Halfway through conference play, The Collegian’s Daniel Leon reviews the Mountain West and each team’s status this year.
San Jose State
Wins in two of their three conference games have placed the Spartans in second place in the West Division, one up on the Bulldogs. This is reflective of the end of last season, when San Jose State ended Fresno State’s win streak. Junior quarterback Joe Gray is adjusting to his position, with a 69.5 completion percentage and three touchdowns.
San Diego State
Starting quarterback Quinn Kaehler returning from injury is good news for the Aztecs. Kaehler’s return came at the right time, as San Diego State stands atop the West Division and is currently tied with Boise State for the best conference record with 3-1.
Hawaii
The Warriors have already won more games halfway through the 2014 season than they did in all of 2013. Despite a 2-5 record, 1-1 in the conference, head coach Norm Chow’s squad looks much improved from last year.
UNLV
The Rebels’ win two weeks ago over the Bulldogs is just what they needed. It kept their season alive, as it prevented them from falling to 0-3 in conference play. Now, UNLV has some sort of momentum going for it, as it gets ready to embrace the rest of its conference schedule coming off a bye week.
Nevada
The Wolf Pack hasn’t had much success so far in conference play, dropping two of three. However, they have had impressive wins over two of three Power Five opponents: Washington State in Week 2 and BYU last week. Its loss to Arizona was by a single digit. Nevada stands in a tie for fifth place in the conference with in-state rival UNLV. The Wolf Pack’s matchup in two weeks against SDSU will determine the landscape of the West Division.
Boise State
Even under a first-year head coach, the Broncos have been able to continue their winning ways most recently a 10-point win over Fresno State at home on their blue turf. Boise State has the conference’s second-best overall record at 5-1, only behind the Colorado State Rams’ 6-1 mark, whom they beat in Week 2.
Colorado State
It looks like the Mountain Division race will come down to the Rams and Boise State. CSU poses the best overall record in the conference with six wins and just one loss. Quarterback Garrett Grayson is making waves in the Mountain West this year, as he leads the league with a 154.3 rating.
Air Force
The Falcons pulled off one of the major surprises of the year, when they forced the Broncos to turn over the ball seven times. Wins in Air Force’s four of its last five have positioned it just behind Boise State and Colorado State in the Mountain Division standings.
Utah State
Injuries to starting quarterback Chuckie Keeton have limited the Aggies offensively, but sophomore backup Darell Garretson has stepped in nicely. The injury, however, puts Utah State in a tough spot considering the fact that it is in the same division as Boise State and Colorado State, to who they suffered a three-point loss last week.
Wyoming
Similar to Hawaii, the Cowboys also look much improved from last season. Wyoming stands at 3-4, with two of those losses coming to Power Five powerhouses Oregon and Michigan State. The ‘Boys will look to get back to .500 this week, when they square off against the second-place Rams.
New Mexico
The Lobos are in the worst situation for all teams in the Mountain West as they have yet to win a game in conference play. Things don’t seem to improve anytime soon for New Mexico as three of its next four are against Boise State, Colorado State and Utah State who all hold winning records.