Top MWC players returning

These are someof the top MWC players returning for the 2012 season.

Top 10 Non-AQ (November 8, 2011)

1. Boise State (8-0)—A nondescript 48-21 win last week gets the Broncos to 8-0 one step closer to an undefeated season and BCS bowl game. Led by Heisman candidate Kellen Moore, the Broncos are winning games by an average of 27.1 points per game. This week is one of the sternest tests of the season with TCU coming to Idaho for an afternoon matchup. If the Broncos get by, all that stands in front of a perfect record is SDSU, Wyoming, and New Mexico. Previous: Defeated UNLV, Next: TCU.

2. Houston (9-0)—Another week, another 400+ yard passing game and win for Case Keenum and the Cougars of Houston. With the #1 passing offense averaging 457.1 yards per game and the #1 scoring offense averaging 52.7 points per game, the Cougars are looking like the outsiders attempting to crash the party with an undefeated record. Tulane and SMU are very winnable games and set up a November 25th matchup with Tulsa that will settle which team goes to the conference championship game. Previous: Defeated UAB 56-13, Next: At Tulane.

3. Southern Miss (8-1)—After an easier than expected win versus division foe East Carolina pretty much settling the East division of Conference USA, The Golden Eagles have to be kicking themselves over an inexplicable loss to Marshall earlier in the season. The Golden Eagles have a tough matchup versus UCF before ending the season with games versus UAB and Memphis. The Golden Eagles should go into the Conference USA title game with an 11-1 record. Previous: Defeated East Carolina 48-28, Next: UCF.

4. TCU (7-2)—A couple of play here and there and the Horned Frogs could be looking at back to back undefeated seasons. As it stands now, TCU is playing the spoiler role to Boise State’s Cinderella run. This week is the matchup everyone in the Mountain West Conference has been waiting for all year, a trip to Boise to face the #5 ranked team in the country. Previous: Defeated Wyoming 31-20, Next: At Boise State.

5. Tulsa (6-3)—The Golden Hurricanes come into this week with a 6-3 record and a collision course set for Houston on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The winner of that game will win the win the division and face Southern Miss in the conference title game. Tulsa is the team that can spoil the senior season of Case Keenum and send the Houston Cougars spiraling back to earth. Until then, there are two very winnable games to play versus Marshall and UTEP standing in the way. Previous: Defeated UCF 24-17, Next: Marshall.

6. Arkansas State (7-2)—The Red Wolves continue to win games and are sitting at 7 wins this deep into the season. The Red Wolves meet up with fellow bowl eligible Sun Belt team, Louisiana Lafayette for a game that would put Arkansas State in the driver’s seat for the conference title. A loss to ULL would set up a three way tie for 1st place in the conference with ULL and WKU. With games still left versus MTSU and Troy, it is likely but not a given that ASU ends with the conference title. Previous: Defeated FAU 39-21, Next: ULL.

7. Northern Illinois (6-3)—A wild 63-60 win over Toledo propels the Huskies into a lead in the division and a very good chance and playing for the MAC conference title again. NIU still has BGSU, a bowl eligible Ball State team and EMU left on the schedule. A loss to any of the three teams left would make life miserable for the Huskies. Previous: Defeated Toledo 63-60, Next: At Bowling Green.

8. Louisiana-Lafayette (8-2)—The Ragin’ Cajuns are sitting at 8-2 with their only losses coming to Oklahoma State and WKU. A trip to Arkansas to play Arkansas State is the only Sun Belt hurdle left before a regular season ending game versus Arizona. If ULL wins, it creates a 3-way tie for the Sun Belt Championship. If ULL loses, the Ragin’ Cajuns must hope for WKU to lose its final Sun Belt games to finish any better than 3rd in the conference. Previous: Defeated ULM 36-35, Next: At Arkansas State.

9. BYU (6-3)—A much needed bye week was in order for the Cougars to get healthy for a final 3 games to end the season. Games versus Idaho and New Mexico State precede a trip to Hawaii to end the regular season. The last three games are very winnable and chances are BYU ends the regular season on a good note with a 9-3 record in its first year as an independent. Previous: Lost to TCU 38-28, Next: Idaho.

10. Toledo (5-4)—A loss in a wild game versus Northern Illinois hurt the chances for the Rockets to win the MAC this season. The Rockets must win out and hope for a NIU loss in the final three weeks to take back 1^st spot in the division and a spot in the title game in Detroit. Previous: Lost to NIU 63-60, Next: Western Michigan.

