The conference didn't make too much noise last week, but they picked up some key wins as Colorado State finally snapped their long losing streak against the supposed up and coming Idaho Vandals. Outside that, most teams did what they were supposed to do in their out of conference wins. That's exactly what the conference needs to do to raise its perception level.
Unfortunately, the biggest loss probably came from BYU, since Nevada does appear to be the second best team in the WAC. Even though it's always fun watching the Cougars struggle, for Ute and Frog fans, it was probably a game best won by BYU. Nevada is now rolling and very well could enter their game against the Boise St. Broncos undefeated. If that's the case, they'll be highly ranked and it will offer up either team one last biggie opponent heading into the final couple weeks of the season. TCU and Utah, who trail the Broncos in the BCS race, don't need that.
But there is still a lot of football left to be played and the Utah-TCU showdown is looking like one between two top-ten teams. Still, lots to be decided between now and then.
Team of the Week: Utah. The Utes dominated the San Jose St. Spartans 56-3 and looked nearly flawless doing it. The most impressive and lopsided win of the week for the Mountain West.
Team of the Weak: New Mexico. Even against the awful UNLV Rebels, the Lobos still can't pull out a victory. In fact, after going up 7-0, they were outscored 45-0 before kicking a pointless field goal at the end of the game. Ouch.
The rankings after the jump...
| Rank | Team | Comments | |||
| 1 |  |
TCU didn't look entirely great in their win over SMU, but that's to be expected. It was a road contest against a rival and generally those types of games can prove to be the most difficult. In the end, though, they managed to win and that's ultimately all that matters. This week gets much easier as they travel to Fort Collins to open up conference play against Colorado State. |
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| 2 |  |
Utah crushed San Jose State and looked pretty impressive doing it. Of course, it's just the Spartans, so you don't want to get too excited over a 56-3 thrashing. They can rest this week before traveling to take on the Iowa St. Cyclones - their first true test since the opening week win over Pittsburgh. | |||
| 3 |  |
Air Force won a sloppy game in Laramie against Wyoming and continue their hunt for the program's first Mountain West title. This week is probably the biggest game of the season, as they host rival Navy. The last time the Falcons beat Navy? 2002. |
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| 4 |  |
Sure, it's just the Aggies, but San Diego State is 3-1 and that's a far cry from where they've been in years past. I'm not fully convinced this team is good, since their lone big game was still a loss, but they're quickly making a believer out of me. If they can beat BYU in Provo next weekend (they have a bye this week), I'll probably jump on their bandwagon. |
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| 5 |  |
It's not pretty in Provo right now. Not only are the Cougars 1-3 (their worst start since the 2005 season), they don't have an offense. That's the biggest concern because for years this program has had one of the most potent offenses in all of college football. Right now, they're fifth worst in the nation in PPG. Yes, only four teams have scored less points on the season than BYU. |
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| 6 |  |
The Rebels finally got into the win column with a blowout victory over the slumping New Mexico Lobos. Oh sure, it's just New Mexico - but a win is a win and Bobby Hauck will take it. This week gets much more difficult, as they host 25th ranked Nevada. | |||
| 7 |  |
Wyoming played Air Force tough, but ultimately came up short in their 20-14 loss. That's good news if you believe the Falcons are one of the top three teams in the conference (as we do here at Block U). Unfortunately, it's still a loss and right now, the Cowboys sit at 1-3 on the season. Their lone win? A 28-20 victory over Southern Utah. Beat Toledo this week, though, and things could rapidly move in the right direction. | |||
| 8 |  |
How 'bout those Rams? They finally snapped their losing streak and actually beat a team of substance. It took a big comeback (twice), but they eventually got by Idaho 36-34. They now sit at 1-3 on the season and have some momentum - even if it is just a bit. This week is far more difficult,though, as they host TCU. |
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| 9 |  |
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