Mountain West Football: 2019-20 Transfer Tracker

The transfer portal figures to be busier than ever. We’ll help you keep track of who’s coming and who’s going throughout the Mountain West.

[jwplayer 18QegcJn-sNi3MVSU]


Mountain West Football: 2019-20 Transfer Tracker


The transfer portal figures to be busier than ever. We’ll help you keep track of who’s coming and who’s going throughout the Mountain West.


Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

Lots of players will be on the move.

With another season of Mountain West football almost in the books, change is in the air. Players will find their way into the official transfer portal throughout the off-season, so we will update this periodically with news of departures and imminent arrivals.

Leaving the Mountain West

Air Force

DB Rodney Higdon [Twitter]
DL Joe Quillin
DE Jake Raddatz

Boise State

WR D.K. Blaylock [247Sports]

Colorado State

S Caleb Blake [Twitter]
LB Max McDonald [Coloradoan]
G Nouredin Nouili [Twitter]

Fresno State

RB Peyton Dixon [Nevada Sports Net]

Hawaii

RB Fred Holly III [KHON]

Nevada

RB Jaxson Kincaide [Twitter] — to Western Michigan
QB Austin Kirksey [Nevada Sports Net] — to Georgia

New Mexico

DL Aaron Blackwell [Albuquerque Journal; Twitter]
LB Dylan Horton [Twitter]

San Diego State

TE Brennan Hawkins [Twitter]
WR JR Justice [San Diego Union-Tribune]
WR Tim Wilson Jr. [Twitter]

San Jose State

 

UNLV

DB Benjamin Cowen [Twitter]

Utah State

S Braxton Gunther
QB Jordan Love (rumored) [MWwire]
LB Noah Young [Herald-Journal News]

Wyoming

 

Mountain West Football: Every 2019 Bowl Game, Ranked

Every bowl game is precious, but we determine which of the Mountain West’s seven bowls are just a little more precious.

[jwplayer 18QegcJn-sNi3MVSU]


Mountain West Football: Every 2019 Bowl Game, Ranked


Every bowl game is precious, but we determine which ones are just a little more precious.


Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

Which ones will be must-see television?

There weren’t a lot of surprises when the Mountain West Conference unveiled its slate of seven bowl games on Sunday afternoon but, all in all, there’s a lot of good football on our hands in December and January!

Mountain West Wire’s official stance is that “any bowl game is a good bowl game”, but that’s not going to prevent us from determining which bowl games are… better. Which matchups are the best ones over the next month?

Here’s what I think.

7. Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl – Utah State vs. Kent State

The Mid-American Conference in 2019 may be best described as an egalitarian paradise. Akron might have been the worst team in college football and just two teams managed eight wins overall, but ten of the 12 MAC teams had between three and six wins in conference play. It may be neat to have had such a wide-open field, but it also means there aren’t a plethora of truly inspiring teams in that field.

Utah State, meanwhile, didn’t have quite the season many imagined it might back in the summer, but at least Jordan Love will (presumably) have one last opportunity to light up the scoreboard. It’s fine, but fine doesn’t always equal exciting.

6. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – Nevada vs. Ohio

Most of the excitement will derive from whichever Wolf Pack and whichever Bobcats team decides to show up on January 3. Ohio, like Kent State, clawed their way to a bowl from that same MAC morass but may have been the conference’s biggest disappointment, requiring two blowouts over Bowling Green and Akron just to get to 6-6 after losing a litany of heart-breakers.

If both offenses come out on fire, this bowl could easily surpass its standing here, but there’s also the danger that Nevada could fall victim to yet another lopsided defeat against one of the Group of 5’s most capable quarterbacks, Nathan Roarke. We’ll see.

5. New Mexico Bowl – Wyoming vs. Georgia State

 

4. SoFi Hawaii Bowl – Hawaii vs. BYU

For the second straight year, we get something of a WAC throwback and, even better, this bowl is back where it belongs on Christmas Eve. It’ll be a chance for the Warriors to even the overall score just a little bit, too, in a series that’s been particularly lopsided as of late.

