Tag: Nevada football

Mountain West Football: Top Ten Plays Of The 2019 Season

It was a memorable season all around in the Mountain West, but these plays rose above the rest.

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Mountain West Football: Top Ten Plays of the 2019 Season

It was a memorable season all around in the Mountain West, but these plays rose above the rest.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

No doubt the conference balled out this fall.

College football’s national championship game will close the book on the 2019 season tomorrow. Before that happens, we wanted to look back at some of Mountain West football’s best individual plays, a lot of which reflected the unexpected twists and turns that the campaign took throughout the fall. From epic game-winning kicks to contested catches in traffic, the conference gave us everything you could ask for and then some.

Here are the ten best plays from 2019.

10. Wyoming’s Sean Chambers stiff-arms a defender into oblivion vs. Missouri

Welcome to 7220, you can see yourself to the door when you’ve had enough.

9. San Diego State’s Jesse Matthews snags the ball out of the air with three defenders around him vs. Utah State

Credit Ryan Agnew first for extending the play, but the Aztecs’ freshman receiver definitely upped the difficulty level on this one while making it look easy.

8. Fresno State’s Mykal Walker blows up a 4th down play vs. USC

The Bulldogs came up tantalizingly short against the Trojans, but it wasn’t from a lack of effort. This defensive play from Walker, who had moved from the defensive line to middle linebacker, gave them a chance to steal the win.

7. Nevada’s Brandon Talton leaves no doubt while crushing a game-winning field goal vs. Purdue

The Wolf Pack had one of the wildest overall seasons in the Mountain West and that started all the way back in Week 1, when a walk-on kicker from Vacaville, California made sure everyone in college football knew his name with his first memorable kick of the season.

6. Utah State’s David Woodward makes his own break vs. Colorado State

In case you’re wondering why the Mountain West made Woodward a first-team all-conference selection despite missing six games, this is Exhibit A.

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2019 Final Mountain West Football Rankings: Four Teams Claim A First-Place Vote

There are four teams that earn a first-place vote in the final Mountain West power rankings for football.

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2019 Final Mountain West Football Rankings: Four Teams Claim A First-Place Vote

There is no unanimous top team. 

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2019 season is in the books

The Mountain West football season is over and with the season completed we have one final power rankings. These power rankings are much different compared to the final regular-season poll.

Boise State was a unanimous pick but after its bowl loss that is no longer the case after they lost to Washington in the Las Vegas Bowl. Also, the Mountain West had one of its best seasons over with four teams win double-digit games.

Those teams are the Broncos, San Diego State, Hawaii, and Air Force; those teams are also the ones that all took home a first-place vote. Despite the first-place votes getting spread around, the top four teams remain exactly the same.

In fact, the entire poll order remained the same which is not all that surprising but the Boise State loss had some people lose confidence after its loss but going undefeated in league play and finishing 12-2 was still considered the best team in the Mountain West.

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Mountain West Football: Bowl Season Winners and Losers

We look at the biggest winners and losers from the Mountain West’s seven bowl games.

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Mountain West Football: Bowl Season Winners and Losers

We look back to take stock of the biggest winners and losers from the Mountain West’s seven bowl games.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

Some encouragement and some letdowns from the postseason that was.

Well, it had to end sometime.

The Mountain West wrapped up bowl season with a 4-3 record and certainly brought with it a great deal of excitement. While it’s naive to tease out a lot of meaning from what amounts to seven exhibitions, we can still look back one last time to see who stood out and who might be thinking a lot about what might have been in the long off-season.

Here are Mountain West bowl season’s winners and losers.

Winners

Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl – Utah State wide receiver Siaosi Mariner. He didn’t get all that much attention in the vacuum to replace all of last year’s pass-catching star power, but Mariner’s bowl performance — seven catches, 113 yards, two touchdowns — helped to put a bow on what was arguably the best season by an Aggie wide receiver in the last ten years.

New Mexico Bowl – San Diego State running back Jordan Byrd. The Aztecs thumping Central Michigan was easily the most surprising result of the Mountain West’s bowl season, but the most pleasant part of that surprise was the surge from a running game that often scuffled in 2019.

Byrd, making a return home to his native New Mexico, finally put up the kind of numbers (17 carries, 139 yards and a touchdown) we’d been accustomed to seeing from San Diego State in years past, providing a glimmer of encouragement that, along with a young receiving corp, the pieces are in place to make a leap forward next fall.

