Mountain West power ratings: Fresno State, Wyoming remain on top as Air Force, SJSU rise
San Diego State dropped three spots after a lopsided loss to UCLA
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.
The Mountain West has the following records after two weeks:
— 4-12 against FBS teams
— No wins against Power Five teams (Fresno State beat Purdue and Wyoming beat Texas Tech).
— 2-0 against games from Group 5
7 losses in a row to the Pac-12
How fast things shift. The Pac-12 was no match for the Mountain West just two years ago.
Let’s get right to the power ratings…
1. Fresno State (2-0)
Last week: 1
Result: beat Eastern Washington 34-31
Next up: at Arizona State
Comment: EWU was always a trap game because it was in the middle of trips to Purdue and ASU. Any kind of victory was enough, even if it meant working extra hours.
2. Wyoming (2-0)
Last week: 2
Result: beat Portland State 31-17
Next up: at Texas
Comment: You might as well play the Longhorns on their home field after their biggest win in a long time (at Alabama).
3. Air Force (2-0)
Last week: 5
Result: won at Sam Houston 13-3
Next up: vs. Utah State (Friday)
Comment: The Falcons’ first game in the conference is this week, and it only gets tougher from there on out with games against San Jose State, San Diego State, and Wyoming. We’ll know if they’re real by the beginning of October.
4. Boise State (0-2)
Last week: 3
Result: lost to UCF 18-16
Next up: vs. North Dakota
Comment: It’s even stranger that a veteran offense with a good quarterback has only scored 35 points. It’s even stranger than the 0-2 start. It makes me think of the problems in early 2022.
5. San Jose State (1-2)
Last week: 8
Result: beat Cal Poly 59-3
Next up: at Toledo
Comment: Not lost to any teams ranked outside of the top 16 in the AP poll.
6. Utah State (1-1)
Last week: 7
Result: beat Idaho State 78-28
Next up: at Air Force (Friday)
Comment: The Aggies have now won at home by 50 points and lost on the road by 10 points in Big Ten country. (Iowa City wasn’t quite that close, but it wasn’t a blowout either.) Given how things are going up and down the MW, that’s more than enough power for the top half of the ratings.
7. San Diego State (2-1)
Last week: 4
Result: lost to UCLA 35-10
Next up: at Oregon State
Comment: It’s important to remember that the Aztecs had a hard time beating Idaho State last week. This is the same Idaho State team that just lost to Utah State by 50 points.
8. UNLV (1-1)
Last week: 6
Result: lost at Michigan 35-7
Next up: vs. Vanderbilt
Comment: UNLV is the only SEC team that has a small chance of beating them.
9. Colorado State (0-1)
Last week: 9
Result: did not play
Next up: at Colorado
Comment: The Rams couldn’t have asked for better conditions on their way to Letdown City, Colo., for their game, just like they did when Wyoming went to Texas. Even better, they had an extra week to get ready for the Buffaloes.
10. Hawaii (1-2)
Last week: 11
Result: beat Albany 31-20
Next up: at Oregon
Comment: We really want to find out what the school record is for the most points ever given by Hawaii. I don’t understand how that could be.
11. New Mexico (1-1)
Last week: 12
Result: beat Tennessee Tech 56-10
Next up: vs. New Mexico State
Comment: If they lose this week, the pressure on fourth-year coach Danny Gonzales will reach 11.
12. Nevada (0-2)
Last week: 10
Result: lost to Idaho 33-6
Next up: vs. Kansas
Comment: There are good losses, bad losses, and losses that make you question everything about running a program. The third type of service is having Idaho clean your clock.