Also Receiving votes: SMU, Ohio, Ball State, Wyoming, SDSU, Nevada

Top 10 Non-AQ (October 30, 2011)

1. Boise State (7-0, 2-0)—With a bye week and a chance to take a rest before the final 5 games of the season, the Broncos are far and away the best non-AQ team in the country. The Broncos, led by senior quarterback Kellen Moore are steady at #5 in the country and have a chance to move up even more with a win this Saturday. Previous: Defeated Air Force 37-26, Next: At UNLV.
2. Houston (8-0, 4-0)—With another spectacular performance by Keenum (24-37, 534 yards and 9 touchdowns), the Cougars have made it into the top 15 in the country currently sitting at #14. The Cougars have a free falling SMU squad left before a season finale versus Tulsa. That game will make or break the season for the Cougars. Previous: Defeated Rice 73-34, Next: At UAB.
3. Toledo (5-3, 4-0)—Another team with a bye last week, the Rockets are undefeated in conference play and host fellow conference power Northern Illinois at home in the Glass Bowl this week. The Rockets are in complete control of where they end up and if they win out, they will play in the conference title game in Detroit. Previous: Defeated Miami (OH) 49-28, Next: NIU.    
4. Southern Miss (7-1, 3-1)—Another dominant performance by the Golden Eagles has almost completely taken the bitterness out of the early season loss to Marshall. The Golden Eagles have moved into the top 25 in the coaches’ poll and enter at #24. This week is a tough trip to East Carolina for a game that will likely decide the division. Previous: Defeated UTEP 31-13, Next: At ECU.
5. TCU (6-2, 3-0)—The Horned Frogs have recovered from the disaster of a game versus SMU on October 1^st and take on a surprising Wyoming squad who is coming in at 5-2. The Horned Frogs have more talent and should take care of business but with a matchup versus Boise next week, this could be a huge trap game. Previous: Defeated BYU 38-28, Next: At Wyoming.
6. Tulsa (5-3, 4-0)—After losing games to three top 10 teams in the first month of the season, the Golden Hurricanes have responded well with a 4 game winning streak. That streak was capped with their first win over a team with a winning record with a 38-7 win over SMU. Everyone in Conference USA is awaiting a regular season finale matching the Golden Hurricanes versus #14 Houston. Previous: Defeated SMU 38-7, Next: At UCF.
7. Temple (5-3, 3-2)—With a week to regroup from a bad loss to Bowling Green, the Owls look to return to their winning ways with a trip to Ohio for a Wednesday night game on ESPN. All of the final four games for the Owls are very winnable and the Owls should not get overlooked with a 9-3 record at the end of this season. The Owls also have a chance in the next 2 weeks to win their division and set up a trip to Detriot. Previous: Lost to BGSU 13-10, Next: At Ohio.
8. Arkansas State (6-2, 4-0)—The Red Wolves have taken care of things in going 4-0 in conference play after a 2-2 start to the season. The last two games have been victories by 18 or more points after a close 2 games to start conference play. The Sun Belt favorites have tough matchup with ULL and Troy left on the schedule as well as ULL and WKU nipping on their heels with just weeks to go in the season. Previous: Defeated North Texas 37-14, Next: At FAU.
9. Northern Illinois (5-3, 3-1)—Yet another team with a bye week last week, the Huskies get a couple extra days to prepare for a clash with Toledo on November 1^st. Led by senior quarterback Chandler Harnish, the Huskies must win this week in order to get back to the MAC championship game. Previous: Defeated Buffalo 31-30, Next: At Toledo.
10. BYU (6-3)—A very ambitious schedule has bitten the Cougars with losses to Texas, Utah, and TCU. The schedule gets considerably easier in the final 3 weeks with matchups versus Idaho, New Mexico State, and Hawaii. A 9-3 record is very possible and it will be interesting to see how the Cougars look in a bowl game versus a mid level opponent in December. That will tell a lot about how the Cougars will be able to compete on a regular basis as an independent. Previous: Lost to TCU 38-28, Next: Idaho.

Also Getting Votes: Louisiana Lafayette, Eastern Michigan, Ohio, Southern Methodist, Wyoming.

Top 10 Non-AQ (October 24, 2011)