Mitsubishi Las Vegas Bowl – Boise State defensive end Chase Hatada.  A lot of things weren’t pretty in the desert, but the senior Hatada finished his collegiate career with perhaps his finest effort. While Curtis Weaver was relatively quiet against Washington, Hatada finished with six tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks.

SoFi Hawaii Bowl – Hawaii quarterback Cole McDonald. Despite being briefly benched for some reason, McDonald put on an aerial show that rivaled some of the best performances of Hawaii quarterbacks past. In the process, he set the new Mountain West record for passing yards in a bowl game by throwing for 493 yards and four touchdowns on 28-of-46 pass attempts. It seems almost certain, then, that something will have to give in the Warriors’ ongoing quarterback shuffle, but we’ll probably have to wait until summer to learn more.

Cheez-It Bowl – Air Force running back Kadin Remsberg. Tailbacks in the Falcons offense don’t often receive a typical RB1 workload, but if anyone doubted that Remsberg had played at an all-conference level for two straight years before Air Force’s win over Washington State, consider that doubt removed.

Remsberg’s 26 carries were both a career high and the most by a Falcons runner this year and he made them count, rushing for 178 yards and a late touchdown that sealed the deal against the Cougars.

Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl – Wyoming running back Xazavian Valladay. Well, this one is an easy call. Any time someone accounts for nearly 300 yards of total offense like Valladay did against Georgia State (204 yards rushing and 7.8 yards per attempt, 91 receiving yards on three receptions, and two touchdowns), that someone is definitely a winner.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – Nevada wide receiver Elijah Cooks. Like Mariner, Cooks quietly put together a strong 2019 and saved the best for last. While the Wolf Pack may have come up short against Ohio, you can’t place too much blame on the junior wide receiver, who finished with 14 catches, 197 yards and a touchdown on 17 targets.

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Ohio 30, Nevada 21: Wolf Pack Rally Was Too Little Too Late

Questionable coaching calls mixed with a slow start see Nevada loss to Ohio in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

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Ohio 30, Nevada 21: Wolf Pack Rally Was Too Little Too Little

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl goes to Ohio

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Wolf Pack’s poor first half dooms them.

The Nevada Wolf Pack season was close to ending the year on a high note with a fourth quarter rally but in the end, the Wolf Pack fell to Ohio 30-21 win in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl at Albertsons Stadium.

The Nevada defense struggled throughout the game and that is why the found them down 21 heading into the final quarter. It was the Ohio running game that took advantage of the Wolf Pack being down four starters. That ground game had 285 yards on 5.8 yards per carry and three touchdowns and that is the majority of the damage that the Bobcats had against Nevada.

The Wolf Pack’s offense missed a lot of early chances with quarterback Carson Strong overthrowing players and maybe the game would have been different had he connected on some of those passes. He did all he could to help win the game by passing for 402 yards and a touchdown on 31 of 49; most if it came in the fourth quarter as he had 185 yards passing and a touchdown.

Heading into the final frame, the Bobcats led 30-9 and it seemed as if the Wolf Pack would be held out of the end zone but Nevada flipped a switch to score a pair of touchdowns, but missed a two-point attempt and had an extra point block to score 12 points in the final frame.

The comeback came when the Nevada defense forced a pair fumbles and led to those touchdowns each time but those missed extra points were an issue as was the ill-fated trick play at the Bobcats 6-yard line.

 

To make things worse, the Wolf Pack got the ball back and moved all the way to the 9-yard line of Ohio and still down now. Down nine points, instead of kicking a field goal to make it six, Nevada went for a touchdown to make it within a field goal game but the pass play came up short.

Not many were happy with this play calling in the red zone..

So, to recap the fourth quarter which did see the comeback but it was not without its issues.

Who knows why Norvell or his offensive staff decided to run a trick play, go for two points as early as they did (at least that one made some sense) and then go for it on 4th and goal but at the 9-yard line while down nine. Kicking that field goal would make it a six-point game.

The likely logic behind Norvell going for the points is because if they get the score and then recover the onside kick, a game-winning field goal means only a mininmal amount of yards would be needed for Brandon Talton who drilled a 51-yarder on the first possession of the game.

However, it was nine yards needed for a score which is not as easy as needing one or two yards for a touchdown. Everyone will second guess Norvell but it seems unanimous that kicking the field goal to get within six was the right call.

