Photo by Luke Melinkovich
Football Power Rankings #3
Week five for the Mountain West produced many expected results across the conference. While Boise State of the PAC-12 remains the group of six playoff bid favorites, New Mexico, North Dakota State and UNLV all have a real shot at sneaking in the twelve-team playoff, should Boise State stumble. UNLV defeated California this week, marking the conference’s first win over a power four school this season. The bottom half of the conference failed to step up again in week five. Upsets throughout the rest of the season will be hard to come by, but the most important matchup of the season is coming up. NDSU vs. UNLV will be the game to watch this week.
(Overall Record, Conference Record)
- New Mexico Lobos (4–1, 1–0)
The Lobos rolled over UTEP 61–7. Sophomore quarterback Toa Fa’avae is really settling in to the fourth-ranked scoring defense in the nation. The big dogs (or should I say, wolves) are on bye this week. Mountain West offenses rejoice.
- North Dakota State Bison (5–0, 2–0)
The Bison ran over Wyoming 28–0. While holding the lowly Cowboys offense to 0 isn’t much of an accomplishment itself, The Bison are one of just two FBS teams holding opponents to single digits per game (9.8). We will see how the cards fall in Vegas next week, but the Bison look legit.
North Dakota State visits UNLV on Saturday at 4 p.m. PT.
- UNLV Rebels (3–2, 1–0)
The Rebels took down California in a 39–31 shootout last week. Their offense is back on track, and the Cal win, paired alongside matchups with NDSU and New Mexico, would be enough to throw the Rebels in the playoff conversation.
UNLV hosts North Dakota State on Saturday at 4 p.m. PT.
- Air Force Falcons (3–1, 1–1)
The Falcons defeated Navy 14–9. In true service academy fashion, they did it by only completing 6 passes and scoring in the second quarter. This win gives them the upper hand on the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy, the rivalry between Air Force, Army, and Navy. It could be a special season for the Falcons.
Air Force visits Northern Illinois on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT.
- San Jose State Spartans (3–2, 1–0)
The Spartans narrowly defeated Hawai’i 20–16. Say it’s jet lag, travel, or whatever you want to call it, but this Spartan offense should’ve been firing more on the islands. This week will test if the Spartans are one of the better MW teams, or grouped them in with the bottom feeders.
San Jose State hosts Wyoming on Friday at 6 p.m. PT.
- Nevada Wolfpack (1–3, 0–1)
A bye week for the wolfpack offered some time to think about their heartbreaking 2OT loss to Air Force. A game against UTEP offers them some live reps for correction.
Nevada visits UTEP on Saturday at 5 p.m. MT.
- Wyoming Cowboys (2–3, 1–1)
The Cowboys were blanked by North Dakota State 28–0. Fargo was the place to be in the MW last week, both for homecoming and a sold-out crowd of 18,586. Everyone but the Cowboys looked like they wanted to be there. Defense wins championships, sure, but you need to get in the endzone to win some games.
Wyoming visits San Jose State on Friday at 6 p.m PT.
- Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (1–4, 0–3)
The Rainbow Warriors lost to San Jose State 20–16. This team looks significantly better at home, but their grueling travel schedule is something they need to adapt to if they want to be a contender in this conference.
Hawaii visits Arizona State on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. MT.
- UTEP Miners (1–4, 0–1)
The Miners unsurprisingly lost to New Mexico 61–7. As I repeat, week after week, the road doesn’t get easier for their first year in the MW. However, their game against Nevada this week could be one of their best shots to get in the W column.
UTEP hosts Nevada on Saturday at 5 p.m. MT
- Northern Illinois Huskies (0–4)
The Huskies were able to go a week without losing a game, enjoying their first bye of the season. Fortunately for them, they get a home game for their MW opener. Unfortunately for them, Air Force is not slowing down anytime soon.
Northern Illinois hosts Air Force on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT
