Week 8: Can I See Clearly Now?
Will the division races open up...or continue to be muddled?
Just when we thought there was some clarity around the Mountain West title races, a couple of upsets muddied the waters.
San Jose State’s unbeaten run came to an end at Fresno State and now four teams in the West Division (even Hawai’i) are also on just one conference loss.
In the Mountain, it’s still Boise State’s (3-0) lead to lose, but a slip up at Air Force and Wyoming or Utah State (who play each other this week) are right back in the hunt, along with - believe it or not - Colorado State should the Rams win.
There’s a big non-conference matchups this week with UNLV headed to Notre Dame, while the San Jose State/New Mexico State game has been called off after the tragic death of Spartan freshman Camdan McWright.
Mountain West Madness
All lines courtesy of Sportsbet.com.au
UNLV +27.5 at Notre Dame
Facts: First-ever meeting between the teams.
Fun Fact: Notre Dame has lost to Marshall and Stanford.
Gut Feeling: The Rebel offense has gone south since the injury to QB Doug Brumfield and it sounds as if he won’t be back for this one. The Irish are coming off a brutal loss to Stanford and while they should be able to move the ball on UNLV, the line (which blew out from ND -24.5 to -27.5) seems a bit high for an offense ranked just 80th in the country.
Hawai’i +5.5 at Colorado State
Facts: As Mountain West opponents, Colorado State won the first four against Hawai’i, but the Warriors have won the last two.
Fun Fact: This one kicks off at 10am Honolulu time.
Gut Feeling: Last week Hawai’i got its second win of the year, handling Nevada as the offense finally clicked. CSU is still looking for win #2 and the word is that starting QB Clay Millen will be back. If the Warriors play like they did last week, they can win this one.
Fresno State -10.5 at New Mexico
Facts: As MWC opponents, Fresno State is 6-1 against New Mexico.
Fun Fact: In last year’s game, the Lobos gained less than 200 yards and only had seven first downs.
Gut Feeling: Can Fresno make it two in a row after last week’s stunning win over San Jose State? I like their chances against a New Mexico team that just can’t move the ball, even with a switch of offensive coordinator.
Boise State +2.5 at Air Force
Facts: Last year Air Force snapped a four-game losing streak against Boise.
Fun Fact: Boise State is the only MWC team that Air Force has a losing record against.
Gut Feeling: Hard to believe that a team that can be as dominant as Air Force is fighting for its Mountain West life, but with two league losses, a defeat at the hands of the Broncos would all but end their title aspirations. The Falcons will want to control the ball and use a heavy dose of Brad Roberts, while Boise will want to clog the middle and force QB Haaziq Daniels to look elsewhere. Probably the game of the week.
Utah State +4.5 at Wyoming
Facts: Utah State has more wins over Wyoming than any other team in the rivalry now known as ‘Bridger’s Battle.’
Fun Fact: Last year’s Utah State QB (Andrew Peasley) will start for Wyoming, while last year’s Wyoming QB (Levi Williams) could start for Utah State.
Gut Feeling: Wyoming had a week off while Utah State continued its mini resurgence with a well-earned win over Colorado State. True freshman Bishop Davenport could be in line for a first-ever start if Cooper Legas and Levi Williams aren’t ready to go. Davenport looked good against CSU, but the Wyoming defense is a (slight) step up. Should go down to the wire.
San Diego State -6.5 at Nevada
Facts: Nevada upset SDSU three years in a row before losing last year’s game on a last-minute field goal.
Fun Fact: Nevada’s current five-game losing streak is the worst since former head coach Jay Norvell’s first season in 2017.
Gut Feeling: There’s a reason why the ‘Over/Under’ is set at 35.5, with both teams let’s say ‘offensively challenged.’ Keep an eye on the running game with San Diego State ranking 46th in the nation in rushing and Nevada 110th in run defense. The Aztecs will start erstwhile safety Jaylen Maden again at QB with former starter Braxton Burmeister apparently moving to wide receiver.