The Wolf Pack ended the season 7-6, including a 4-4 mark in the Mountain West. Nevada is now 6-11 all-time in bowl games.

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2020 Idaho Potato Bowl Expert Picks

Find out who the experts take between Nevada and Ohio.

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2020 Idaho Potato Bowl Expert Picks

Find out who likes who between Nevada and Ohio

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Bowl game picks

The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl wraps up Mountain West bowl season, so find out below who our staff likes in this game as well as national pundits.

Staff Picks

Idaho Potato Bowl: Nevada vs. Ohio (-7.5)

 

Jeremy: SU: Ohio  | ATS: Ohio | Score: Ohio 35, Nevada 24

Josh F: SU: Ohio  | ATS: Ohio | Score: Ohio 35, Nevada 21

Matt K.: SU: Ohio | ATS: Ohio | Score: Ohio 42, Nevada 17

Ted M: SU: Ohio  | ATS: Ohio | Score: Ohio 33, Nevada 27

Brandon T: SU/ATS: Ohio 28 Nevada 13

Roger Ohio 30 Nevada 24 

Erik: SU/ATS: Ohio

Sean: SU: Ohio  | ATS: Nevada | Score: Ohio 30, Nevada 27

USA TODAY

Four go with Nevada and three pick Ohio

Los Angeles Times

Ohio 34, Nevada 27

The Action Cookbook

There would be attempts to write the history of what had happened during the dark season when humanity nearly failed, but so much was lost. In many places, no one survived to tell the story.

No one would ever know the name of that scientist, or why he’d chosen to place that device in such an unexpected place. Only he would know that he’d placed it somewhere Coach Hayes would never find it, under the soil of the state he’d reviled so.

CBS Sports

Six of the seven go with Ohio straight up and against the spread.

ESPN

Ohio wasn’t far away from a much better season than its record indicated, going 2-5 in games decided by 10 points or fewer. Nathan Rourke is a talented dual-threat quarterback who should be able to have success against Nevada’s defense. Nevada coach Jay Norvell did a good job getting his team to seven wins, but the Wolf Pack are really banged up and limited on both sides of the ball. Frank Solich wins his third straight bowl game.

Prediction: Ohio 28, Nevada 17

Athlon Sports

All three go with Nevada


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2020 New Year’s Resolution For The Mountain West

J 2020 New Year’s Resolution For The Mountain West What goals do you want to see for your team in 2020? Contact/Follow @MWCwire Resolution time. Now that 2019 has come and gone, we have asked our staff to hand out some resoultions for their team and …

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2020 New Year’s Resolution For The Mountain West

What goals do you want to see for your team in 2020?

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Resolution time.

Now that 2019 has come and gone, we have asked our staff to hand out some resoultions for their team and the league as a whole. If you have any of your own respond to this embeded tweet below.

Mountain West

Raj: Boise State is the Mountain West and jokes aside; the MWC better find a way to campaign more for the Broncos to get into future NY6 games along with finding a way to get the Broncos in better bowl matchups. And yes, go get the standard bearer of the conference the money we deserve in this new TV deal.

Jeremy: Gotta agree with Raj, the league needs to promote itself better for whatever team is in position for a New Year’s Six Bowl or when it comes to the NCAA selection committee which could see the Mountain West have a top-three seed in San Diego State and maybe three teams overall in Utah State and New Mexico.

Be more vocal and don’t just spew that the stats speak for themselves. No need to go full Mike Aresco but speak up for the league more often and accept more media interviews.

Tron: The Mountain West needs to find a way to be more competitive as a conference, in both football and basketball. In football they need to find a way to campaign for better bowl games whenever possible. In basketball they need to find a way to get more teams to the tourney consistently, possibly by adding a round robin tournament into the schedule the way other mid majors are considering, in order to give your best teams more quad 1-2 competition. Adding a good basketball only school (like they tried with Gonzaga) could help a lot too, in terms of getting more teams into the tourney, which generates more money for the conference and the teams in it. 

Roger: The MWC must continue to schedule big games on National TV, do what they can to get more national exposure to generate both respect on the national stage and of course generate more  income. They can start by doing a top to bottom upgrade to their web site that was good 10 years ago but must keep up with the times, web site is clunky, maybe do push notifications on favorite teams and when they play games Take a look at the SEC website for some tips. Something much more media & social media emphasis.

