We have officially entered the final month of the college football regular season. There has been no shortage of drama this season, and two West Coast Group of Six schools were firmly in the hunt for a spot in the College Football Playoff entering this weekend. Did New Mexico and Boise State keep their momentum going? Were Colorado State and/or Nevada able to pull off a massive upset? There was also a key contest with championship game implications in the PAC-12 as Texas State traveled to Corvallis
to take on Oregon State. Let’s take a look at how all these games played out in this edition of “The Good, the Bad, the Ugly.”
A Tier
Texas State
I’m not sure what happened to this team at halftime in Boise, but the Bobcats have found their stride on both sides of the ball. Texas State was always going to present a matchup problem for an Oregon State team that struggles to slow down the run, but I did not expect the Bobcats to absolutely dominate the Beavers in Corvallis. A few weeks ago, this looked like a team that would miss out on a bowl game. Now, the Bobcats are just two wins and a San Diego State loss away from playing for a conference championship. A Texas State-Boise State rematch on “The Blue” would be one of the most exciting games of championship weekend.
Air Force
The Falcons rightfully land in the “A” category after securing the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy with a 24-21 victory over Army in a game that came down to the final moments. The number one priority for the Air Force program is beating Army and Navy, and the Falcons have successfully done both this season. They have already won more games than they did last season and still have an outside chance of playing for the Mountain West title. They need a lot of help, but they will be favored in two of their final three games. If they can pull off the upset over New Mexico to close out the season, they will have a chance.
B Tier
Utah State
The turnaround in Logan has been remarkable. Utah State is just a field goal away from winning four consecutive games, and much of the credit belongs to Bronco Mendenhall’s squad for having the best defense in the conference. The impressive defensive play continued this past weekend when the Aggies defeated Fresno State 17-10. Utah State’s defensive front was dominant, holding the Bulldogs to just 0.6 yards per carry and sacking Mandal twice. The Aggies don’t need their defense to be great every week; they just need it to be serviceable and take care of the ball. Somehow, this team has a realistic path to playing for a conference championship. It will take some help, but it is not out of the realm of possibility.
Wyoming
The Cowboys appeared to be dead in the water, and Jay Sawvel’s departure seemed inevitable. Now, Wyoming has an opportunity to pull off one of the greatest turnarounds in college football history. The Cowboys went on the road to Las Vegas and pulled off an upset over UNLV despite losing their starting quarterback in the second quarter. After the victory, Wyoming now stands alone in second place in the Mountain West. This weekend, the Cowboys travel to UTEP, where they will be heavy favorites, before concluding conference play at home against New Mexico. If Wyoming takes care of business in El Paso and pulls off the upset over New Mexico, not only will the Cowboys play for the conference championship, but they will host it as well. A Mountain West championship game in Laramie? Sign me up.
C Tier
Boise State
Another week, another confusing win. Boise State’s offense was nothing short of spectacular against Colorado State. Backup quarterback Max Cutforth threw for over 300 yards on just 19 attempts, while Dylan Riley strengthened his Doak Walker Award campaign with 300 all-purpose yards in the Broncos’ 64-38 win over Colorado State. As exciting as the offense was, the defense was equally disappointing. The Broncos surrendered over 500 yards of offense, and tackling problems in the secondary continue to be a glaring weakness. Boise State has an excellent opportunity to prove itself to the College Football Playoff committee this weekend when ESPN’s College GameDay comes to town. If the Broncos can come away with a win, they will clinch home-field advantage for the PAC-12 Championship Game. A respectable defensive performance could also go a long way toward improving their CFP ranking.
San Jose State
The Ken Niumatalolo era in San Jose continues to be a wild experience. After a promising first season, the Spartans have been inconsistent, and Saturday’s win over Northern Illinois was no different. The Spartans hosted arguably the worst team in the FBS in Northern Illinois, and the game remained very much in doubt until late in the third quarter. Daniel Rolovich made the start at quarterback and might be the future of this program. He put together a solid performance, completing 16 of 27 passes for 231 yards. The success or failure of this season will be determined by what happens over the final three weeks, as the Spartans will need to win two of their final three games against Air Force, UNLV, and NDSU if they want to qualify for a bowl. I don’t like their chances.
D Tier
Fresno State
The Bulldogs have been wildly inconsistent in PAC-12 play, and their roller-coaster season took another wrong turn Saturday night when they laid an absolute egg in a 17-10 loss to Utah State. Fresno State’s rushing attack was shockingly bad, averaging just 0.6 yards per carry and effectively forcing quarterback Jayden Mandal to air it out in the fourth quarter. It was a puzzling performance, especially considering how good this team looked against Oregon State the week before. The Bulldogs’ championship hopes now hinge on a miracle, a surprising development considering their strong start to the season.
UNLV
Can anybody explain to me what was going through Dan Mullen’s mind when UNLV decided to throw the ball on consecutive plays from the opposing 11-yard line with three timeouts and over a minute left in the game? Wyoming had absolutely no answer for UNLV’s rushing attack, and the Rebels had successfully marched down the field by relying on it. The decision to abandon the run was a puzzling way to end the game. Much of the blame has fallen on UNLV’s coordinators, but at what point do people start pointing fingers at the head coach? UNLV should have won this game, and the blame should fall squarely on the head coach.
F Tier
Oregon State
Remember a few weeks ago when the Beavers were the hottest team in the country and a trendy pick to make the College Football Playoff? Then the bye week happened. Now, the Beavers are coming off consecutive losses, and not only are their hopes of playing in the CFP gone, but they may not even play for the PAC-12 Championship. Opposing teams seem to be figuring out the Beaver offense. Texas State held Oregon State to just seven points through three quarters before allowing a few garbage-time touchdowns to the Beavers’ backup quarterback. I thought Texas State was a tough matchup for the Beavers, but I did not expect a blowout in Corvallis. If Oregon State loses this weekend, what once looked like a special season will likely end with a lower-tier bowl game.
Nevada
Sure, Nevada is a good football team. But losing at home by 28 points when you were only a 10-point underdog is inexcusable. The Jeff Choate era in Reno has been filled with disappointment, a myriad of close losses, and an inability to win the big game. It is becoming increasingly clear that Friday night’s loss could mark the beginning of the end for this coaching staff. Can they rally and save their jobs? I’m skeptical.
How did you feel about this week’s action? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
