and the Broncos seem to be getting into a groove behind solid defense and a balanced offense. Tough stretch ahead with Colorado State and BYU five days apart (BYU beat Mississippi State in overtime on Friday night in Provo).
2. San Diego State: It wasn’t resounding, but the 26-7 win over UNLV last week put the Aztecs back on track with a needed strong defensive showing. SDSU beat Fresno State 17-3 on Friday night behind 220 rushing yards from Donnel Pumphrey.
3. Wyoming: Wait, really? Oh yes. The Cowboys showed how far they’ve come with a nine-point win over Air Force. Plus, they get a bye before playing at Nevada next week. Bowling for the first time since 2011? Bet on it.
4. Air Force: Playing in Laramie is no joke, but being held to 149 rushing yards and forced to pass late? Uncharacteristic. Option teams meet Saturday when the Falcons play New Mexico at the Cotton Bowl.
5. Hawaii: Ah yes, Hawaii and Wyoming atop their respective divisions, just as we all thought. Now with back-to-back wins, the Warriors are playing (gasp!) good defense, allowing 17 points in both games. Home against UNLV on Saturday.
6. Colorado State: Outscoring Utah State 21-0 in the second half is the sort of thing that can put a season back on track.
7. Utah State: It would be easy to drop the Aggies lower, but the schedule hasn’t been kind (bye this weekend). They need to finish 4-2 at worst to get into a sixth straight bowl.
8. Nevada: Coming off stunning loss to Hawaii, the Wolf Pack played OK against Fresno State in a 27-22 win. Should win against reeling SJSU, behind nation’s most balanced offense (1,113 yards rushing, 1,110 passing).
9. New Mexico: Not having passing QB Austin Apodaca or home-run threat RB Teriyon Gipson hurt, but Boise State is good. Lobos have won two of the past three against the Falcons after losing five straight.
10. UNLV: San Diego State held the Rebels to 9 yards passing, or 27 feet. Total. That won’t fly on the road against a confident Hawaii team. The Warriors’ rush defense is improving, too.
11. San Jose State: Definitely the most disappointing team in the conference. The offense is inconsistent and the defense ... oh, the defense. It’s bad: allowing 40 points and 475 yards per game going into home game against Nevada.
12. Fresno State: The only thing good in Fresno right now is the tri-tip sandwiches at the Dog House Grill. Three receivers have at least 400 yards, but the only win is against an FCS school. Lost at SDSU on Friday.
Dave Southorn
MOUNTAIN WEST STANDINGS
Conference | Overall | |||||||
Mountain | W | L | PF | PA | W | L | PF | PA |
Boise State | 2 | 0 | 73 | 31 | 5 | 0 | 184 | 93 |
Wyoming | 2 | 0 | 73 | 43 | 4 | 2 | 199 | 178 |
Air Force | 1 | 1 | 53 | 55 | 4 | 1 | 166 | 104 |
Colorado State | 1 | 1 | 48 | 62 | 3 | 3 | 149 | 172 |
New Mexico | 1 | 1 | 69 | 90 | 2 | 3 | 176 | 180 |
Utah State | 0 | 3 | 54 | 79 | 2 | 4 | 140 | 150 |
Conference | Overall | |||||||
West | W | L | PF | PA | W | L | PF | PA |
San Diego State | 2 | 0 | 43 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 185 | 120 |
Hawaii | 2 | 0 | 72 | 34 | 3 | 3 | 175 | 231 |
Nevada | 1 | 1 | 44 | 60 | 3 | 3 | 136 | 164 |
UNLV | 1 | 1 | 52 | 46 | 2 | 4 | 187 | 178 |
San Jose State | 0 | 2 | 58 | 82 | 1 | 5 | 161 | 240 |
Fresno State | 0 | 3 | 45 | 89 | 1 | 6 | 144 | 235 |
Friday, Oct. 7
Boise State 49, New Mexico 21
Saturday, Oct. 8
Wyoming 35, Air Force 26
Hawaii 34, San Jose State 17
Nevada 27, Fresno State 22
Colorado State 31, Utah State 24
San Diego State 26, UNLV 7
Friday’s game
San Diego State 17, Fresno State 3
Saturday’s games
New Mexico vs. Air Force at Cotton Bowl, Dallas, 1:30 p.m. (ESPNews)
Colorado State at Boise State, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN2)
Nevada at San Jose State, 8:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
UNLV at Hawaii, 10 p.m.
This story was originally published October 15, 2016 at 12:29 AM with the headline "Mountain West power poll: Boise State tops San Diego State."