Week two brought some critical games for the Pac-12 and an opportunity to solidify itself as the top Group of Six conference in college football, while the Mountain West looked to get back on track after a rough Week 2.San Diego State faced a talented James Madison squad. Texas State looked to get back on track with a huge game against in-state rival North Texas. San Jose State played host to its biggest rival, Fresno State, while New Mexico faced a stiff test when the Lobos traveled to Norman to take
on Oklahoma. How did these teams fare? Let’s take a look in this edition of “The Good, the Bad, the Ugly.”
A Tier
Oregon State
For the second consecutive week, the Beavers looked like a dangerous football team. They took on one of the best FCS football teams in the country in Montana and absolutely destroyed them. The Beavers are showing a lot of improvement on defense and have one of the best passing attacks in the country. The combination of quarterback Braden Atkinson and wide receiver Jesse Legree is proving to be must-watch television. The Beavers look like realistic contenders for the Pac-12 championship.
New Mexico
Sure, it was a loss, but one thing has become clear: Jason Eck is a top-five college football coach and has turned New Mexico into a top-ten Group of Six program. The Lobos battled the entire game and held a talented Sooners offense to only six points. This team has a long way to go on offense, but they should be considered the clear favorites in the Mountain West.
An eight-point road loss to a ranked SEC team is impressive for any school, let alone a team that was in the cellar just a few years ago.
B Tier
North Dakota State
It wasn’t perfect, but the Bison are proving why they were ready to make the move to FBS football. The Bison faced another team in its first year at the FBS level, Sacramento State, and they jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.
While I think the Bison are a really good team, they are really hard to get a read on. They have played the worst schedule of any Group of Six team and only play two teams with winning records the rest of the way.Maybe this team is playoff-good? But it is hard to tell with this schedule.
Texas State
We finally got to see the version of Texas State football we thought we were going to see. The Bobcats’ offense looked elite on Saturday against a North Texas team that only surrendered six points to UNLV the week prior. Brad Jackson had his best game of the season, completing 16 of 22 passes for 268 yards and four touchdowns.
The defense is still a major concern, but if the offense can compete at this level, they will surprise a lot of teams when league play rolls around.
C Tier
Boise State
This Boise State team is really hard to get a read on through three weeks. They have looked really good in spurts but have failed to put together an entire football game, and it nearly cost them against South Dakota State this past weekend.
The lack of a pass rush has put the secondary in a tough situation, and they are giving up way too many big plays in the passing game. Fortunately for the Broncos, they have done a good job taking care of the ball, and the rushing attack has been elite over the last few weeks. Now they face another stiff test as they travel to Kalamazoo to take on a tough Western Michigan team.
UTEP
Sure, the Miners were blown out against a superior Michigan team, but I saw signs of life that I had not seen in previous weeks. The Miners were even ahead for a good chunk of the first half. Eventually, Michigan’s size and speed wore them down, but this was far and away the best this team has looked this season. This game shouldn’t be viewed as a disappointment, but as a building block for a season that looked lost before this weekend.
D Tier
San Diego State
Aztec football feels like one of those roller coasters that looks really exciting, but once you get on, it feels like it lasts forever and you just wish you could get off. This team was expected to be one of the best in the Pac-12 and compete for a conference championship, but they just lost a game they desperately needed.
While the final score doesn’t look awful, it felt like they never really had a chance to win. Sean Lewis and his staff have to figure out a way to get this passing attack going, or it is going to end up being a long season in San Diego.
Nevada
This loss perfectly defines the Jeff Choate era in Reno. Keep things close against a team you should beat by double digits, look like you are going to pull it out late, but ultimately find a way to lose. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a team have as many one-score losses as Nevada has over the past three seasons. This team could easily be 3-0, but now they are staring at a 1-2 record and another year of likely missing out on a bowl. Will this be Jeff Choate’s last season in Nevada? It is looking likely if he can’t turn things around quickly.
F Tier
Wyoming
The Cowboys lost by double digits to a MAC team that lost to New Mexico by 31 and barely beat Colgate the week prior. This loss encapsulates the Jay Sawvel era and what Wyoming football has looked like since NIL has taken off.This program needs to make some wide-scale changes, and they need to make them quickly. They are falling farther and farther behind their peers, and there is no time to waste in the modern world of college football.
Utah State
What is going on in Logan? Sure, it has been a tough schedule, but this team has looked atrocious on the offensive side of the ball through three weeks. I expected the Aggies to struggle on the defensive side of the ball, but Bronco Mendenhall’s history led me to believe that this team’s offense would be good enough to keep them competitive. Sure, they kept it close against Washington, but they are averaging only 10 points per game through three games. This week, they host Troy in a must-win game. If they lose this, they might be looking at a winless season.
How did you feel about your team’s performance? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