Josh F: Craig Thompson needs to find his voice. We make fun of the AAC a lot, but he constantly puts his conference out there in national discussions. Meanwhile, Thompson sits in his office drinking coffee doing nothing. 

Ted M.:  The Mountain West needs a successor for Commissioner Craig Thompson. In charge since its inception, he held the conference together years ago when TCU, Utah and BYU left. But that was nearly 10 years ago. In sports, one must regularly prove one’s mettle. It has been a very long time since Thompson has made notable progress. He did not recognize the value of integrating Wichita State whose Final Four caliber basketball program wanted to join the Mountain West in a big way.

Thompson openly blew off the Shockers.  For a conference with just eleven basketball teams it was a missed chance. He recently muffed a potential Gonzaga integration, and turned a private discussion about BYU’s return into the Mountain West – very public. No progress was made. Today, the conference is misrepresented and under-recognized. Games are hard to watch due to late airings, and being poorly televised- if at all.  The Mountain West is grossly underrated. Until change is made it will remain so. Looking at the the American Athletic Conference, which has demanded Power 6 status, it’s clear that with strong leadership so much more can be realized by a strong G5 like the Mountain West.  

Larry: Basketball for the conference as a whole seems to be in a better place than they were last year, I know that sounds crazy with Musselman in Arkansas and Neemias Queta injured on the bench but hear me out. The middle of the pack looks stronger and you can see guys like Medvid, Alford and Hutson building programs at their respective schools (slowly but still doing so) and recruiting on a higher level than before. I would love to see this continued momentum and a respect for the conference nationally, which has been hard to obtain in recent years. The conference is on the up and up and with San Diego State and New Mexico returning to past form that helps. But to return to 3+ big league living in the shadow of the infamous 2013 season some changes need to be made. Scheduling for most of the conference has improved with games against Auburn, Florida, LSU, Duke and more helping team’s national profile. It’s hard living in mid-major land and to find that aforementioned national respect you need to be dominant, and Utah State and San Diego State are doing just that. We can use more as a conference but the improvement isn’t going unnoticed. 

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Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: An Ohio Q&A With Jason Arkley

We learn more about the Nevada Wolf Pack’s bowl opponent, the Ohio Bobcats, with Jason Arkley of the Athens Messenger.

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Potato Bowl: An Ohio Q&A With Jason Arkley

We learn more about the Nevada Wolf Pack’s bowl opponent, the Ohio Bobcats, with Jason Arkley of the Athens Messenger.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

Last, but definitely not least.

College football’s bowl season is in its January stretch run and the Mountain West’s seven-game slate reaches its conclusion when the Nevada Wolf Pack and Ohio Bobcats face off in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Friday, January 3.

Things haven’t always worked out the way that both teams expected throughout the fall, but the unpredictability is what make this game particularly exciting. Ohio features plenty of weapons on offense while Nevada has been at its best when the defense played strong.

To learn more about the Bobcats, we reached out to Jason Arkley of the Athens Messenger.

Mountain West Wire: The last time we saw the Ohio Bobcats in our Mountain West purview, they dismantled San Diego State in 2018’s Frisco Bowl. They were favored this fall to win the MAC East, at a minimum, by a lot of prognosticators so seeing them come into this game with a 6-6 record is a mild surprise. In a nutshell, what happened this year to keep them from reaching those lofty goals?

Jason Arkley: To put it bluntly, the defense failed to play at a level that was expected. Ohio lost four games by a total of 11 points, and in each game the Bobcats were a fourth-quarter defensive stop away from perhaps winning all four. More specifically, Ohio struggled with creating turnovers. Through 10 games, OU had created just six turnovers — then racked up seven in the last two games. Ohio was on the wrong side of the TO ratio all season, and it cost them several close games.

MWwire: How have the Bobcats replaced the running back tandem of A.J. Ouellette and Maleek Irons this fall?

Arkley: OU has used a similar formula as last year, but with a dramatically different cast. QB Nathan Rourke (780 rushing yards, 5.4 average, 12 TDs) remains an essential element, but it’s been redshirt freshman O’Shaan Allison (823 yards, 6.4 average, 6 TDs) that has taken on the lead-back role. Junior college transfer De’Montre Tuggle (547, 6.0, 10 TDs) has been a brilliant change of pace, big-play threat, and sophomore Julian Ross (227, 3.8) has been hampered by a shoulder injury.

