The college football season is almost upon us. Football games will be played this Saturday for Week 0, meaning it’s time to rank the teams to enter the year. Take a look at this week’s MWCConnection Power Rankings, and let us know what you like and what you don’t. Feel free to drop your own rankings in the comments section.
It should be noted that preseason rankings are based almost exclusively on opinions and educated guesses, since no games have been played yet. It’s fair to say they don’t amount
to much, like most preseason content, but that’s no fun. That being said, expect these rankings to go through many changes week to week for the first month of the season. Since they are not games to go off of, each team will feature reasons why they could be successful and reasons why things go in an unwanted direction.
1) UNLV (+3)
The Rebels looked like a much-improved team this past week, handily beating Sam Houston, showing that teams can get better after the first game of the season. After featuring a strong running game in Week 0, this past game demonstrated they can beat teams through the air as well. And while the defense for UNLV wasn’t perfect, it found a winning formula to keep the opposing offense off the scoreboard more often than not.
2) Hawaii (+4)
This placement is a bit odd, as Hawaii only moved up a bit following their big win and now moves up a lot after a big loss. It’s more a product of so many other teams playing poorly and someone having to occupy the top spots in the Mountain West rankings. Still, the Rainbow Warriors can claim the best win in the conference at this point in the young season. Plus, they have a budding star at quarterback, although one who will need to rest and heal before truly competing during conference play. But this team should be good, at least as good as anyone else at this point.
3) Air Force (+0)
The Falcons once again opened their season against an FCS opponent and took care of business on both sides of the ball. New quarterback Josh Johnson looked the part in the offense, although most of his plays were made with his arm (112 passing yards, 2 touchdowns) rather than his legs (3 rushes for 5 yards). It didn’t matter, though, because Cade Harris and Dylan Carson made up for it. Next game will tell more about where Air Force is at.
4) Utah State (+4)
The start of the Mendenhall era for the Aggies mirrored a lot of his tenure with New Mexico last season. It featured a talented quarterback and big-play running back that helped in the scoring department, but also a defense that had quite a few holes. It’s a work in program for Utah State but they passed the first test wtih a season-opening victory, and that isn’t nothing.
5) Wyoming (+0)
The game was vintage Cowboys. Their defense was suffocating, keeping Akron off the scoreboard all game and holding them to a mere 228 total yards. The offense struggled to find its groove, only securing a field goal until late in the fourth quarter. However, there were bright spots on the offensive side of the ball. QB Kaden Anderson played pretty well, and the running game was steady as well. But the real star for Wyoming was wide receiver Chris Durr Jr, who enjoyed a coming-out game with 190 receiving yards, showing they can develop a passing threat for opponents to worry about.
6) Colorado State (+1)
The Rams played Washington close through three quarters before losing steam in the fourth. But it was still a good fight. The offense was more Air Raid than the end of last season, but when Jalen Dupree is arguably the best player on the offense, they should and did still run the ball a healthy amount. The new look Colorado State defense didn’t have the best day, but there is still alot of season left for that unit to show improvement.
7) Fresno State (+2)
The Bulldogs were also much improved from their first game. The vision for the dynamic rushing attack was realized in this one, with three running backs scoring at least one touchdown and five different players averaging over five yards per carry. Hopefully, that formula can continue to bear more fruit for Fresno State, but it will be intriguing to keep an eye on it going forward.
8) New Mexico (+4)
The Lobos had a very nice shwoing against Michigan despite their loss. They were able to stay in the fight for the entire game, with the final score much closer than anyone would have thought. All the credit to Coach Eck and the New Mexico players, who played like they beleived they could win. This team could play spoiler for a lot of opponents and steal a few wins if they continue to play like this.
9) Boise State (-8)
The Broncos looked unprepared for their first game, failing to establish the running game, while their wide receivers couldn’t gain much separation in the passing game. On defense, last year’s issues with tackling and defending passes, especially on third and long, carried over into this game. And special teams remains a work in progress after allowing a fake punt for a touchdown. Conventional wisdom would say Boise State is better than what they showed against South Florida, but until they are able to show better results on the field, they are in this spot.
10) San Diego State (+0)
The Aztecs had a nice first win in their opening game, dismantling Stony Brook to the tune of 42-0. These are the type of games Sean Lewis had in mind when he was hired. Jayden Denegal fared pretty well, and Lucky Sutton had a big day in the backfield. Was it a weaker opponent? Of course. But, as other teams have shown, playing a lesser opponent doesn’t necessarily gaurantee a win, so good for San Diego State to take care of business. As to whether or not that is a sign of things to come, that remains to be seen.
11) San Jose State (-9)
The Spartans misfired to begin their season, mustering only 14 points thanks to three first-half turnovers. It was a far cry from last year’s offense that put up a lot of points and they are definitely missing Nick Nash in the early going. It could be a bright spot that the defense only gave up 16 points, but considering Central Michigan likely isn’t very good, perhaps this isn’t the game to form a full opinion on that side of the ball. If San Jose State does want to live up to their preseason predictions this season, they will need to figure things out on offense.
12) Nevada (-1)
Credit to the Wolf Pack, who played hard for 60 minutes, not giving up until the whistle was blown. That is what Coach Choate demands and instills and it’s nice to see it executed, even if the team was overmatched against one of the best teams in college football. While the result of the game may not shown it, Nevada looked like a better team than last year. But future games will show just how much better they are.