The Cougars have also had a penchant for creating close games, with seven of their 12 contests being decided by ten points or fewer. If nothing else, it’s still the best excuse you’ll have to duck your family for a few hours right before the holiday.

3. Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl – San Diego State vs. Central Michigan

Now we’re talking. The Aztecs defense didn’t suffer the same November swoon that befell them in 2018 and while SDSU fell short of the division title, their reward is to face the very capable MAC runners-up.

After languishing with one of the worst offenses in the country last fall, Jim McElwain turned the Chippewas attack into one of the best in the conference, finishing third on a per-play basis while more than doubling the points scored per game. It will be an underrated “offense vs. defense” tilt in Tucson, so make sure you don’t overlook this game.

2. Mitsubishi Las Vegas Bowl – Boise State vs. Washington

“Chris Petersen’s last ride” is a fine narrative, but what’s more intriguing is the potential for a real defensive showcase. The Huskies may not have the big names like last year’s iteration, but young talents like Cameron Williams and Joe Tryon make for a fascinating contrast with established stars like Curtis Weaver and Kekoa Nawahine.

Alternatively, it could be a quarterback showcase. Jaylon Henderson has more than earned the right to start for the Broncos one last time, but perhaps Hank Bachmeier will find his way back under center to duel Jacob Eason, who’s been up and down this fall. Either way, it should be a fun one.

1. Cheez-It Bowl – Air Force vs. Washington State

The triple option and the Air Raid? Say no more.

The Cougars have perhaps never been more themselves than they were this year, leaning on the pass more than any other team in the country, while the Falcons’ ground game has rarely been more efficient than it has been this fall. It could be one of bowl season’s biggest point bonanzas when all is said and done.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1360]

[protected-iframe id=”a91365fa8364d5918c7afbfd61fa3801-97672683-123448869″ info=”cdn-images.mailchimp.com/embedcode/horizontal-slim-10_7.css” ]

[protected-iframe id=”a4765d451d4d2134c802175f6a037fca-97672683-123448869″ info=”//percolate.blogtalkradio.com/offsiteplayer?hostId=671539″ width=”100%” height=”550px” frameborder=”0″]

Your complete college football bowl game, playoff schedule

A complete list of the college football bowl game schedule for this year.

From Nassau, Bahamas to Hawaii, the 2019  college football bowl schedule features some intriguing matchups, a few newcomers and some teams in unexpected territory.

LSU, Ohio State, Clemson and Oklahoma round out the College Football Playoff. LSU makes its first appearance in the playoff while Clemson is in its fifth straight playoff. Ohio State, in the playoff for the third time, is hoping for a better performance after its beat down by Clemson in 2016. Oklahoma is in the field for its fourth playoff and third straight.

The state of Florida has the most teams in bowl games with six, followed by Michigan and Ohio with five teams each. California, Texas, Lousiana and North Carolina each have four representatives.

The states of Florida and Texas have the most bowl games, with seven each. Including the National Championship game, Louisiana is hosting four bowl games.

Ten ACC teams made a bowl this season. The SEC has nine teams going bowling, including three (Georgia, Florida and LSU) in New Year’s and CFP bowls.

Dec. 20 — Bahamas Bowl: Charlotte vs. Buffalo, ESPN, 2 p.m.

Dec. 20 — Frisco Bowl: Kent State vs. Utah State, ESPN2, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 — New Mexico Bowl: Central Michigan vs. San Diego State, ESPN, 2 p.m.

Dec. 21 — Cure Bowl: Liberty vs. Georgia Southern, CBSSN, 2:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 — Boca Raton Bowl: Florida Atlantic vs. SMU, ABC, 3:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 — Camellia Bowl: Florida International vs. Arkansas State, ESPN, 5:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 — Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State vs. Washington, ABC, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 — New Orleans Bowl: Alabama-Birmingham vs. Appalachian State, ESPN, 9 p.m.