MWwire: What role does Javon Hagan, Ohio’s lone all-conference selection on defense, typically play? How might it change against a Nevada team that doesn’t mind leaning on its Air Raid principles to throw the ball?

Arkley: Hagan (99 tackles) has been used most often as that eighth defender in the box when Ohio really wants to load up agains the run. A four-year starter, Hagan remains the most essential player on the defense. He organizes the entire back end, is the heart beat for the defense, and can create impact plays. When in coverage, he’s typically matched against tight ends or slots, but excels when he can play as a single-high safety. He leads OU with seven pass breakups with most coming as a free safety thanks to good instincts and closing speed.

MWwire: One matchup I’m interested in how well Nevada’s defensive line matches up with what looks like a strong Ohio offensive line. What would you say that unit does best, and is there a standout we should keep an eye on?

Watkins: Two things standout about this Ohio offensive line. First, the level of play there has been incredible considering OU is on its third different OL coach in the last three years. The previous two OL coaches (Dave Johnson, Bart Miller) both left after big years in Athens for jobs in the MWC. Second, it’s a group that clearly buys into the attitude of being the tone-setters for Ohio’s run-first offense. They thrive on the zone and option schemes that Ohio prefers and live for the belly play inside. If OU is getting a good push on the interior, it could be a long day for Nevada. In pass pro, the group has been good but a notch below great. Injuries have led to some depth being tested inside, but the two tackles — Austen Pleasants and Marques Grimes — have been stalwarts on the edge.

MWwire: Ohio has gone 2-4 in games decided by eight points or fewer and Nevada has gone 5-1 in those same games, so the Potato Bowl certainly looks like it will be hotly contested. How do you see the game generally unfolding?

Arkley: Nevada is hard to get a good gauge on, given the hot-cold nature of the Wolf Pack’s season and then the defensive coaching turnover after the season ended. Ohio remains one of the MAC’s best offenses despite an exceptionally young group at the skill positions. Rourke is a difference-maker and I think it’ll hard for Nevada to limit Ohio given some of the suspensions and coaching changes it’s made.

So I expect Ohio to score some points. The game will hinge, like Ohio’s whole season, on if the defense can get enough stops and/or create turnovers. The Bobcats created just two turnovers in their six losses, 11 in the six wins.

I think Ohio is on firm footing heading into this one, and will be motivated to play well. There are fewer questions in terms of what the Bobcats can do. It’ll be a close game, virtually every OU game has been that way this season, but this time I think the Bobcats find a close out stop late and win in the fourth quarter.

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MWwire’s 2010s All-Decade Mountain West Football Team

Who were the best Mountain West football players of the 2010s? We make our picks.

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Mountain West Wire’s 2010s All-Decade Mountain West Football Team

Who were the best Mountain West football players of the 2010s? We make our picks.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS and @MWCwire

The best of the best from a memorable decade.

The decade in Mountain West football began with an upset. Unranked Utah defeated #15 Pittsburgh at home on September 2, 2010, and in doing so set the tone for the ten years that followed. One Rose Bowl, one Fiesta Bowl, and seven All-Americans later, the conference has a lot to live up to at it heads into its third decade of existence.

As the 2010s come to a close, we wanted to look back to highlight the best players from the decade. If you disagree with our choices, of course, feel free to let us know what you’d have done differently on Twitter or Facebook.

First Team

Offense

QB – Brett Rypien, Boise State
RB – Donnel Pumphrey, San Diego State
RB – Jay Ajayi, Boise State
WR – Rashard Higgins, Colorado State
WR – Davante Adams, Fresno State
TE – Gavin Escobar, San Diego State
C – Keith Ismael, San Diego State
G – Nico Siragusa, San Diego State
G – Chase Roullier, Wyoming
T – Ezra Cleveland, Boise State
T – Austin Wentworth, Fresno State

Defense

DL – Demarcus Lawrence, Boise State
DL – Eddie Yarbrough, Wyoming
DL – Malik Reed, Nevada
DL – Curtis Weaver, Boise State
LB – Tank Carder, TCU
LB – Miles Burris, San Diego State
LB – Logan Wilson, Wyoming
CB – Leon McFadden, San Diego State
CB – Damontae Kazee, San Diego State
S – Weston Steelhammer, Air Force
S – Andrew Wingard, Wyoming

Special Teams

K – Dominik Eberle, Utah State
P – Ryan Stonehouse, Colorado State
KR – Rashaad Penny, San Diego State
PR – Avery Williams, Boise State

