Week 7 2023 Mountain West Football: Best Bets

The Mountain West rolls on and we once again look at where you should place your money this week.

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Week 7 2023 Mountain West Football: Best Bets


A look at the Mountain West betting odds for Week 7


Contact/Follow @J0shFr3d & @MWCwire

What are the oddsmakers saying about these match ups?

Late in the week we will look at odds and recent lines and make our best picks and bets. Odds courtesy of Vegas Insider.

We went 1-2 in week six and are 33-23-1 on the year. Another week below .500. At this point, just take the opposite of what I do.

Fresno State @ Utah state (+5.5, O/U 54.5)

Fresno State’s defense is allowing less than 300 yards a game. Utah State hasn’t really faced good defenses this year outside of Air Force and Iowa. The Bulldogs offense is going to drive this scoreline. If they can finish drives, they’ll cover easy. If they can’t, it will be a close one.

Pick: Fresno State -5.5

UNLV @ Nevada (+7.5, O/U 53.5)

Rivalry games usually mean you throw the stats out of the window. However, this year’s Nevada team is the exception to the rule. They are next to last in almost all categories. UNLV on the other hand is one of this years surprises. Barry Odom has this team on the verge of bowl eligibility in year one. The Rebels offense is still finding an identity but they execute well.

Pick: UNLV -7.5

San Jose State @ New Mexico (+7.5, O/U 55.5)

The Spartans are not the team anyone thought they were going to be this year. They are really struggling on offense. New Mexico has been a surprise. They have somewhat of an offense and seem to be trending in the right direction. I think they’ll surprise people in this game and cover, if not outright win.

Pick: New Mexico +7.5

Wyoming @ Air Force (-11.5, O/U 42.5)

Yeah, no idea what to really go with here. Craig Bohl has a winning record against Air Force. This is Air Force’s first real test of the year. This seems like the perfect time for a ball control classic from Troy Calhoun. Expect the Falcons to slog it out one play at a time and take 10 minutes per drive.

Pick: Under

Boise State @ Colorado state (+8.5, O/U 60.5)

Slam the over right now! I’m comfortable taking the over up to 69.5. I feel it could go 80+, but you never know. Both defenses have been horrible and both offenses have shown they can light it up at times. The Rams are on homecoming and coming off an embarrassing loss, so lets see what happens.

Pick: Over

San Diego State @ Hawai’i (+6, O/U 52.5)

Umm, yeah. What to really do here. Hawai’i seems like they can cover here. They have a decent defense against a horrid Aztecs offense. The really battle will come down to whether or not the Warriors can move the ball. They’ve struggled at times this year, but the Aztecs aren’t the defense we’ve known them to be this season.

Pick: Hawai’i +6

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Week 6 Mountain West Football Power Rankings

Week 6 Mountain West Football Power Rankings Air Force now at the top? Not yet. Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire Gap is closing So… the big game last week saw Wyoming knock off Fresno State to remove them from the unbeaten ranks. The Cowboys …

Week 6 Mountain West Football Power Rankings


Air Force now at the top? Not yet.


Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Gap is closing

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So… the big game last week saw Wyoming knock off Fresno State to remove them from the unbeaten ranks. The Cowboys have a chance to do it again as they take on Air Force in what should be a great game.

The top of the rankings is getting a makeover with the Cowboys win over Fresno State. Wyoming does land a few first-place votes but is it enough to overtake a currently unblemished Air Force?

There was not much going on outside of the top teams facing off as last week there were just three games featuring six Mountain West teams.

Keep reading to find out.

PODCAST: Week 7 Mountain West Football Preview

PODCAST: Week 7 Mountain West Football Preview A full slate of games and a big one Contact/Follow @MWCwire Definitely get to Wyoming vs. Air Force Jeremy and Josh are back to preview Week 7 of Mountain West football. There are a full slate of games …

PODCAST: Week 7 Mountain West Football Preview


A full slate of games and a big one


Contact/Follow @MWCwire

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Definitely get to Wyoming vs. Air Force

Jeremy and Josh are back to preview Week 7 of Mountain West football. There are a full slate of games and still many questions about teams despite it being basically the half way point. The big game of the weekend is Wyoming vs. Air Force. The one-loss Cowboys are taking on the undefeated Falcons for an edge in the Mountain West regular season race.

