Mountain West Conference power rankings

Week three turned out to be the best week in Mountain West history. Who would have thought the conference could post a 4-0 record against the mighty Pac Ten? Not many. This week isn't nearly as big, though there are some nice out of conference games (we'll get to those later). But for now, here's this week's rankings. 

Team(s) of the Week: UNLV & BYU. Ok, I expected BYU to beat UCLA, but not by 59 points. Yikes, I'm still trying to figure out how BYU's defense pitched the shutout. Of course, that victory wasn't nearly as surprising as the Rebels over Arizona State in Tempe. The Sun Devils were ranked 15th entering that game and even though they were probably looking ahead to Georgia, it still doesn't explain how they lost to UNLV. Unless the Rebels are finally crawling up the conference ladder and if that's the case, thankfully Utah has already played them.

Team of the Weak: San Diego State. The lone loss on Saturday, the Aztecs continue to solidify their ranking at the bottom of the conference. I don't get this team. They lose to Cal Poly, nearly knock off Notre Dame and then get their butt kicked by San Jose State. Ridiculous. 

Week Three Rankings
Rank	Team	Comments
1		After completely embarrassing UCLA Saturday, BYU takes hold of the top spot. You can't argue with a 59-0 victory over a Pac Ten team, especially one that was ranked just two weeks ago. Are the Cougars as good as they looked Saturday? Probably not, but even if they play as half as good as they did against the Bruins, it's going to be tough for any conference foe to defeat them.
2		Utah didn't have much competition Saturday, as they easily defeated Utah State 58-10. Now they get to prove their ranking and all the BCS hype this week against Air Force. It won't be easy, but a victory in Colorado Springs could set up for a great run.
3		While BYU got most of the headlines for its surprisingly easy victory over UCLA, TCU was running all over Stanford. The Frogs, who were in a tight battle early against the Cardinal, rolled in the second half, scoring 17 unanswered points on their way to the 31-14 win. SMU is next and then their huge showdown with Oklahoma.
4		The Falcons built a 31-7 lead against Houston and had to barely hang on for the three point victory. It was a good first half, a spotty second half and a solid win for Air Force, who are 3-0 for the second straight year. Now comes their toughest test so far, a home game against Utah and a victory there would give Air Force their first 4-0 start in five years.
5		I don't think anyone thought UNLV would be 2-1 after their first three games, but they are and maybe Mike Sanford has finally turned things around in Vegas. Of course, this looked like it was happening last year as well, when UNLV opened the season 2-2, barely losing, at home, to Wisconsin and stunning Utah. The Rebels then failed to win a game the rest of the season. They'll look to show Saturday was no fluke when they host Iowa State this week.
6		Maybe the Lobos are finally finding their footing, after getting an impressive win over Arizona at home. The Wildcats came into the game 2-0, dominating both Idaho and Toledo, but couldn't find nearly as much offensive production as the first two weeks and fell for the second straight year against New Mexico. This week, though, is tough, as the Lobos travel to play pass-happy Tulsa. A win there might just prove they're turning things around this season.
7		The Cowboy offense still doesn't look impressive, as they needed a field goal with six seconds left to defeat the North Dakota State Bison. It wasn't a great win, but after dropping their first conference game to Air Force the week before, they'll take it. Things look bleak this week, however, with a game against BYU. That could get ugly fast.
8		The Rams had the week off after fending off Sacramento State, but now host Houston, who lost last week to Air Force. This is a winnable game for Colorado State and could set the tone for the rest of the season.
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