Air Force 1 (Win)
Army & Navy are flying, Air Force is grounded
Only someone who doesn’t know college football would ignore the fact that Air Force is 1-5, while Army and Navy are both undefeated and ranked for the first time since 1960.
Since starting last season with eight straight wins, the Falcons have gone into a tailspin, winning just two of their last 11 games. This week it was a 52-37 loss to rebuilding New Mexico.
The Falcons haven’t beaten a Mountain West team in nearly a year and this season’s only victory came against Merrimack, an FCS team with a 2-4 record.
Sitting here in Melbourne, I’m in no position to analyze why Troy Calhoun’s once powerful program has found itself in such dire straits, but I think he’s fortunate that he’s at a service academy which is unlikely to come under as much scrutiny as other major college football programs.
Pick Six Parade
Fresno State’s Mikey Keene essentially threw away the Bulldogs’ chances of an upset over Washington State when his pass was picked off by Ethan O’Connor and returned 60 yards for the winning score with less than seven minutes on the clock.
Wyoming lost its opportunity for a second win, with Evan Svoboda throwing two interceptions, including a 43-yard pick six in a 27-24 loss to San Diego State.
Jeff Choate Coach of the Year?
Okay maybe not, but after consecutive two-win seasons, Nevada has already won three after a stunning 42-37 upset of Oregon State. Savion Red (what a name!) ran for four touchdowns and quarterback Brendon Lewis ran for 151 yards in a wild game in Reno.
Warrior vs Warriors
What’s it say about Ashton Jeanty when he rushes for 217 yards and Hawaii gets praise for how well they handled him? This one was just 13-7 at the half but a relentless Jeanty (237 all purpose yards and two TD’s) and a few fortunate breaks helped the Broncos win their fourth straight.
The Rest
UNLV had no trouble with a struggling Utah State (50-34), while Jay Norvell’s Colorado State got a huge win at home over San Jose State to keep its bowl hopes alive.
Week 8 Coming Up
Fresno State at Nevada: Bulldogs have won five of the last seven meetings, but this is a fresh and confident Wolfpack team.
Hawaii at Washington State: Believe it or not, Hawaii has won three of the previous five meetings. Cougs a heavy favorite in this one.
New Mexico at Utah State: The two worst defenses in the Mountain West. New Mexico has lost seven in a row to the Aggies, but the Lobos have scored 50 points in back-to-back games for the first time since 1916.
Wyoming at San Jose State: Spartans have won five of the last six against the Cowboys. Wyoming is 1-5 and other than the 2020 COVID year, hasn’t had a losing season since 2015.
Colorado State at Air Force: Rams have lost seven straight to Air Force and the Falcons’ last conference win was this matchup nearly a year ago. Rivalry game with major implications for each team’s season.
UNLV at Oregon State: Beavers have won the last two, but they haven’t met since 2009. Rebels are red hot but beware a wounded OSU team coming off a shock loss to Nevada.