You can find the Mountain West Wire podcast below or subscribe to the show via TuneInSpotifyiTunes, and more. Listen in, subscribe and rate it and let us know what you think!

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Mountain West Football: 2023 Midseason Team Grades

How has each Mountain West team fared now that the season is half-finished? We grade offense, defense, and special teams.

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Mountain West Football: 2023 Midseason Team Grades


How has each Mountain West team fared now that the season is half-finished? We grade offense, defense, and special teams.


Contact/Follow @MattK_FS and @MWCwire

Who’s made the grade and who hasn’t?

Now that most Mountain West teams have played six games, the conference’s 2023 football season has reached its halfway point. While some things have played out as predicted, several squads are rising while others have fallen off, which means now is as good a time as any to assess just how well each team has done.

First, for the sake of context, keep these links handy as some particular statistics will be mentioned in most team sections:

Midseason Grades By Team

Air Force | Boise State | Colorado State | Fresno State | Hawaii | Nevada | New Mexico | San Diego State | San Jose State | UNLV | Utah State | Wyoming

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Week 6 Mountain West Bowl Projections

Week 6 Mountain West Bowl Projections Air Force to a NY6 game? Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire UNLV firmly in? We are all in on UNLV making a bowl game. The Rebels are at 4-1 and take on their rival Nevada who are not very good this year. …

Week 6 Mountain West Bowl Projections


Air Force to a NY6 game?


Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

UNLV firmly in?

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We are all in on UNLV making a bowl game. The Rebels are at 4-1 and take on their rival Nevada who are not very good this year. They also host Colorado State and go to New Mexico, so six wins look good.

There could even be more wins as the Rebels will play San Jose State which isn’t looking all that great. Are we going to talk about a UNLV team that is going to win at least seven games?

The Rebels are the surprise team of the conference with typical expectations. Air Force is in the mix too as they are currently undefeated and had some offensive turnover, but UNLV has not been this good in a very long time and Barry Odom will have them to the post season.

BOWL LINEUP

– Famous Idaho Potato Bowl vs MAC
– Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl vs Pac-12
– New Mexico Bowl vs Conference USA
– Barstool Arizona Bowl vs MAC
– EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl vs American Athletic

Mountain West has an affiliation to fill if needed …
– Guaranteed Rate Bowl vs Big Ten or Big 12

To be determined among the Group of Five conferences … as other options
– Duluth Trading Co. Cure Bowl Pool vs. Pool
– Frisco Bowl Pool vs. Pool
– RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl Pool vs. Pool
– SERVPRO First Responder Bowl AAC vs. Pool

Preseason Projection | Week 0 | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5

Week 6 2023 Mountain West Football: Best Bets

The Mountain West takes a little break as there are only 3 games this week. Here’s what you should be looking for this week.

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Week 6 2023 Mountain West Football: Best Bets


A look at the Mountain West betting odds for Week 6


Contact/Follow @J0shFr3d & @MWCwire

What are the oddsmakers saying about these match ups?

Late in the week we will look at odds and recent lines and make our best picks and bets. Odds courtesy of Vegas Insider.

We went 4-3 in week five and are 32-21-1 on the year. First week above .500 in a few. Lets make it two in a row.

#24 Fresno State @ Wyoming (+6.5, O/U 42.5)

The premier matchup of the Mountain West season so far. The Bulldogs head to Laramie to face the Cowboys on Fox. Fresno State hasn’t missed a beat after losing Jake Haener to graduation. Wyoming still doesn’t have a quarterback. I think the Bulldogs remain in control of the MW.

Pick: Fresno State -6.5

Colorado State @ Utah State (+2.5, O/U 62.5)

A game between two top offenses and two bottom defenses. This game will determine bowl eligibility for both squads. CSU has started picking it up on offense and the defense needs to come along with it. Utah State is a second half team, but the Aggies will struggle to contain the Rams offense.

Pick: Colorado State -2.5

San Jose State @ Boise State (-9.5, O/U 57.5)

Boise hasn’t shown me enough this year to be confident in this spread. Their defense hasn’t been great and has just enough holes to let the Spartans get some scores to push this total higher. The over hasn’t moved since it game out and it’s probably a safe bet to hit.