Dec. 23 — Gasparilla Bowl: Marshall vs. Central Florida, ESPN, 2:30 p.m.

Dec. 24 — Hawaii Bowl: BYU vs. Hawaii, ESPN, 8 p.m.

Dec. 26 — Independence Bowl: Miami (Fla.) vs. Louisiana Tech, ESPN, 4 p.m

Dec. 26 — Quick Lane Bowl: Eastern Michigan vs. Pittsburgh, ESPN, 8 p.m.

Dec. 27 — Military Bowl: North Carolina vs. Temple, ESPN, noon

Dec. 27 — Pinstripe Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Michigan State, ESPN, 3:20 p.m.

Dec. 27 — Texas Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M, ESPN, 6:45 p.m.

Dec. 27 — Holiday Bowl: Iowa vs. Southern California, FS1, 8 p.m.

Dec. 27 — Cheez-It Bowl: Air Force vs. Washington State, ESPN, 10:15 p.m.

Dec. 28 — Camping World Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Iowa State, ABC, noon

Dec. 28 — Cotton Bowl: Penn State vs. Memphis, ESPN, noon

Dec. 28 — Peach Bowl: LSU vs. Oklahoma, ESPN, 4 p.m.

Dec. 28 — Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State vs. Clemson, ESPN, 8 p.m.

Dec. 30 — First Responder Bowl: Western Michigan vs. Western Kentucky, ESPN, 12:30 p.m.

Dec. 30 — Redbox Bowl: Illinois vs. California, Fox, 4 p.m.

Dec. 30 — Music City Bowl: Louisville vs. Mississippi State, ESPN, 4 p.m.

Dec. 30 — Orange Bowl: Virginia vs. Florida, ESPN, 8 p.m.

Dec. 31 — Belk Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Kentucky, ESPN, noon

Dec. 31 — Sun Bowl: Florida State vs. Arizona State, CBS, 2 p.m.

Dec. 31 — Liberty Bowl: Kansas State vs. Navy, ESPN, 3:45 p.m.

Dec. 31 — Arizona Bowl: Wyoming vs. Georgia State, CBSSN, 4:30 p.m.

Dec. 31 — Alamo Bowl: Utah vs. Texas, ESPN, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 1 — Citrus Bowl: Alabama vs. Michigan, ABC, 1 p.m.

Jan. 1 — Outback Bowl: Minnesota vs. Auburn, ESPN, 1 p.m.

Jan. 1 — Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Oregon, ESPN, 5 p.m.

Jan. 1 — Sugar Bowl: Baylor vs. Georgia, ESPN, 8:45 p.m.

Jan. 2 — Birmingham Bowl: Boston College vs. Cincinnati, ESPN, 3 p.m.

Jan. 2 — Gator Bowl: Indiana vs. Tennessee, ESPN, 7 p.m.

Jan. 3 — Idaho Potato Bowl: Ohio vs. Nevada, ESPN, 3:30 p.m.

Jan. 4 — Armed Forces Bowl: Southern Mississippi vs. Tulane, ESPN, 11:30 a.m.

Jan. 6 — Mobile Bowl: Miami (Ohio) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette, ESPN, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 13 — College Football Playoff title game: Semifinal winners, ESPN, 8 p.m.

Final Mountain West Football Bowl Projections

Where will the Mountain West teams go bowling?

[jwplayer 18QegcJn-sNi3MVSU]


Final Mountain West Football Bowl Projections


No New Year’s Six Bowl for the Mountain West


Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Boise State to Las Vegas

The New Year’s Six drought continues for the Mountain West after Memphis narrowly took care of business against Cincinatti in the AAC title claim and will be going to the Cotton Bowl over Boise State.

There is no debate between the Broncos and Bearcats had the former was victorious.

