Mountain West Power Rankings, Week 2: Boise State remains at the top
By Doug Carey
Sep 4, 2015; Boise, ID, USA; Boise State Broncos quarterback Ryan Finley (15) looks for a receiver down field during the first half verses the Washington Huskies at Albertsons Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Losness-USA TODAY Sports
Power rankings for the Mountain West after the opening week of the 2015 college football season.
For one week at least, the Mountain West has bragging rights over the Pac-12. That figures to change before long – maybe even this week – but Week 1 was pretty impressive.
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Boise State and Hawaii highlighted the opening week with wins over Pac-12 foes, while UNLV made an impressive showing at Northern Illinois under new coach Tony Sanchez. Take away Wyoming’s embarrassing 24-13 loss to FCS foe North Dakota, and it was a strong week for Mountain West teams.
Mountain West teams were 10-2 in Week 1, and there aren’t many surprises in this week’s power rankings. Boise State begins at the top spot, and it’s possible they’ll stay there all season. The Broncos turned in a dominant first half against Washington and held on for a 16-13 win in a game they should’ve won by at least two scores. It’s safe to say they’re only going to get better at finishing drives — and dramatically improving their special teams play.
The battle for No. 2 in the Mountain West is where things get interesting.
A week ago, we had Utah State firmly entrenched as the conference’s No. 2 team — in fact, we were close behind ESPN’s Brett McMurphy and Mark Schlabach, who both had Utah State playing in the Fiesta Bowl. We’re definitely reconsidering things following the Aggies’ uninspired win over Southern Utah. We’ve dropped Utah State to No. 5 in our Week 2 Power Rankings, and look for another drop if they fall to Utah this week, as expected.
If Utah State doesn’t challenge Boise State, look for San Diego State to fill the role. The Aztecs have the defense to slow down the Broncos and a dynamic running back in Donnel Pumphrey, but there are questions at the all-important quarterback position. Good news for Aztec fans: the kicking game appears to be much improved.
The only other team that appears ready to challenge Boise State is Colorado State, but we’ll know a lot more following this week’s contest at Minnesota.
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