Pick: Over

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Week 5 Mountain West Football Power Rankings

Week 5 Mountain West Football Power Rankings Air Force now at the top? Not yet. Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire Gap is closing Here we go. The Air Force Falcons are gaining steam with another dominant performance last week. The Falcons and …

Week 5 Mountain West Football Power Rankings


Air Force now at the top? Not yet.


Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Gap is closing

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Here we go. The Air Force Falcons are gaining steam with another dominant performance last week. The Falcons and Fresno State are the top two teams in the conference with Wyoming a sorta close third team.

There could be a big change this week when Wyoming hosts Fresno State and that could shake up the rankings even more.

That is Week 6 and we have Week 5 power rankings to discuss. These rankings are slowly gelling to know what teams are as we reach just over the quarter poll in college football.

Mountain West Basketball: 2023-2024 Conference Schedule Announced

With a little over a month on the ole college basketball countdown tracker, entities around the sport continue to release 2023-24 schedules.

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MWC Basketball: 2023-2024 Conference Schedule Announced


A first look at this year’s conference slate.


Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The 2023-2024 Mountain West Conference schedule release.

With a little over a month on the ole college basketball countdown tracker, entities around the sport are almost done releasing conference, non-conference & multi-team event participation for the 2023-2024 season.

The announcement also came with this season’s national T.V. schedule. With the hype earned from San Diego State’s Cinderella run to the National Championship game this past March. There will likely be more eyes on the Mountain West than ever before. And as in years past fans around the conference as well as newcomers gained from the big dance can catch their favorite team on CBS & Fox outlets.

This season each team will play nine home games & make nine away games. As of now, league play kicks off on January 2nd, when New Mexico heads north to Fort Collins to take on Colorado State.

CBS

The first game on CBS will be on November 29th when Colorado State hosts in-state rival Colorado on CBS Sports Network. This will be the first of over forty-nine televised games across CBS and CBS Sports Network.

A key date to circle on the CBS broadcast calendar should be UNLV at National Championship runner up San Diego State on Saturday, January 6th. Another matchup to look forward to will be the Aztecs at league rival New Mexico on Saturday, January 13th. Both games between these two conference foes last season made for must-watch TV, we can look forward to much of the same with revamped rosters on both sides.

A last matchup of note will be between conference title contenders San Diego State and Boise State. This showdown of Mountain West heavy weights airs on CBS Saturday, January 20th.

Not to mention all games airing on CBS are also accessible via stream on Paramount+.

FOX

On the Fox side of things, thirty-two games will be televised nationally. The first FS1 broadcast is a non-conference meeting featuring Cal State Fullerton at San Diego State on Monday November 6th. Among the key conference games to catch on FOX is Utah State at San Diego State on Saturday, February 3rd.

As with CBS & Paramount+ all games on FS1 will also be available on the FOX Sports App and FOXSports.com.

But for those without access to any of CBS or Fox’s outlets, don’t worry. All other games will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network.

Important Dates

-January 2nd-League play begins with five contests

-March 9th-Regular Season Concludes

-The 2024 tournament will take place March 13th-16th

March Madness

CBS Sports will televise the Mountain West Basketball Championship as in years past. The quarterfinals & semifinals will air on the CBS sports Network. With the championship game televised on CBS (as well as Paramount+) on Saturday March 16th.

This is an exciting time around the Mountain West Conference. For the last year or so it appeared that the upcoming season was going to be the conference’s last hurrah. But as predictable yet at the same time unpredictable as conference realignment machine can be, here we are.

So with fresh eyes aplenty, rejuvenated fanbases throughout and a raised ceiling by San Diego State, fans this season should be excited to say the least.

Larry Muniz covers college basketball as a writer for Mountain West Wire and WAC Hoops Digest. Also as a co-host of the college basketball podcast “Hoops Talk W/Jay & Larry”. He is also a USWBA Member.

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Mountain West Football: Players Of The Month For August/September

With the first several chapters of the 2023 season in the books, who have been Mountain West football’s biggest standouts so far?

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Mountain West Football: Players of the Month For August/September


With the first several chapters of the 2023 season in the books, who have been Mountain West football’s biggest standouts so far?


Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

The small-sample elite.

Note: Players below are presented in alphabetical order.