Now, we go forward and make one final prediction for the Mountain West bowl games. The big intrigue is the Las Vegas Bowl. It will be Boise State but the opponent is very much up in the air. The Broncos would like to see Utah not go to the Cotton Bowl so that the bowl teams do not move up a peg which would feature teams with worse records.

The most ideal matchup would pit Boise State vs. a 7-5 Washington team with former Broncos head coach Chris Petersen in his last game as the Huskies head coach. If the Utes do go to the Cotton Bowl then a 6-6 team like Cal could be in the Las Vegas Bowl. Playing former Broncos assistant Justin Wilcox would be nice but a game vs. Coach Pete would be more fun.

ESPN can step in and make some bowl trades similarly to what they did a few years ago to have a solid San Diego State vs. Houston matchup in the Las Vegas Bowl.


A few notes about the bowl lineups. Starting with the Hawaii Bowl. The game has a vaguely worded tie-in which is a combination between BYU, Hawaii or an AAC team. The Warriors have a 13-game schedule and must have seven wins to secure a bowl berth. Technically, BYU takes the Mountain West spot but a Cougars vs. Warriors matchup would be a classic WAC rivalry renewal.

There is a new bowl this year and it’s a Power Five opponent from the Big Ten in the Armed Forces Bowl.

Overall, the league has six guaranteed bowl berths and is a backup for the Cheez-It Bowl if the Pac-12 or Big 12 does not have enough teams eligible. As always, there can be trades for the best matchups.

Finally, if the Mountain West is the highest-rated team in the College Football Playoff then a New Year’s Six Bowl game is an option at the Cotton Bowl.

1. Las Vegas vs. Pac-12

– Famous Idaho Potato Bowl vs. MAC
– Gildan New Mexico Bowl vs. Conference USA
– Hawai’i Bowl vs. BYU or American
– NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl vs. Sun Belt
– Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl vs. Big Ten
– Cheez-It Bowl Conditional for MW if bowl can’t fill a spot.

Previous projectionsPreseason | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14

[lawrence-related id=23195]

Mountain West Power Rankings: Final Regular Season Edition

Who topped the final rankings?

[jwplayer 18QegcJn-sNi3MVSU]


Mountain West Power Rankings: Final Regular Season Edition


Who is at the top, well, it is obvious.


Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

One last time.

The Mountain West title game is this week but we are not going to step away from our final power rankings of the year. We also will have one after bowl season and then get a stupid early one in after the championship game.

Back to the final rankings. It is no shock that Boise State claims every first place vote. Air Force comes in at a near-unanimous second-place finish with its 10-2 regular season record. West champion Hawaii comes in at third, moving up two spots, and then they are followed by all of the bowl-eligible teams in the league.

The middle spots are jumbled up a bit but as expected the bowl team are at the top and the rest fill out the bottom.

[lawrence-related id=23109]

Mountain West Football Media Announces 2019 Postseason All-Conference Team

The Mountain West football media revealed its players of the year and honored XX different teams on its postseason all-conference squad.

[jwplayer fb1swk9j-Esf0Ippc]


Mountain West Football Media Announces 2019 Postseason All-Conference Team


The Mountain West football media revealed its players of the year and honored all 12 teams on its postseason all-conference squad.


Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

A lot of props to go around.

mwwire’s 2019 postseason honors:

All-Conference Teams | Offensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Special Teams Players of the Year | Freshmen of the Year | Coach of the Year | Coordinator of the Year

Ahead of Championship Saturday, the Mountain West Conference announced the media’s selections for its annual individual honors and the traditional two-deep of all-conference athletes.

As you might imagine, the Boise State Broncos led the way in sweeping nearly all of the individual honors, claiming three of five after entering the title game with an 11-1 record: George Holani was named the Mountain West’s top freshman, while Curtis Weaver earned Defensive Player of the Year and Avery Williams was named Special Teams Player of the Year.

