Is it awkward to be writing Mountain West updates when the conference is currently being surgically cut apart by the Pac-12? Yes. Yes it is. But the show must go on even while re-alignment news is constantly breaking and schools are in the motions of stabbing each other in the back over a few million dollars.
This week the conference took a bit of a step forward. “A bit” because some teams continued to fall back but some of the teams that slipped up last week were able to regain some ground while the top of the conference remains strong and (mostly) moving up.
Week 4 Mountain West Standings / AP Poll Rankings
| Rk | Team | Record | MW Record | AP Poll | Composite Avg Rk (1-134) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fresno State | 3-1 | 1-0 | – | 60.7 |
| 2 | San Jose State | 3-1 | 1-0 | – | 79.5 |
| 3 | UNLV | 3-0 | 0-0 | RV (29th) | 40.0 |
| 4 | Boise State | 2-1 | 0-0 | 25th | 31.5 |
| 5 | Colorado State | 2-2 | 0-0 | – | 107.2 |
| 6 | Hawai’i | 2-2 | 0-0 | – | 106.0 |
| 7 | Nevada | 2-3 | 0-0 | – | 101.5 |
| 8 | San Diego State | 1-2 | 0-0 | – | 106.5 |
| 9 | Utah State | 1-3 | 0-0 | – | 120.0 |
| 10 | Wyoming | 0-4 | 0-0 | – | 125.2 |
| 11 | Air Force | 1-2 | 0-1 | – | 103.3 |
| 12 | New Mexico | 0-4 | 0-1 | – | 126.0 |
With conference play beginning pretty much in full this week we’ll get aware from the charade of having to just put the two teams that have played and won conference games at the top of the standings. This week I added a column that took six 1-134 rankings from across the college football landscape and averaged them out to get an idea of where each of the Mountain West teams stands from a national point of view (aside from the AP Poll).
The top of the conference looks strong overall with the Broncos jumping into the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2020 and UNLV knocking on the door of its first-ever appearance in the top 25. With a couple more wins the Rebels should break through. Fresno State and San Jose State are probably not going to be AP Poll material, but it remains possible if either run the table in conference play. It means the Mountain West could have four teams fighting between each other for the automatic qualifying spot in the College Football Playoff, even if it’s Boise State and UNLV who are the favorites.
Walker’s MW Power Rankings
1. UNLV
- Last Week: 1st
- Week 4 game: Bye
The Rebels remain atop my power rankings here as they’ve obviously done nothing to show they should drop and no one below impressed me enough to supplant UNLV. This week will bring a crucial showdown against Fresno State where UNLV can show its prowess not just in non-conference play, but against MW opponents as well.
2. Boise State
- Last Week: 2nd
- Week 4 game: 56-14 Win vs Portland State
A return to the field after a bye week brought victory to the Broncos but it was also completely unsurprising since it was against an FCS team. The offense looked as strong as ever with Ashton Jeanty getting 127 yards on a light diet of 11 carries but it’s the defense we’re all keeping an eye on with Boise State. That’ll be put to the test big-time with Washington State coming to the smurf turf for a late-night kickoff on FS1.
3. Fresno State
- Last Week: 3rd
- Week 4 Game: 38-21 Win @ New Mexico
The Bulldogs were able to limit what was seemingly a pretty good New Mexico offense the first couple weeks of the season. But even though Devon Dampier put up 338 yards, he needed 53 attempts to do so and threw two interceptions. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs aren’t piling up video game numbers like some of their fellow conference contenders, they’re quietly efficient and continuing to be dominant in the games they play.
4. San Jose State
- Last Week: 4th
- Week 4 Game: 52-54 Loss @ Washington State
The Spartans lost an instant classic, but in my mind their performance on the road only solidified their spot as one of the top tier teams in the conference. A loss means that, for now, they remain fourth behind the other contenders, but it would only take one week, one game, to change all of that.
5. Air Force
- Last Week: 6th
- Week 4 Game: Bye
No game but a one-spot rise courtesy of Utah State falling way down these rankings. The Falcons haven’t looked great, but with that loss to San Jose State not looking nearly as bad, maybe the Falcons can get things going and make some noise. They won’t be conference contenders, but there should be a decent AFA squad on the field this year.
6. Colorado State
- Last Week: 8th
- Week 4 Game: 27-17 Win vs UTEP
The Rams are the biggest leapers in my rankings, jumping both USU and Hawai’i. The win over UTEP isn’t anything crazy, but it was more of an improvement than probably any other team in the bottom half of the conference last week, mostly because it came against an FBS team.
