Mountain West power ratings: Boise State on top, SJSU climbs as the coaching carousel continues to spin
The Spartans rose after winning at UNLV but were squeezed out of the title game
Last season, the Hotline published weekly ‘Best of the West’ power ratings that included teams from the Mountain West and Brigham Young in addition to the Pac-12. We’re adding a MW-specific column to our lineup this season because the exercise was so popular.
And New Mexico completes the set with three.
On Sunday, the Lobos fired coach Danny Gonzales, becoming the third team to do so.
Change will be initiated by the Mountain West program. Boise State and San Diego State
State made moves during the season, while the Lobos waited until Gonzales was out.
The fourth consecutive losing year was over.
We anticipate that more moves will be made during the conference.
For example, Nevada must consider its future under Ken Wilson.
Could Fresno State’s Jeff Tedford or Wyoming’s Craig Bohl decide to call it quits? (Both are in their sixties.)
Could Oregon State sign Brent Brennan of San Jose State or Barry Odom of UNLV?
More broadly, schools throughout the Mountain West are facing existential threats.
pressures resulting from the Pac-12’s demise and the
College football in the western third of the country is being restructured.
Will the conference membership, as well as Washington State and Oregon State, fully merge in the coming years?
Will the top MW teams split up and join the Pac-12 stragglers in an eight-team league that kicks off in 2026?
Will the next media rights contract for the MW include a performance-based revenue model?
Off the field, success equals security — both security and cash.
Every season squandered under a floundering head coach brings the team one step closer to an unfavorable outcome.
To the power ratings …
1. Boise State (7-5/6-2)
Last week: 2
Result: beat Air Force 27-19
Next up: vs. UNLV in MW championship (Saturday)
Comment: Two of Boise State’s most impressive performances have come since coach Andy Avalos was fired in mid-November. It makes you wonder how the season would have played out if the school had relocated a few weeks earlier.
2. San Jose State (7-5/6-2)
Last week: 3
Result: won at UNLV 37-31
Next up: TBD (bowl game)
Comment: The Spartans defeated UNLV on the road in the season finale and finished tied with the Rebels in the standings, but computer rankings kept them out of the conference championship game. No, it’s not right. However, it is the system that the schools agreed to when the MW abolished divisions.
3. UNLV (9-3/6-2)
Last week: 1
Result: lost to San Jose State 37-31
Next up: vs. Boise State in MW championship (Saturday)
Comment: Following their outstanding season, the Rebels have several concerns. In addition to preparing for the championship game, they must retain offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, one of the market’s hottest young coaches.
4. Air Force (8-4/5-3)
Last week: 5
Result: lost at Boise State 27-19
Next up: TBD (bowl game)
Comment: The Falcons had a forgettable November, going from 8-0 to 8-4. Among their final-month failings: securing the football. Turnovers proved to be their undoing.
5. Wyoming (8-4/5-3)
Last week: 6
Result: won at Nevada 42-6
Next up: TBD (bowl game)
Comment: Craig Bohl is going bowling for the sixth time in his decade as Cowboys coach, an unprecedented run of success in the program’s recent history. But he’ll be 66 next summer. How many more seasons does he have?
6. Fresno State (8-4/4-4)
Last week: 4
Result: lost at San Diego State 33-18
Next up: TBD (bowl game)
Comment: The season-ending three-game losing streak was unexpected. The fact that it included defeats to New Mexico (2-10) and San Diego State (4-8) came as a surprise.
7. Utah State (6-6/4-4)
Last week: 8
Result: won at New Mexico 44-41
Next up: TBD (bowl game)
Comment: The Aggies won the games they needed to win (New Mexico, Nevada, and SDSU) and will compete in the NCAA tournament for the third time in three years under Blake Anderson.
8. Colorado State (5-7/3-5)
Last week: 7
Result: lost at Hawaii 27-24
Next up: season completed
Comment: The Rams fell to Colorado in overtime, UNLV by two points, and Hawaii by three points. If any of those things go wrong, they’re bowling.
9. Hawaii (5-8/3-5)
Last week: 9
Result: beat Colorado State 27-24
Next up: season completed
Comment: Timmy Chang led his alma mater to three wins in the final four games, masking underlying momentum. But he’ll need a strong start against… Oregon in the season opener next year.
10. Nevada (2-10/2-6)
Last week: 10
Result: lost to Wyoming 42-6
Next up: season completed
Comment: The Ken Wilson Watch is activated. With the transfer portal opening next week and the early signing period beginning in the middle of December, Wolf Pack athletic director Stephanie Rempe doesn’t have much time to think about it.
11. San Diego State (4-8/2-6)
Last week: 12
Result: beat Fresno State 33-18
Next up: season completed
Comment: We anticipate that the Aztecs will have a coach in place by the end of this week, but we wonder if Oregon State’s vacancy will complicate matters, raising the price for candidates sought by both programs. Which brings us to the ultimate winners of the silly season: the agents for the coaches.
12. New Mexico (4-8/2-6)
Last week: 11
Result: lost to Utah State 44-41
Next up: season completed
Comment: I’m not sure which path the Lobos will take with their search, but they would be wise to hire someone with an offensive background. At the very least, be exciting.
