Not many surprises last week. The Mountain West is really kicking into conference play, so you'll certainly start to get an idea of who is and isn't a real contender. Last week, San Diego State lost to BYU, proving they're not remotely a contender for the top-spot.
With that win over the Aztecs, the Cougars showed some new life. They'll need it this week if they're going to even give TCU a game.
Team of the Week: Utah. The Utes dropped the hammer on the Iowa St. Cyclones and pretty much put TCU on notice that they may just be the best team in the Mountain West. Lots of football left be played, but the 68-points scored on the road against a BCS team really was impressive.
Team of the Weak: New Mexico. The Lobos' chances of winning a game this season took a major hit when they lost to equally bad New Mexico State. It's hard to imagine Mike Locksley makes it to a third year.
The rankings after the jump...
TCU finally kicked it into gear and won against an inferior team in lopsided fashion. They rolled Wyoming up and down the field and have now posted back-to-back shutouts for the first time in the modern era. This week things get a bit more difficult, as they host BYU. Expect the Frogs to still roll, however. Colorado State won the TOP by a large margin, had only ten yards less than the Falcons and yet Air Force still won 49-27. Pretty good. The Falcons travel to San Diego State for a pretty big game and one they need to win if they have any hope of contending with Utah and TCU at the top. The Aztecs might've lost Saturday, but they're still on pace to have a pretty good season. That might not happen if they lose Saturday against Air Force. It's a home game and it's a must-win because losing there would already put them at three losses on the season - with TCU and Utah still left to play. Realistically, a bowl berth can be had, but it would mean, assuming they fall to the Frogs and Utes, they would have to play near-perfect football the rest of the way if they lose to AFA. As we saw last week, they're not quite ready for primetime and they'll have to get there fast if this season is going to be a good one. The Cougars finally got a win. It was close. It wasn't without controversy, but it was a victory nonetheless and Bronco will take it. This week, though, could get ugly. They have not fared well against the Frogs the last two seasons and Gary Patterson hasn't really hidden the fact he's disgusted with the Cougars going independent. Best case scenario calls for an upset. Best case realistic scenario would mean they were competitive. If they are, and if they do the unthinkable and win, it will signal that the ship has been righted. Colorado State put up no fight in their loss to Air Force Saturday and if they lose at home to UNLV this weekend, well maybe it'll be time to reevaluate the path the program is taking.
Rank
Team
Comments
1
2
A good deal of people looked at this game as a potential read on how good Utah really was. Iowa State was thought to be a test for the Utes and yet, Utah did to them what they have done to supposed lesser foes all season long. It's probably not going to get harder for the Utes, as they travel to Wyoming to take on the struggling Cowboys.
3
4
5
6
The conference goes to crap right here. You can pretty much switch out Wyoming, UNLV and CSU in the 6 through 8 spots. The Cowboys get an edge here because at least they've got two wins and at least they've played a really tough schedule.
7
The Rebels went across the country and got owned by West Virginia. I didn't expect them to win, but I had hopes they would at least show up. They didn't. This week they face the equally bad CSU Rams. Both teams are desperate for a win, but unfortunately one does have to lose.
8
9
