They're back! The weekly conference power rankings return with a new team on top.
Week one wasn't a bad week for the conference, but outside of Utah's victory over Michigan, no team really made noise nationally. Of course, only Utah and Colorado State played BCS teams, so it isn't a surprise. This week, though, things will be different, as San Diego State travels to Notre Dame, BYU takes on Washington and New Mexico hosts Texas A&M. Asking for an Aztecs victory might be a bit too much, however, there really is no reason BYU or New Mexico can't win their games (I mean, the Aggies lost to Arkansas Freaking State, AT HOME).
Team of the Week: Utah. They came out, pretty much dominated Michigan for most of the game and held on, giving the Mountain West its first victory in the Big House. It also bumped the Utes into the top-25, where they've been missing the past three seasons.
Team of the Weak: San Diego State. Yeesh! This is the second time in three years the Aztecs have lost to Cal Poly...at home. Ridiculous.
| Rank | Team | Comments | |||
| 1 |  |
It doesn't get much better than a season opening win, on the road, against Michigan. Utah kicked off the 2008 season in style, finally living up to some preseason hype and because of this, deserve the top spot in this week's power poll. Of course, if they can't take care of business next week against UNLV, they'll plummet fast. | |||
| 2 |  |
While Eastern Illinois Northern Iowa is an FCS power, it doesn't excuse the sloppy play from the Cougars in week one. They still dominated on offense, but turnovers and poor defense made the game closer than it should have been in the third quarter. They're going to have to pick up their play this week against Washington, or things could get interesting. | |||
| 3 |  |
TCU started the season with a dominant conference win at New Mexico and looks to be right back in the title hunt. They won't get much of a test this week against Stephen F. Austin, but can make some serious noise this month with games against Stanford and Oklahoma. | |||
| 4 |  |
The Falcons didn't have much competition this week, which is good, since they're working in some new offensive weapons after losing a ton from last season. The Falcons now have to turn around and travel to Wyoming, where they'll face the Cowboys in a pivotal conference game. A victory there and Air Force could be looking at another surprise season. | |||
| 5 |  |
The Cowboys barely had enough to get by Ohio at home and once again appear to have some issues on offense. Their defense, though, looks solid, but if they're just getting by against a team they should easily defeat, there could be some problems in the future. | |||
| 6 |  |
The Rebels defeated Utah State Saturday and open the season 1-0. Good for them, but now comes a big test, playing an angry Utah team. The Utes have not forgotten last season's 27-0 embarrassment and most likely will be looking for a bit of payback. They'll have to play a lot better than they did against the Aggies if they even want to make the game competitive. | |||
| 7 |  |
Another season and another slow start by the Lobos. It seems like every year New Mexico takes a month or so to hit its stride and by that time, they're almost already out of the title hunt. This year doesn't look any different and now comes a near must-win against Texas A&M. | |||
| 8 |  |
The Rams played Colorado tough for most of the game, however, talent and depth prevailed and eventually wore down Colorado State in Steve Fairchild's debut. It wasn't a bad game, but it appears the Rams still aren't going to be very competitive this season, though a tune-up game against Sacramento State this week should help. | |||
| 9 |  |
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