The two non-Broncos to earn the conference’s major awards are San Jose State quarterback Josh Love, named Offensive Player of the Year, and Hawaii head coach Nick Rolovich, who was named as the conference’s best in 2019..

Boise State and Utah State led the Mountain West with five selections each, while San Diego State has four and defending champion Fresno State has three. The only teams without representation on this year’s preseason all-conference list are San Jose State and New Mexico.

[lawrence-related id=22934]

Media Individual Honors

Offensive Player of the Year – Josh Love, QB, San Jose State
Defensive Player of the Year – Curtis Weaver, STUD, Boise State
Special Teams Player of the Year – Avery Williams, PR, Boise State
Freshman of the Year – George Holani, RB, Boise State
Coach of the Year – Nick Rolovich, Hawaii

First-Team All-Mountain West

Offense

QB – Josh Love, San Jose State
RB – Charles Williams, UNLV
RB – Xazavian Valladay, Wyoming
WR – Warren Jackson, Colorado State
WR – Cedric Byrd, Hawaii
WR – Tre Walker, San Jose State
TE – Trey McBride, Colorado State
OL – Scott Hattok, Air Force
OL – Nolan Laufenberg, Air Force
OL – Ezra Cleveland, Boise State
OL – John Molchon, Boise State
OL – Keith Ismael, San Diego State

Defense

DL – Mosese Fifita, Air Force
DL – Curtis Weaver, Boise State
DL – Dom Peterson, Nevada
DL – Myles Cheatum, San Diego State
DL – Cameron Thomas, San Diego State
LB – Justin Rice, Fresno State
LB – Mykal Walker, Fresno State
LB – Kyahva Tezino, San Diego State
LB – David Woodward, Utah State
LB – Logan Wilson, Wyoming
DB – Kekaula Kaniho, Boise State
DB – Jamal Hicks, Colorado State
DB – Luq Barcoo, San Diego State
DB – Alijah Halliburton, Wyoming

Special Teams

K – Dominik Eberle, Utah State
P – Ryan Stonehouse, Colorado
KR – Savon Scarver, Utah State
PR – Avery Williams, Boise State

Second-Team All-Mountain West

Offense

QB – Cole McDonald, Hawaii
RB – George Holani, Boise State
RB – Ronnie Rivers, Fresno State
WR – John Hightower, Boise State
WR – Jojo Ward, Hawaii
WR – Siaosi Mariner, Utah State
TE – Parker Houston, San Diego State
OL – Connor Vikupitz, Air Force
OL – Garrett Larson, Boise State
OL – Ilm Manning, Hawaii
OL – Daishawn Dixon, San Diego State
OL – Keegan Cryder, Wyoming

Defense

DL – Chase Hatada, Boise State
DL – David Moa, Boise State
DL – Keshawn Banks, San Diego State
DL – Tipa Galeai, Utah State
LB – Kyle Johnson, Air Force
LB – Demonte Meeks, Air Force
LB – Riley Whimpey, Boise State
LB – Ethan Aguayo, San Jose State
DB – Kekoa Nawahine, Boise State
DB – Jalen Walker, Boise State
DB – Tariq Thompson, San Diego State
DB – Jericho Flowers, UNLV

Special Teams

K – Brandon Talton, Nevada
P – Tyson Dyer, New Mexico
KR – John Hightower, Boise State
PR – Austin Conway, Wyoming

All-Mountain West Honorable Mentions

Air Force: Milton Bugg III, DB; Jeremy Fejedelem, DB; Jordan Jackson, DL; Timothy Jackson, FB; Jake Koehnke, PK; Zane Lewis, DB; Geraud Sanders, WR; Kadin Remsberg, RB

Boise State: John Bates, TE; Sonatane Lui, DL; Eric Quevedo, OL; Khalil Shakir, WR; Avery Williams, DB