1. Boise State (7-0, 2-0)—Boise is clearly head and shoulders the #1 non-AQ team with the#10 scoring offense and #11 scoring defense in the nation. The Broncos had their closest call of the season in a 37-26 win over Air Force. The Falcons were able to score on the Boise defense and stay right in the game until the very end. The Broncos have a road trip to UNLV coming up before a pivotal 2 game stretch versus TCU and SDSU that will be the only thing keeping Boise from a perfect regular season. Previous: Def. Air Force 37-26, Next: At UNLV.
2. Houston (7-0, 3-0)—Houston has looked very impressive with Case Keenum at the helm after a 5-7 season without Keenum in 2010. The Cougars have the #1 passing attack (441.7 ypg.) as well as the #1 scoring offense in the country with 49.3 points per game. With the next three games coming against Rice, UAB, and Tulane, the Cougars should get to SMU with a 10-0 record for a pivotal game in Conference USA. Houston is the class of a good Conference USA roster of teams and can move in possible BCS consideration with a 12-0 record. Previous: Def. Marshall 63-28, Next: Rice.
3. BYU (6-2)—BYU has bounced back nicely from a 2 game losing streak to Texas and Utah early in the season. The spark has come from junior quarterback Riley Nelson’s ascension to the starting job. Nelson has thrown for at least 2 touchdowns per game since his promotion to starter midway into the Utah State game. The Cougars have scored at least 27 points in each of Nelson’s games as starter after only putting up 16 points per game in the starts of Jake Heaps. A big Friday night matchup versus TCU looms on the 28^th that will show just how good the offense has become with Nelson. Previous: Def. Idaho State 56-3, Next: At TCU.
4. Toledo (5-3, 4-0)—The Rockets are the class of the MAC with a 4-0 conference record, looking dominant in each of those games. The Rockets have to wonder what could have been with a razor thin loss to Ohio State and a very controversial loss to Syracuse that was decided on a horrible referee call. Toledo is playing to keep 1^st place in their division this week at home versus a rejuvenated NIU squad. If the Rockets take care of business, the stage should be set for a huge regular season ending game at Ball State. Previous: Def. Miami (OH) 49-26, Next: NIU.
5. Southern Miss (6-1, 2-1)—After an inexplicable loss in week 2 to Marshall, the Golden Eagles have reeled off 5 straight wins including a 27-3 win over a very good SMU squad. The offense is averaging just over 470 yards per game while scoring 37 points per game, good for 21^st in the country. The Golden Eagles are outscoring opponents by nearly 18 points per game. The next three weeks are crucial to Southern Miss with trips to UTEP and ECU and a home game versus UCF. Previous: Def. SMU 27-3, Next: At UTEP.
6. TCU (5-2, 3-0)—The Horned Frogs have rebounded nicely from a disappointing 40-33 overtime loss to SMU with wins over SDSU and New Mexico. The offense has been spectacular scoring 43.6 points per game with over 450 yards per game. A very difficult game versus BYU is next, but if the Horned Frogs get by BYU it sets up a huge game at Boise State on November 12^th. In their last year as a Non-AQ, TCU would like nothing better than to spoil the Boise State march to perfection. Previous: Def. New Mexico 69-0, Next: BYU.
7. San Diego State (4-2, 1-1)—After a disappointing 2 game losing streak to Michigan and TCU, the Aztecs have responded well with a nice win over Air Force 2 weeks ago. Sophomore Ronnie Hillman leads the Aztec offense with six 100 yard rushing games on the year with a season high 189 in the season opener. The Aztecs enter an easy potion of their schedule with games versus Wyoming, New Mexico and Colorado State before a matchup versus Boise. Previous: Def. Air Force 41-27, Next: Wyoming.
8. SMU (5-2, 3-1)—The Mustangs had a 5 game winning streak snapped with a 27-3 loss to Southern Miss last week. SMU comes in with the 12^th best passing attack in the country averaging 309 yards per game in a pass happy June Jones scheme. The running game has not quite been up to par with preseason all-Conference USA running back Zach Line responsible for 97% of the rushing yards on the season. With trips to Tulsa and Houston left on the schedule, 8-4 may looks like a good possibility. Previous: Lost to Southern Miss 27-3, Next: At Tulsa.
9. Northern Illinois (5-3, 3-1)—The Huskies finally return to the top 10 after a very tight win over conference foe Buffalo, 31-30. Senior quarterback Chandler Harnish is pretty much the entire offense throwing for 1697 yards and 12 touchdowns while rushing for 738 yards and 8 touchdowns including a 229 yard rushing game versus WMU. The final 4 games of the regular season are going to be trouble with Ball State and EMU left as well as a huge game versus Toledo which should settle the division race. Previous: Def. Buffalo 31-30, Next: At Toledo.
10. Ball State (5-3, 3-1)—The Cardinals seem to just keep winning this season. They are not spectacular on offense or defense and let nearly everyone hang with them in wins, but the Cardinals have 5 wins on the season and will be bowl eligible with one more win. With a falling WMU team coming up this week, it may be the best chance for the Cardinals to get that 6^th win. EMU is playing surprisingly good ball control football and NIU and Toledo will be tough to beat late in the season. Logic would say that 6 wins is the ceiling for the Cardinals but with the upsets left and right in the MAC this season, it is entirely possible although unlikely for Ball State to run the table and finish 9-3. Previous: Def. CMU 31-27, Next: At WMU.

Also receiving votes: EMU, Arkansas State.

EMU, Nevada, SJSU, Temple, TCU, ULM, New Mexico State, UTEP, and Southern Miss Week 3 Previews

Week 2 top 10 rankings

Non-Big 6 Top 10 Preseason Week 2

Winners, losers, and a look at next week

Winners and losers of week one for the non big 6.

#14 ranked Horned Frogs go down despite furious comeback

WACO, Texas -- Robert Griffin took the final snap and was swarmed by fans wearing Baylor gold.

TCU versus Baylor Preview

MWC Media Day Player Interviews

Video of SDSU QB Ryan Lindley, Air Force WR Jonathan Warzeka, Boise State QB Kellen Moore, Wyoming LB Brian Hendricks, TCU LB Tank Carder, and TCU WR Josh Boyce. Links after the jump...

Texas Christian University

Top 10 Big 6 versus Non Big 6 games of 2011

Every year, there are some games that non big 6 conference teams win that put them on the national map. This year, here are ten of the top opportunities for the non big 6 to stand up and show the world that there are alot of great teams in college football beyond the big 6.

Maxwell Award Watch List

The following players are part of the 66 players announced to the Maxwell Award watch list:

Mountain West

Mountain West teams and bowl tie-ins: