Finishing Up with the Mountain West

This week we have taken a look at the Mountain West conference.It is exciting football that they play if you enjoy lots of scoring. By now, we should have an idea of how each team will finish. Let us take a look at the standings.

Mountain Division

1. Boise State 9-3, 6-2*

2. Wyoming 9-3, 6-2

3. New Mexico 8-4, 5-3

4. Air Force 8-4, 5-3

5. Colorado State 4-8, 2-6

6. Utah State 4-8, 2-6

Boise State makes a trip to the conference championship as they defeat Wyoming. Wyoming is our biggest mover as they go from 2-6 to 6-2. New Mexico rounds out the top three as they stay par to last year's record.

West Division

1. San Diego State 10-2, 6-2*

2. San Jose State 7-5, 6-2

3. Nevada 9-3, 6-2

4. UNLV 4-8, 2-6

5. Fresno State 2-10, 1-7

6. Hawaii 3-10, 0-8

You don't know the struggle of going through all of the tiebreaker rules for a three team tie in the Mountain West Conference. Once you go through all of the stipulations, the final one is the College Football Playoff poll. Given that San Diego State has a 10-2 record, I feel like they might be the only one ranked at season's end. San Jose State finishes second because they beat Nevada in the regular season. San Diego State falls to Boise State in the conference championship knocking them out of any consideration for the playoff. 

Bowl Eligible Teams

San Diego State

Nevada

Boise State

Air Force

Wyoming

New Mexico

San Jose State

Conference Player of the Year (Offense)

Brett Rypien, Boise State Quarterback

Conference Player of the Year (Defense)

Dakota Cox, New Mexico Linebacker

Conference Coach of the Year

Craig Bohl, Wyoming

College Football Preview: San Diego State

San Diego State Aztecs

2015 Results: 11-3 (8-0, 1st in West)

Defeated Air Force in Mountain West Championship

Defeated Cincinnati in Hawaii Bowl

Returning Starters: 7 OFF, 7 DEF, 1 SP

2016 Schedule

September

3rd NEW HAMPSHIRE

10th CALIFORNIA

17th at Northern Illinois

October

1st at South Alabama

8th UNLV

15th at Fresno State

21st SAN JOSE STATE

29th at Utah State

November

5th HAWAII

12th at Nevada

19th at Wyoming

26th COLORADO STATE

San Diego State was one of the surprises from a season ago. After starting 1-3, the Aztecs ran off 10 straight wins. They return key players from that team while suffering minimal loses. This team is a lock to be ranked in the Top 25 to start the season, and almost a shoe-in to repeat as conference champs.

Sophomore Christian Chapman was thrown into the fire last season when starter Maxwell Smith went down. Chapman was Offensive Player of the Game in the Mountain West Championship. Lining up beside him will be the reigning Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year in Donnel Pumphrey. The Aztecs return a deep receiving corps that will be led by junior Mikah Holder.

The Aztecs might have one of the best defenses in the nation going into the season. Last year, they ranked in the top 10 in all major categories. They only allowed 16.4 points and 287.3 yards per game. Leading the defense will be corner Damontae Kazee. Kazee could be an All-American this coming season. Aside from winning Defensive Player of the Year in the conference, Kazee had 8 interceptions which tied him for the nation's lead. Senior safety Malik Smith returns to a deep secondary for the Aztecs. Along side him is Na'im McGee who was the second leading tackler on the team. The line is worrisome as they only have one starter returning. At linebacker, Calvin Munson returns a year after leading the team in tackles with 98. He also tallied 15 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks.

Player to Watch: Donnel Pumphrey

Pumphrey is currently the active leader in rushing yards (4,272) and all-purpose yards (5,145). He looks poised to defend his award, and also carry this team on his back.

If you only watch them once, watch:

9/10 California

The Golden Bears murdered the Aztecs last year. This year, they don't have a definitive answer at quarterback. If this game was later in the year, the result might be different. When SDSU welcomes Cal, you best believe they will remember the 35-7 whooping they took last season.

What to Expect

The Aztecs are on undefeated alert. Don't be surprised if they start out hot and catch the nation off guard. It's almost a lock that they will repeat as conference champs, but don't overlook trips to Nevada and Wyoming late in November.

Prediction

10-2 (6-2, MWC)

-Dug

@chansm1th

Mountain West College Football Preview

Not too long ago, the Mountain West was one of the best non-Power 5 conferences in football. From 2008-2010, the conference had a participant in a BCS Bowl. The two teams, Utah and TCU, are no longer members. Since their departure, Boise State has made the lone BCS Bowl (Fiesta Bowl, 2014). With the playoff, it will be more difficult to have a participant in it when you are a so-called Mid-Major. However, the conference has a team that very well could make a New Years Six bowl. 

The defending champion is San Diego State. They defeated Air Force in the Conference championship last year. The Mountain West sent seven teams to six bowls last year (Nevada beat Colorado State in the Arizona Bowl). The conference features two teams picked in the Top 30 Nationally: San Diego State at 19 and Boise State at 29. Below is the schedule of how we will be looking at the teams this week. 

Monday: Air Force and Boise State

Tuesday: Colorado State and Fresno State

Wednesday: Hawaii and Nevada

Thursday: New Mexico and San Diego State

Friday: San Jose State and UNLV

Saturday: Utah State and Wyoming

-Dug

@chansm1th