Colorado State: Anthony Hawkins, KR; Manny Jones, DL

Fresno State: Kevin Atkins, DL; Blake Cusick, P; Juju Hughes, DB

Hawaii: Cortez Davis, DB; Rojesterman Farris II, DB; Solomon Matautia, LB; Kaimana Padello, DL; Gene Pryor, OL; Taaga Tuulima, OL; Blessman Ta‘ala, DL
Nevada: Daniel Brown, DB; Romeo Doubs, WR, PR; Gabriel Sewell, LB; Toa Taua, RB

New Mexico: Ahmari Davis, RB; Alex Hart, LB; Teton Saltes, OL; Kyle Stapley, OL

San Diego State: Matt Araiza, PK; William Dunkle, OL; Darren Hall, DB; Brandon Heicklen, P; Dwayne Johnson Jr., DB

San José State: Bailey Gaither, WR; Troy Kowalski, OL; Matt Mercurio, PK; Jack Snyder, OL

UNLV: Julio Garcia, OL; Rayshad Jackson, LB; Justin Polu, OL; Javin White, LB

Utah State: Shaq Bond, DB; Gerold Bright, RB; Jordan Love, QB; Caleb Repp, TE; Christopher Unga, DL

Wyoming: Tyler Hall, DB; Logan Harris, OL; Cassh Maluia, LB

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1360]

[protected-iframe id=”a91365fa8364d5918c7afbfd61fa3801-97672683-123448869″ info=”cdn-images.mailchimp.com/embedcode/horizontal-slim-10_7.css” ]

[protected-iframe id=”a4765d451d4d2134c802175f6a037fca-97672683-123448869″ info=”//percolate.blogtalkradio.com/offsiteplayer?hostId=671539″ width=”100%” height=”550px” frameborder=”0″]

MWwire’s 2019 Postseason All-Conference Mountain West Football Team

In looking back at the 2019 regular season, our staff has made its selections for the best of the best from Mountain West football.

[jwplayer n39bGKWj-Esf0Ippc]


Mountain West Wire Presents Its 2019 Postseason All-Mountain West Football Teams


In looking back at the 2019 regular season, our staff has made its selections for the best of the best from Mountain West football.


Contact/Follow @MattK_FS and @MWCwire

Who stands out as the conference’s best from this season?

Before the Mountain West football championship kicks off in Boise this Saturday, our staff has put their heads together to determine who deserves recognition as part of our postseason all-conference teams. If you’re interested in our picks from 2018, you can find that here.

Unlike our preseason all-conference selections, our postseason honor roll only goes two deep. We have, however, maintained our efforts to better reflect the variety we see week in and week out throughout the Mountain West, too, so previous changes like the FLEX defender, differentiating between guards and tackles and centers rather than just selecting offensive linemen, and so on remain intact.

If you disagree with our choices, of course, feel free to let us know what you’d have done differently on Twitter or Facebook.

This year’s voters: Jeremy Mauss, Sean O’Toole (Air Force), Raja Prabahala and Collin Clovis and Erik Smiley (Boise State), Josh Fredlund and Brad Hubbard (Colorado State), Matthew Kenerly (Fresno State), Brandon Tamanaha (Hawaii), Brandon Blake (Nevada), Roger Holien (New Mexico), Ted McGovern and Erwin Mendoza (San Diego State), Logan Jones and Sam McConkie (Utah State), and Jesse Tachiquin (Wyoming)

First Team

Offense

QB – Josh Love, San Jose State
RB – Charles Williams, UNLV
RB – Xazavian Valladay, Wyoming
WR – Warren Jackson, Colorado State
WR – Cedric Byrd, Hawaii
WR – John Hightower, Boise State
TE – Trey McBride, Colorado State
C – Garrett Larson, Boise State
G – Nolan Laufenberg, Air Force
G – Solo Vaipulu, Hawaii
T – Ezra Cleveland, Boise State
T – Parker Ferguson, Air Force