Second Team

Offense

QB – Derek Carr, Fresno State
RB – Ronnie Hillman, San Diego State
RB – Brian Hill, Wyoming
WR – Michael Gallup, Colorado State
WR – Keesean Johnson, Fresno State
TE – Crockett Gillmore, Colorado State
C – Weston Richburg, Colorado State
G – A.J. Wallerstein, Air Force
G – John Molchon, Boise State
T – Nate Potter, Boise State
T – Marcus Cannon, TCU

Defense

DL – Alex Barrett, San Diego State
DL – Tyeler Davison, Fresno State
DL – Brock Hekking, Nevada
DL – Stansly Maponga, TCU
LB – Zach Vigil, Utah State
LB – Cory James, Colorado State
LB – Carmen Messina, New Mexico
CB – Donte Deayon, Boise State
CB – Jalen Davis, Utah State
S – Darian Thompson, Boise State
S – Derron Smith, Fresno State

Special Teams

K – John Baron II, San Diego State
P – Brian Stahovich, San Diego State
KR – Savon Scarver, Utah State
PR – Jojo Natson, Utah State

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Mountain West Bowl Picks and Prediction

Find out what the best picks are?

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Mountain West Bowl Picks and Predictions

Bowl season is close to being underway.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Bowl picking time!

Don’t let anyone tell you that the college football bowl season has too many games. There is a finite number of these contests and we must cherish them all so more bowl games the better.

Plus, it gives us another opportunity to make some bowl picks for Mountain West games since odds for the bowl games have been updated after being out for a few weeks.

Frisco Bowl: Utah State vs. Kent State (+5)

This one is a bit interesting since Utah State had a few players get in trouble with law enforcement as Jordan Love, Gerold Bright and Sean L. Carter were charged with possession of marijuana. There is no work on them not playing this game on Friday but if they play the Aggies should be able to top Kent State since Utah State has the better overall talent on the field.

Pick against the spread: Utah State

New Mexico Bowl: San Diego State vs Central Michigan (+3.5)

San Diego State is going to be led by its defense, no surprise there, but the really good news is that quarterback Ryan Agnew is expected to be healthy and ready to go in the bowl game this weekend against Central Michigan.

This is going to be a battle of the strengths as the Aztecs are allowing just 12.8 points per game and the Chips are putting up 31.9 points per game. Usually, the Aztec defense can slow down any attack and look for that to be the same.

Pick against the spread: San Diego State

Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State vs. Washington (-3.5) 

Washington head coach Chris Petersen is not happy his final game is against his former team. The Huskies were a preseason top 20 team but now that distinction belongs to the Broncos. The big question for Boise State is who will play at quarterback. Redshirt senior Jaylon Henderson was the third quarterback to start the year but he is now the starter and is 4-0 as a starter.

This Huskies team might be the best Henderson has faced and the Washington defense just might be able to find a way to slow down Henderson with a few weeks to prepare. Even with that time, the Boise State defense should be able to slow down a Washington offense that is 61st in yards per play.

Pick against the spread: Boise State

Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii vs. BYU (-1.5)

This one could go a lot of different ways because Hawaii sometimes plays to the level of competition, and BYU has been up and down but mostly up as of late. The Warriors have won low-scoring games like the 14-11 victory over San Diego State and have won shootouts like the 42-40 shootout vs. San Jose State.

BYU recently played San Diego State and managed just three points but that was against a really good Aztecs defense. Expect this game to have a decent amount of points as the Cougar offense has shown this year to put together some solid drives.

Pick against the spread: Hawaii

Cheez-It Bowl: Air Force vs. Washington State (+3)

This game is going to be one of the most interesting of all of the bowl seasons. The contrast of styles makes it a must-watch with the Falcons run-option attack vs. Mike Leach’s “air raid” attack. The Air Force defense will give up points and yards but its offense will counter that behind QB Donald Hammond III by controlling the time of possession.

Pick against the spread: Air Force

Arizona Bowl: Wyoming vs. Georgia State (+7.5)

Wyoming has an issue at quarterback as they are down to only Levi Williams as starter Sean Chambers is out and Tyler Vander Waal announced his intention to transfer. The Cowboys defense will keep them in any game and will do so against Georgia State. The Panthers do have an offense that will make it tough on the Cowboys with QB Dan Ellingtion who has a modest 21 touchdowns to seven picks, and also its running back Tra Barnnett who has 12 rushing touchdowns on 1,389 yards.

