Mountain West Conference Week Four Review

Another week is in the books for the 2015 college football season with the Mountain West Conference going 6-4 with two conference games taking place (New Mexico-Wyoming, Fresno State-San Jose State). Let's take a look at the good, bad, and ugly of week four MWC football action.

Week Four Scoreboard:

• Boise State 56, Virginia 14
• New Mexico 38, Wyoming 28
• Nevada 24, Buffalo 21
• Penn State 37, San Diego State 21
• Colorado State 33, UTSA 31
• Wisconsin 28, Hawaii 0
• UNLV 80, Idaho State 8
• San Jose State 49, Fresno State 23

Who/What Looked Good:

• Brett Rypien: Opening his starting quarterback career on the road cross country versus Virginia, Rypien was excellent. His 34-35 passing for 321 yards and three touchdowns gave the Boise State faithful a view of the future…. And the future is bright.
• Tyler Ervin: One of the hardest things for a west coast team is to get notoriety from media that are already in bed before the game starts.  SJSU running back Tyler Ervin woke up the masses with a 42 carry, 300 yard, three touchdown game versus Fresno State. The senior running back is #2 nationally with 641 yards rushing on the year.
• UNLV’s Offense: Yes, it was versus Idaho State, but the Rebels got their first win of the season in emphatic fashion. UNLV put up 626 yards of total offense and benefitted from six Idaho State turnovers in the blowout win.
• Non-Conference Wins: Boise State, Nevada, and Colorado State all earned nice non-conference wins for the Mountain West Conference. After a rough start to the season, the MWC looks much better.

Who/What Looked Bad:

• Fresno State Freefall: No one expected Fresno State to have the weapons to win the MWC West Division this season. The problem the Bulldogs have run into is that they are not competitive versus solid to good teams. Versus Ole Miss, Utah, and San Jose State, Fresno State has come no closer than a 21-point margin of loss. They are -99 points in those three games.
• San Diego State Defense: Built up as one of the nation’s best heading into the season, the Aztec defense gave up 30+ points to their third straight opponent in week four. At 1-3 on the season, the SDSU defense will have to find a way to play better if the Aztecs want to compete for the MWC West Division title.
• Wyoming Can’t Win: Wyoming could be looking at a 0-12 season if they do not fix some issues soon. Outside of a disappointing Utah State and a season finale versus UNLV, I do not see any other wins for the Cowboys.

MWC Power Rankings:

1. Boise State
2. Air Force
3. Colorado State
4. San Jose State
5. Nevada
6. Utah State
7. San Diego State
8. New Mexico
9. Hawaii
10. Fresno State
11. UNLV
12. Wyoming

Week Five Schedule:

• Air Force at Navy
• Wyoming at Appalachian State
• San Jose State at Auburn
• UNLV at Nevada
• Colorado State at Utah State
• New Mexico State at New Mexico
• Hawaii at Boise State
• Fresno State at San Diego State

Bye Weeks:

• None