Defense

DT – Cameron Thomas, San Diego State
DT – Sonatane Lui, Boise State
DE – Dom Peterson, Nevada
DE – Myles Cheatum, San Diego State
OLB – Curtis Weaver (STUD), Boise State
OLB – Rayshad Jackson, UNLV
ILB – Logan Wilson, Wyoming
ILB – Kyahva Tezino, San Diego State
CB – Luq Barcoo, San Diego State
CB – Jericho Flowers, UNLV
S – Alijah Halliburton, Wyoming
S – Tariq Thompson, San Diego State
FLEX – Dwayne Johnson Jr. (AZTEC), San Diego State

Special Teams

K – Dominik Eberle, Utah State
P – Ryan Stonehouse, Colorado State
KR – Savon Scarver, Utah State
PR – Avery Williams, Boise State

[lawrence-related id=15734]

PODCAST: 2019 Week 14 Mountain West Football Recap

A look back at the final regular season games for the Mountain West.

[jwplayer 18QegcJn-sNi3MVSU]


PODCAST: 2019 Week 14 Mountain West Football Recap


Final week of the regular season is complete.


Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Boise undefeated, Nevada and UNLV fight.

Jeremy goes solo to recap the final week of the Mountain West regular-season which did not have much on the line except for Boise State who needed a win to remain in the hunt for a New Year’s Six bowl game. There were games where coaches were in their last game and no team had a chance to earn a bowl bid as there were no teams that could not get to six wins.

The big story of the weekend was the fight that broke out between Nevada and UNLV after the Rebels won in overtime. That took away from a competitive game that needed extra time to decide its winner.

[protected-iframe id=”3b4ea89da8ad3a37094d020603b389f3-137729785-123448869″ info=”https://anchor.fm/mwwire/embed/episodes/2019-Mountain-West-Week-14-Football-Recap-e99le2″ width=”400px” height=”102px” frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no”]

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

Here is our list of complete sponsors.

Or just help us out directly through our Patreon page through this link.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1360]

What We Learned After Week 14 Of Mountain West Football

One final team we learned about each Mountain West team.

[jwplayer 18QegcJn-sNi3MVSU]


What We Learned After Week 14 Of Mountain West Football


The regular season is in the books.


Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

One last go around.

Air Force – Ten wins is a great turnaround from back-to-back five wins for the Falcons team. Quarterback Donald Hammond III is now a passing quarterback? Well, not really but he is one of the better passers in Falcon’s history as he ended the season with 1,286 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Boise State – Rename the Broncos quarterback factory. For the third-straight game, Jaylon Henderson led Boise State to a victory. It seemingly does not matter all that much about who is under center. We will see in the title game who gets the start.

Colorado State – The Rams continue to come up short in close games. They had a shot against most of their games this year with five games decided by 10 or fewer points but could not get over the hump.

Fresno State – The Bulldogs took a big step back compared to last year and it started with losses on defense and also quarterback play taking a huge step back. Quarterback Jorge Reyna wasn’t great either with so many late-game miscues. Overall, there were plenty of issues with this team but one of the few bright side of the season was running back Ronnie Rivers.

Hawaii – After 13 games there is still no clear answer as to who the starting quarterback is between Cole McDonald and Chevan Cordeiro, however the swapping back and forth has pretty much worked for the year. It is yet to be seen if it will work in the Mountain West title game.

Nevada – This season has been extremely odd as it saw the Wolf Pack not only used multiple quarterbacks this year en route to becoming bowl eligible. The oddest thing about how the Nevada season is having four of its five losses in the amount of 71, 51, 28, and 26 points.

New Mexico – The Bob Davie era is over is the most significant thing to happen this weekend for the Lobos. Hanging around with Utah State was a good sign despite knowing its head coach was out the door. Time to move on and find its new coach for the Lobos.

