Mountain West rankings: Nevada surging, Mountain on top, all eyes on Boise State

Duke Ritenhouse | Reno Gazette-Journal

While Boise State continues to hold down the top spot in the RGJ’s Mountain West football power rankings, there’s another set of rankings where it would like to move up — and one where the Broncos’ fate affects the rest of the conference, too.

Boise State, with a loss to BYU spoiling an otherwise spotless campaign, is ranked No. 21 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. That puts the Broncos (8-1 overall, 5-0 MW) behind fellow Group of Five members Cincinnati and Memphis in the race for a New Year’s Six bowl spot. Only the top G5 finisher in the final CFP standings is guaranteed a place in one of the sport’s prestigious New Year’s Six games.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that Boise State will emerge as the Mountain West champion or as the conference’s top-ranked team in the final CFP standings. But the Broncos do control their own fate in the MW title chase, and there’s currently no other conference team ranked in the CFP’s top 25.

Should no Mountain West team qualify for a NY6 game, then the conference’s top team would slide down into the regular bowl rotation. That essentially would create one fewer total bowl slots available to the MW, which has five guaranteed bowl tie-ins and deals with three other games to provide back-up teams.

Heading into this weekend’s games, five Mountain West teams, including Nevada, are bowl-eligible. Another five could reach that plateau by the time the regular season ends.

With all that in mind, here’s a look at this week’s RGJ power rankings, along with other news and notes from throughout the conference:

The rankings

1. Boise State

2. Air Force (up 1)

3. Utah State (up 2)

4. San Diego State (down 2)

5. Wyoming (down 1)

6. Colorado State

7. Hawaii (up 1)

8. Nevada (up 1)

9. Fresno State (down 2)

10. San Jose State

11. UNLV

12. New Mexico

The standings

West

1. San Diego State (7-2, 4-2); 2. Nevada (6-4, 3-3); Hawaii (6-4, 3-3); 4. Fresno State (4-5, 2-3); 5. San Jose State (4-6, 1-5); 6. UNLV (2-7, 0-5)

Mountain

1. Boise State (8-1, 5-0); 2. Air Force (7-2, 4-1); Utah State (5-4, 4-1); 4. Wyoming (6-3, 3-2); Colorado State (4-5, 3-2); 6. New Mexico (2-7, 0-5).

Game of the week

Fresno State at San Diego State: The West Division race is currently a complicated mess, but both of these teams control their own destinies. If San Diego State can win out, it’ll win the West with a 6-2 record; if Fresno State wins out, the Bulldogs will be the West winners at 5-3 (FSU would own all the important tie-breakers). Either Fresno State or San Diego State has won every West title since the Mountain West split into divisions in 2013.

Friday, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN2)*

Player to watch

Whomever plays QB for Hawaii: Nevada isn’t the only school with some quarterback questions this season (although the Pack seems to have clearly settled on Carson Strong). The Warriors benched longtime starter Cole McDonald last week in favor of redshirt freshman Chevan Cordeiro, who then proceeded to torch San Jose State for five total touchdowns (three through the air). The job appears to be his to lose, but it’s not certain which way head coach Nick Rolovich is leaning.

Saturday, 1 p.m. (Facebook)

* — game had not ended by press time

MW leaders

Passing: Josh Love, San Jose State — 316.8 ypg

Rushing: Ahmari Davis, New Mexico — 102.9 ypg

Receiving: Warren Jackson, Colorado State — 121.7 ypg

Scoring: Matt Mercurio, San Jose State — 8.9 ppg

Tackles: David Woodward, Utah State — 13.3 tpg

Interceptions: Luq Barcoo, San Diego State — 5

Last week

Utah State 37, Fresno State 35

Boise State 20, Wyoming 17 (OT)

Nevada 17, San Diego State 13

Hawaii 42, San Jose State 40

This week

Friday

Fresno State at San Diego State

Saturday

Hawaii at UNLV, 1 p.m.

Wyoming at Utah State, 1 p.m.

Air Force at Colorado State, 4 p.m.

New Mexico at Boise State, 7:15 p.m.

One last thing …

* The Mountain West has five bowl-eligible teams, with five more within striking distance of the NCAA-mandated six-win threshold. Already eligible are Boise State (eight wins), Air Force and San Diego State (seven), and Wyoming and Nevada (six). The teams with work still to do are Hawaii, Utah State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Jose State.

* Utah State became the first team to win at Fresno State and San Diego State in the same season since the Mountain West split into divisions in 2013. The Aggies beat Fresno State on Saturday, 37-35.

* Boise State has won 10 or more games for three straight seasons, tied with Troy for the longest streak of any Group of Five team. The Broncos are 8-1 heading into a Saturday home game against New Mexico.

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