The time has come. The 2025 season is upon us. We are past the time of watch lists and preseason awards and have entered the time of bowl projections. Our team at Mountain West Connection will be releasing our bowl projections each week. Our first round of projections can be seen below and will likely change as the season progresses. Read our projections below and leave your own in the comments.
Mike
Los Angeles Bowl: Boise State
Hawaii Bowl: UNLV
Potato Bowl: Fresno State
New Mexico Bowl: Colorado State
Arizona Bowl: Air Force
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: San Jose State
College Football Playoff: N/A
Other Bowl (TBD): N/A
I’m going with six bowl teams to start the year and even that feels a bit optimistic. I think Boise State San Jose State, and UNLV are locks, in that order. Then there are about five teams competing for the last three spots, but I went with the Bulldogs, Rams, and Falcons. I considered Hawaii and Wyoming as well, and may put Hawaii in depending on their Week 0 game.
Jeff
Los Angeles Bowl: San Jose State
Hawaii Bowl: Fresno State
Potato Bowl: UNLV
New Mexico Bowl: Colorado State
Arizona Bowl: Air Force
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Boise State
College Football Playoff: N/A
Other Bowl (TBD): N/A
I’m looking at a conference championship upset. As a result, there will not be a playoff team. There are a few bubble teams that might come into play as the season progresses. Hawaii and Utah State could slip on to replace someone who drops.
Chase
Los Angeles Bowl: San Jose State
Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii
Potato Bowl: Colorado State
New Mexico Bowl: San Diego State
Arizona Bowl: Air Force
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: UNLV
College Football Playoff: Boise State
Other Bowl (TBD): N/A
I think seven MWC teams make bowls this year, with Boise State representing the Group of Five…Six…whatever…in the CFP for the second straight year. I think San Jose State and UNLV are locks, Colorado State is a safe bet, and Air Force is usually able to rebound quickly. SDSU’s defense scares me enough to put them here, and I think Hawaii will take advantage of chaos to eke out 6 wins.
Zach
Los Angeles Bowl: UNLV
Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii
Potato Bowl: Wyoming
New Mexico Bowl: Air Force
Arizona Bowl: N/A
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: San Jose State
College Football Playoff: Boise State
Other Bowl (TBD): N/A
I’m going with six bowl teams. I think the conference will have somewhere between five and seven. It makes me nervous putting Boise State in the playoff, but considering their returning production, they are the most deserving Group of Five team at this point.
Dom
Los Angeles Bowl: Boise State
Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii
Potato Bowl: UNLV
New Mexico Bowl: Fresno State
Arizona Bowl: Air Force
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: San Jose State
College Football Playoff: N/A
Other Bowl (TBD): N/A
I’ll start with six teams, and for now, I’ll say no CFP for the Mountain West. That can change if Boise State goes off again, but I don’t think we’ll have a clear answer on that until the season is close to closing. I also don’t think Colorado State will make it in (for now), but given its schedule and the strength of other teams, I see them just barely missing out on a bowl game.
Zane
Los Angeles Bowl: San Jose State
Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii
Potato Bowl: UNLV
New Mexico Bowl: Fresno State
Arizona Bowl: N/A
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Colorado State
College Football Playoff: Boise State
Other Bowl (TBD): N/A
I’m going to go with 6 teams to make a bowl game. San Jose State, UNLV, and Boise State will definitely make a bowl game, the big question is whether or not Boise State will make the playoffs. There’s a lot of competition for that Group of Five playoff spot this year with Tulane and Navy potentially making noise for a running during the season.