San Diego State – The Aztecs went with quarterback Carson Baker to replace the injured Ryan Agnew and he did a solid job. There were no turnovers, a touchdown pass, and an efficient 19 of 24 for 172 yards.

The defense shut down a BYU offense that had been clicking over the past month and the Aztecs shutdown the Cougar attack that was averaging 39.8 points during its five-game winning streak leading into this game.

San Jose State – DeJon Packer had a huge game in helping the Spartans defeat Fresno State for the Valley Trophy, 17-16. Packer had 93 yards rushing and added four receptions for 35 yards with a touchdown. This was his third-straight game with over 100 yards from scrimmage.

UNLV – Tony Sanchez had his final game and the Rebels came out a winner over rival Nevada and keeping the Fremont Cannon red. Wide receiver Steve Jenkins who scored twice, including the game-winning score, on five catches for 140 yards. It was the first time in a month he has had a catch and his best game of the year by far.

Utah State – The running game came back alive — yes,  it was against New Mexico — as Gerold Bright had 113 yards and a score. This was his first 100-yard game since Oct. 19. That ground game is what has been missing over the past month and hindered the Aggies from getting a few more wins.

Wyoming – The surprise in this game is that Tyler Vander Waal got the start at quarterback. He was not the same as he had an interception and his typically solid rushing attack was non-existent.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1360]

[protected-iframe id=”c0286d6e1aad69344270e42782a7311d-137729785-123448869″ info=”https://anchor.fm/mwwire/embed” width=”400px” height=”102px” frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no”]

Mountain West Football Bowl Projections After Week 14

Check out the latest Mountain West bowl projections.

[jwplayer 18QegcJn-sNi3MVSU]


Mountain West Football Bowl Projections After Week 14


Final week of the regular season does not change much.


Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Seven teams will go bowling.

The Mountain West will have all seven teams going to the postseason, no questions. There are going to be more bowl-eligible teams than bowl teams but with each Mountain West team having at least seven wins means that the teams will be safe to assume a postseason berth is on the way.

The big question is if the Mountain West can get into the Cotton Bowl. Boise State is in prime position to if they beat Hawaii in the championship game next weekend.

However, the Broncos will need some help. Memphis is in the front runner seat and if they defeat Cincinnati — the second time in as many weeks — the Tigers are going to the Cotton Bowl but if it is the Bearcats then the Broncos should go to that game. We say should because it depends on where the College Football Playoff committee ranks both Memphis and Cincinnati in the next set of rankings. It is somewhat safe to assume that a one-loss Boise State team should get in over a two-loss Bearcats team.

If Boise State goes to the Cotton Bowl it would shake up who goes where and could provide for a few better matchups with every team moving up a spot in the bowl pecking order.


A few notes about the bowl lineups. Starting with the Hawaii Bowl. The game has a vaguely worded tie-in which is a combination between BYU, Hawaii or an AAC team. The Warriors have a 13-game schedule and must have seven wins to secure a bowl berth. Technically, BYU takes the Mountain West spot but a Cougars vs. Warriors matchup would be a classic WAC rivalry renewal.

There is a new bowl this year and it’s a Power Five opponent from the Big Ten in the Armed Forces Bowl.

Overall, the league has six guaranteed bowl berths and is a backup for the Cheez-It Bowl if the Pac-12 or Big 12 does not have enough teams eligible. As always, there can be trades for the best matchups.

Finally, if the Mountain West is the highest-rated team in the College Football Playoff then a New Year’s Six Bowl game is an option at either the Cotton or Orange Bowl.

1. Las Vegas vs. Pac-12

– Famous Idaho Potato Bowl vs. MAC
– Gildan New Mexico Bowl vs. Conference USA
– Hawai’i Bowl vs. BYU or American
– NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl vs. Sun Belt
– Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl vs. Big Ten
– Cheez-It Bowl Conditional for MW if bowl can’t fill a spot.

Previous projectionsPreseason | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13

[lawrence-related id=22542]