7. Hawai’i
- Last Week: 7th
- Week 4 Game: 36-7 Win over Northern Iowa
A win is a win for the Warriors as they really needed a chance to flex some of their offensive muscles after a rough couple of outings on offense against UCLA.
8. San Diego State
- Last Week: 9th
- Week 4 Game: Bye
The Aztecs got a chance to reflect and build themselves up after a rough two weeks in which they scored a combined 10 points against Oregon State and Cal. New head coach Sean Lewis was supposed to bring new life to the offense but that hasn’t happened yet. This week’s date at Central Michigan will be huge for determining whether SDSU will be on the upswing or stay down in the bottom four of the conference.
9. Utah State
- Last Week: 5th
- Week 4 Game: 29-45 Loss @ Temple
So putting the Aggies fifth last week when they hadn’t really earned it seems like it was a huge mistake. In fairness, I think anywhere in the 5-7 range seemed fitting at the time, it’s just that loss to Temple really put into serious question whether the Aggies can win any road game the rest of the season, or even some of their easier home games.
10. Nevada
- Last Week: 10th
- Week 4 Game: 49-16 Win vs Eastern Washington
A win was the bare minimum for Nevada in this game but it went above and beyond with a blowout win so there may be hope yet for the Wolf Pack to jump out of the bottom three. Especially seeing as they have at least one win against an FBS team, something multiple teams I rank above them can’t even say.
11. New Mexico
- Last Week: 11th
- Week 4 Game: 21-38 Loss vs Fresno State
The Lobos barely put up a fight for even a quarter before Fresno State pulled away and it’s not a good sign. New Mexico showcased a pretty solid offense for two weeks but have been held to 19 and 21 points in its two most recent games. Dampier may be putting up the numbers that would normally make him a Player of the Week candidate, but it’s not translating to points and the defense has yet to stop anyone this year.
12. Wyoming
- Last Week: 12th
- Week 4 Game: 17-44 Loss @ North Texas
The Cowboys fell to 0-4 and the closest they’ve been in any of their games against FBS opponents is the 34-14 loss to BYU at home. Overall, they’ve been outscored by an average of 23.0 points. On the plus side, though, the offense is technically improving as Wyoming has scored more points in each successive game this year.
Biggest Risers
Anyone who watched the SJSU/Washington State game
Although it was a late kickoff, those who stayed up Friday night to watch the madness that was Washington State’s double-overtime win over San Jose State were treated to a true college football classic. It featured everything the casual watcher would love to see: points galore, brilliant plays, seeming game-losing mistakes later redeemed, and a contest that seemingly wouldn’t end. It eventually did, conclude though, and while the Spartans were on the wrong side of it, no one can say they’re not a legit college football team that will be dangerous going forward.
Avery Morrow
The 2023 season did not treat Morrow very well, though it was his own doing. He was arrested and charged with assault and it completely derailed what was supposed to be a potential breakout 1,000-yard season a year after he ran for 834 yards in 2022. But he carried the ball just 81 times for 262 yards and was largely irrelevant.
Last week we saw the first sign of what Morrow was supposed to become a year ago. He ran the ball 21 times for 156 yards and two touchdowns in Colorado State’s win over UTEP. He had a 73-yard run, one week after he had a 62-yard carry against Colorado that set up the Rams’ only touchdown in that game. Two solid weeks have given Morrow a new lease on being a leading contributor for an offense that really needs guys to produce as Colorado State fights to get back to a bowl game for the first time since 2017.
Billable Hours
Lawyers are going to be getting rich off the Pac-12 and Mountain West with the two fighting over members. And now the Pac-12 has sued over the poaching penalty that was baked into the scheduling agreement that’s added some $50 million to the cost of adding the now-five schools to the rebuilding conference.
Biggest Fallers
Utah State
Oof. That loss to Temple just hurts and it’s put the Aggies in a tumble (at least on the field, off the field things seem mostly fine). Utah State’s entire season prospects flipped after that one game. Prior to that game, a season that was projected to be a fight for 6-6 suddenly looked like it could be a seven-win season if the Aggies were able to beat the teams at the bottom of the conference. Now, USU is one of the bottom teams in the conference given it lost to a team considered to be one of the 10 worst teams in the country. A bye week greets the Aggies but matchups with Boise State and UNLV in the coming weeks could send USU to a 1-5 record quicker than it can say “Pac-12 bound.”
