The hunger for football as summer drags along makes week one, and week zero in some cases, look like the tastiest entree on the menu for the football season.
In reality, these early-season matchups end up being nothing better than an appetizer at best. But in some years and special seasons, the college football faithful are gifted with a late August/early September treat.
Some of these games set the path for memorable years for programs, while others can derail a team’s season before it even begins.
Regardless, it leaves the fan on the couch licking their pigskin-shaped plate clean.
Here are the most memorable week zero/week one games for each Mountain West team.
AIR FORCE
A Power Five win is one thing, but a Power Five slaughter?
That was reality for the Falcons in 1998, when the Demon Deacons came to town for a trip to Colorado Springs to forget.
Air Force took down Wake Forest a whopping 42-0, sending their ACC-behinds packing. They forced five turnovers in the contest in what would be a launching pad to a 12-1 season, ripping off a nine-game win streak and finishing 7-0 at home.
That nine-game run would include a WAC championship title and an Oahu Bowl victory, putting the Falcons at #13 in the final AP poll.
A big thanks could be given to the Deacons for some early-season confidence. The two schools have not met on the gridiron since. (Is someone scared?)
HAWAI’I
Is this Iowa? No, it’s Honolulu.
The Rainbow Warriors found their field of dreams in the 1988 opener, upsetting the #9 Hawkeyes on a game-winning field goal at Aloha Stadium.
Hawai’i scored 13 points in the final quarter, including the game-winner from freshman Jason Elam, to pull off the stunner.
Quarterback Warren Jones threw for 167 and rushed for just under 100 yards, while tailback Heikoti Fakava finished with three touchdowns and 99 rushing yards. Elam would go 2-for-2 in the game on a night that is still brought up to this day, and probably always will be on the island.
NORTH DAKOTA STATE
On a September night in Manhattan, Kansas, the defending Big 12 champion prepared for what was supposed to be a tune-up opener against an FCS opponent.
As many know, North Dakota State ain’t just some FCS school.
NDSU outscored Kansas State 17-14 in the second half, including keeping the Wildcats scoreless in the fourth quarter to pull off the FBS-FCS stunner.
A defending conference champion. A newly renovated stadium. The second-largest crowd in school history (at the time). It had all the makings of being able to play the spoiler card.
Quarterback Brock Jensen rumbled into the end zone with 28 seconds left to play, putting the cherry on top of an 18-play, 80-yard drive that ate up 8 1/2 minutes and left the Wildcats without a shot.
This might be their first season in FBS, but the Bison have been playing at that level for quite a while now.
NEVADA
To kick off the 2012 season, the “PAC” would trip up on the Wolfpack.
PAC-12’s California would fall to Nevada at Berkley, spoiling the reopening of the Golden Bears’ Memorial Stadium.
Stefphon Jefferson ran for 145 yards and scored three touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 36 seconds left.
It was Cal’s first on-campus game in 21 months, but it was the Pack’s moment, upsetting the Power Five program.
NEW MEXICO
Save some points for the rest of the season, Lobos!
To open up 2003, New Mexico dropped 72 points on Texas State in a 72-8 runaway in Albuquerque.
UNM scored 41 points in the first half alone, and while the Bobcats were FCS at the time, the 72-point total is still the most points scored by the Lobos in a game since 1960.
Running back Dontrell Moore put together three first-quarter rushing touchdowns. Moore would finish with four scores and over 100 yards.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
#15 Maryland walked into DeKalb, Illinois, on a Thursday night in August. When they left, that #15 was gone.
The Huskies pulled off one of their biggest wins in school history, up there with the 2024 win over Notre Dame, in a 20-13 overtime upset.
It was one of those games that truly could have only happened in DeKalb: a quarterback caught his own pass, NIU’s 18-play drive to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, and a game-clinching interception in overtime that deflected off a receiver’s foot.
NIU receiver P.J Fleck (ever heard of him, Minnesota?) finished with over 100 yards receiving with 13 grabs as a key cog in the machine for the Huskies.
SAN JOSE STATE
This one is a little outside the box, but Spartan fans surely remember this season.
Week 1 in 2020 came a bit later than usual due to the surrounding circumstances. Did that delay help San Jose State in the long run?
SJSU took down Air Force 17-6 at home, starting “week one” and opening their season on October 24.
This season opener is not only memorable for how impressive it was for the program and the NCAA to be able to even have football games during this time, but also for what this win would kick off for San Jose.
SJSU finished 7-1 and 6-0 in the Mountain West, taking down Boise State for their first-ever MW title.
Is this a bizarre pick? Probably. But it’s fitting for what was a bizarre season overall.
UNLV
The Rebels had their biggest week-one victory of note not too long ago: A road statement against Big 12 foe Houston.
UNLV walked into a Power Five setting and did not flinch, taking down the Cougars 27-7.
In his first game with the Rebs, safety Jalen Cataton had two interceptions, including one he returned for a 36-yard touchdown.
It was the first time UNLV had taken down a Big 12 opponent since 2008, in what was a true launching point for the program en route to a MW title game appearance.
UTEP
While we have been highlighting ranked wins and power-five takedowns, it is hard to overlook rivalry triumphs.
The Battle of I-10 against New Mexico State kicked off the 2005 season for the Miners, as they would escape Las Cruces with a big season-opening win.
UTEP quarterback Jordan Palmer (yes, brother of Carson) would toss three touchdowns as the Miners scored the first 31 points of the game.
We miss you, I-10 Rivalry; come back soon.
WYOMING
S-E-C, S-E-C.
More like C-O-W-B-O-Y-S.
Wyoming took down the Missouri Tigers 37-31 in Laramie, entering the game as a 16-point underdog and falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter.
Behind quarterback Sean Chambers and running back Xazavian Valladay, the ‘Boys scored 27 second-quarter points and fended off a fourth-quarter comeback from Mizzou.
Wyoming has no future SEC dates on its schedule for 2026 and beyond. I wonder why…
What early-season magic is in store this season? Comment down below on which week zero/one victory is your favorite.
Dan Allison is a freelance high school and college sports writer. You can reach him at @danlallison on X.