Offensive Players of the Month

1. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, New Mexico

The Lobos’ lead running back has a strong case as the biggest individual surprise of the young season, posting 420 rushing yards at 6.77 yards per carry with seven touchdowns in five games. According to Pro Football Focus, he also ranks second among Mountain West running backs with 26 missed tackles forced on just 62 attempts and first with a 92.1 overall grade. He’s a definite keeper.

2. Tory Horton, WR, Colorado State

Horton has picked up where he left off last season in a big way, leading the nation with 11.3 receptions and 135 receiving yards per game through four contests. He’s also scored six times in the last three games and posted an overall PFF grade of 90.0, second among conference pass catchers, helping establish the Rams’ offensive potency with a new quarterback and emerging playmakers in tow.

3. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State

Perhaps no player in the conference has meant as much to his offense as the sophomore Texan means to the Broncos. He currently leads the Mountain West with 165.3 all-purpose yards per game and the entire FBS with 12 total touchdowns in just five games, so while Boise State clearly has a number of issues to sort out, getting the ball to #2 should remain a priority while they do so.

4. Zac Larrier, QB, Air Force

Through five games, Larrier has achieved a rare combination of efficiency and explosiveness, especially among Falcons quarterbacks of recent vintage. His 362 rushing yards currently rank fifth among all players in the Mountain West and first among FBS QBs, but he’s also connected on 14-of-19 throws for 410 yards, a staggering 21.6 yards per attempt, and accounted for six total touchdowns (three rushing, three passing). It’s little wonder, then, that PFF has given him the highest grade among all Mountain West quarterbacks to date at 82.6.

Defensive Players of the Month

1. Mohamed Kamara, DE, Colorado State

Kamara entered 2023 as arguably the conference’s premier pass rusher and nothing he’s done in four games has dissuaded anyone of that notion. Besides leading the Mountain West with 6.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss and forcing two fumbles, PFF credits Kamara with 13 quarterback hurries (third in the conference) and 12 stops for good measure.

2. Ike Larsen, S, Utah State

Larsen has continued to be a man of impeccable timing in the young season. His 36 total tackles put him in a tie for second among Mountain West defensive backs, but it’s the highlight plays — the pick-six against Idaho State and the two blocked kicks, including the game-saving play in a Week 5 road win over UConn — that have made him one of the most valuable defenders anywhere in the conference from day one.

3. Bo Richter, DE, Air Force

The Mountain West’s best defense has shined on every front thus far, but few individuals have stood out like Richter. Though he’s tallied 14 total tackles, PFF credits the senior with 16 quarterback hurries, seventh among all FBS defenders, and only one missed fumble to go along with his 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and one forced fumble.

4. Noah Tumblin, CB, San Diego State

The Aztecs secondary has been busy throughout 2023 to date, so you might be forgiven for not noticing that Tumblin is in the midst of a breakout season. Not only does he lead all Mountain West defensive backs with a 85.5 overall PFF grade and a 88.7 grade in coverage, Tumblin currently paces the conference with ten passes defended (eight pass breakups, two interceptions) and has only missed one tackle in six games.

2023 Mountain West Football Week 5 In Five Words

2023 Mountain West Football Week 5 In Five Words A quick synopsis in five words after Week 5 Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire Week FIVE and FIVE words, wild! Week 4 is in the books. We like to have some fun and do recaps as short as possible, …

2023 Mountain West Football Week 5 In Five Words


A quick synopsis in five words after Week 5


Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Week FIVE and FIVE words, wild!

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Week 4 is in the books. We like to have some fun and do recaps as short as possible, because it is fun and makes people think, maybe it doesn’t, or maybe it doesn’t.

This is the most simple recap out there and at the end some of our Twitter followers who reacted via GIFs.

Air Force: Can anyone stop these Falcons?

Boise State: Taylen Green is now benched?

Colorado State: Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi is good

Fresno State: Undefeated but don’t look elite

Hawaii: Run-n-shoot needs points

Nevada: Defensive line was real frisky

New Mexico: Dylan Hopkins is the guy

San Diego State: Not a good football team

San Jose State: A much needed off week

UNLV: Eight win Rebel football team?

Utah State: World’s best second half team

Wyoming: Next great RB Harrison Waylee

In addition these quips, we asked our readers about how they feel in GIF format.

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