Pick against the spread: Georgia State

Idaho Potato Bowl: Nevada vs. Ohio (-7.5)

The Nevada Wolf Pack have been all over the board this year with multiple major blowouts or close games. It seems there is no real in-between. What will make this game difficult to win is that the Wolf Pack are down four starters who were involved in the altercation vs. UNLV in the season finale.

The Mountain West determined that defensive backs Austin Arnold and Daniel Brown, defensive lineman Hausia Sekona, and linebacker Gabriel Sewell were all in violation of the conference’s sportsmanship rule.

Arnold earned a two-game suspension, Brown and Sekona were each handed one-game suspensions, and Sewell will be suspended for one half.

Pick against the spread: Ohio

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Mountain West Football: Every 2019 Bowl Gift Package, Ranked

Bowl games are important, but the swag for every player matters just as much. Which gifts are the best among the seven Mountain West bowls?

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Mountain West Football: Every 2019 Bowl Gift Package, Ranked

Bowl games are important, but the swag for every player matters just as much. Which gifts are the best among the seven Mountain West bowls?

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If you won’t give the players money, at least make it worth their while.

It’s a well-established fact that every bowl game is precious (even if some games are a little more precious than others), but it is also true that this does not necessarily hold for the customary gift packages given to players instead of, you know, just paying them cash for their labor.

Sports Business Daily has the full rundown of what every single bowl is giving to its participants and what becomes readily clear is that the big time games give the best stuff. This makes it especially important for the lower-tier bowls to make their decisions count and, this year, some did a lot better than others.

Here are the indisputable swag rankings for this year’s slate of bowl games.

7. Mitsubishi Las Vegas Bowl

The swag: Gift suite; socks; beanie; portable charger

Do you remember the “Christmas Party” episode of “The Office” where, before Michael Scott suggests a game of Yankee Swap, Creed forgets to get Jim a gift for Secret Santa and just throws a dirty and too-small button-up in a plastic bag for him? That’s what this set of swag is. You should expect more from the conference’s premier bowl and hope next year’s replacement, the new bowl in Los Angeles, is taking notes.

6. Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl

The swag: Gift suite; Herschel Supply Co. Chapter travel kit; New Era insulated beanie

This is a fairly modest package overall, but it is worth noting it’s miles better than socks (seriously, don’t give socks as a gift during the holidays). One has to wonder, though, whether the travel kit is filled with even smaller travel swag. If so, then this ranking is perhaps a spot too low.

5. SoFi Hawaii Bowl

The swag: Gift suite; Kahala aloha shirt; Oakley backpack and sunglasses; performance T-shirt; beach towel; surf trunks

As usual, the participants here get a load of swag with the local flavor, which you might describe every year as a “high floor” gift package.

4. Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl

The swag: Gift suite; Justin cowboy hat; football; college football 150th anniversary coin; lapel pin; Blingware cup; beanie

The Frisco Bowl gets points for originality, especially with regards to swag that is unique to the locale. Whether everyone actually looks good in a cowboy hat is another question entirely, but outside of the purview of this thought exercise.

Blingware’s merchandise actually looks pretty neat, too, the kind of stuff you might consider giving to the diehards in your family for Christmas. A solid overall effort from the folks in Texas.

3. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

The swag: Gift suite; Thule Achiever computer backpack; Herschel Supply Co. hip pack; beanie; coin

Computer backpacks are underrated, almost like a solid center for your offensive line, so Spuddy Buddy and his friends get props for recognizing that niche value. The package as a whole is also uniquely suited to the climate, so recipients will get immediate use out of everything right away and thereafter.

2. New Mexico Bowl

The swag: Gift suite; Oakley Holbrook sunglasses; Oakley Gearbox backpack; beanie; water bottle

The sunglasses and backpack are an impressive investment, and the latter gift gets extra points for being the kind of gift that has both utility and durability. Everyone else seems pretty nondescript, but this is a clear win for San Diego State and Central Michigan.

1. Cheez-It Bowl

The swag: GoPro Hero 7 with accessories and carrying case; Fossil watch; Oakley sunglasses; Ogio Shuttle Pack backpack; “History of The Bowls: Celebrating the Good of The Game” book; Ice Shaker insulated bottle; Branded Bills cap and travel case

The Cheez-It Bowl just gets it. Everyone else could learn something here.

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