Following up on Nevada head coach Jeff Choate’s comments from last week. In case you didn’t hear them the first time around, or need a refresher, take a listen below.
This is the clip that circulated around the internet, but a lengthier version can also be found,
just to ensure nothing is taken out of context,
Obviously, this sent many in the social media world into a frenzy, as it reignited the debate that fans from both conferences are all too eager to discuss. Also, this is not the first time that Jeff Choate has made some comments that have gone viral. In fact, it’s not even the first time this season. Coach Choate has no trouble making headlines, but is he making accurate ones? Let’s examine.
“I was on record saying this league’s gonna be better than the Pac-12. And I believe that.”
It’s hard to know whether he truly believes what he is saying or if the coach’s speech is meant as encouragement for the Mountain West. Assuming Choate thinks the Mountain West is better, there’s nothing wrong with believing that. He, like everyone else, is entitled to his opinion. But belief doesn’t mean it’s inherently true. This is a fine opening statement, but let’s discuss how he backs it up.
“I believe that right now, top to bottom, that’s what you’re seeing.”
More belief. Choate’s assertion is that top to bottom, the Mountain West is currently better than the Pac-12. Overall, the Mountain West has one more win and the same number of losses as the Pac-12 when it comes to their respective non-conference records (conference records are removed since those will always be .500 overall). That extra win is extra significant, as it is a win against a Power Conference foe, with UNLV beating Cal last week.
However, overall better is not the same as top-to-bottom better. One could argue this is semantics, but so is much of this exercise. There is an argument to be made with the top of each conference. At the time of Choate’s statement, North Dakota State was undefeated, UNLV just beat Cal, and New Mexico was riding high. That’s a nice top three. The Pac-12 also has a strong top three, with a ranked Boise State, a sensational Oregon State team, and a Fresno State team with a solid record. People can dig into that more, but for the sake of this argument, let’s state the two conferences are comparable enough to be seen as equal
As for the bottom of the conference, this is where the argument falls apart. Colorado State, Texas State, and Washington State have looked better than Hawaii, UTEP, and NIU. The Pac’s bottom three have 5 combined wins, while the MW has a total of 2, and the Rams have a win against a Mountain West school.
It’s also worth noting that the Pac-12 is 3-0 against the Mountain West this season, which Coach Choate didn’t mention.
It’s fair to say some teams in the MW are as good as or better than some teams in the Pac, but it’s not accurate to say the MW is better than the Pac from top to bottom.
“I think that there’s some separation now in those Pac-12 teams. And there’s some separation now within the Mountain West teams.”
These are objectively true sentences. I’m not sure how they show one conference is superior to the other. Choate likely means that the separation in the conference is showing that one conference is superior to the other, but that is not a strong argument. It’s also not an accurate argument, because if the gap between the top and bottom team is wider than another conference, it means that conference is not better from top to bottom. So it’s an odd thing to bring up.
The extended quote goes into his thoughts on the Mountain West’s top four teams. The main thought for each is listed below.
North Dakota State: “A good-looking football team… They’re gonna be ready.”
The Bison have been great this year, and this was before their loss to UNLV. They have been ready for the move to the Mountain West.
New Mexico: “The style they’re playing on defense has really allowed their quarterback situation to evolve.”
Extremely accurate. The Lobo defense has been nothing short of awesome, and their offense has been good.
UNLV: “Been a little bit of a mixed bag.”
Definitely accurate, as they have been inconsistent so far this season.
Air Force: “Don’t count them out.”
This was before it was announced that Liam Szarka was out for the season, but still solid advice.
“There’s a lot of parity. A lot of competition.”
The Mountain West is definitely competitive, based on the conference games so far this season. Currently, at least three and potentially four teams are still in the running to make it to the MW championship game. However, parity in the Mountain West has nothing to do with being stronger or weaker than another conference.
“We get to go to Northern Illinois in late November. That’s going to be an interesting trip.”
Is it? Reminder: the Huskies are winless this season, with the worst scoring offense in the FBS and the tenth-worst defense. Perhaps Choate means it will be a tough game for his team. But that speaks more to his team’s current limitations than to NIU being a dormant juggernaut that just happens to be at the bottom of the MW because someone has to be. Northern Illinois has certainly earned their status
“The competitiveness of the Mountain West Conference is on full display right now.”
Yes, the conference games have been competitive, which makes the MW fun to watch. NDSU and Air Force going to overtime was quite the ending, and then UNLV taking down North Dakota State was a great game. While SJSU and Wyoming wasn’t exciting, it was an evenly matched game.
There’s no doubt the competitiveness is on full display, but a competitive conference doesn’t automatically mean a good conference, nor does it mean it’s better (or worse) than other conferences)
“We’ve got guys in our program that are at or near the top in some statistics in the FBS.”
He’s spot on here. Wolf Pack linebacker EJ Smith leads the nation in total tackles with 59. His teammate, Dylan LaBarbera, is 9th in tackles with 43. There may be more, but none popped up during an initial search.
In terms of highlighting good individual players on his Nevada team, Choate does a great job of propping them up. However, in terms of using this as an argument to say the Mountain West is better than the Pac-12, it falls short. The Pac-12 currently has the nation’s leader in passing yards, rushing yards, and receiving yards. While Coach Choate may not know those things, it’s an obvious counter to his argument.
“This has been a good start for this new version of the Mountain West.”
Again, this is accurate. It has been a good start for the new Mountain West. NDSU was undefeated at the time of this press conference. New Mexico has been a strong team, and UNLV is coming on after a rough start. The top teams look pretty good, and one of the new teams is great. But that doesn’t mean the bottom of the conference is anything to brag about, or that it’s better top to bottom than its rival conference.
At the end of the day, Coach Choate likes to stir the pot, get a good soundbite, or create some kind of motivation or edge. And there’s nothing wrong with that. As mentioned above, he might actually believe the Mountain West is better than the Pac-12, and it’s okay if he does. But his off-the-cuff nature produces off-the-cuff statements, and the explanations can’t always back up his main points. Instead, he lists numerous great reasons why the Mountain West is fun and competitive, but fails to explain why it could be better than the Pac-12.
