Posted on November 10, 2022
|
Are you ready for the stretch run of the college football season?
Believe it or not, we are in Week 11, and each week brings us closer to the season we love most: Bowl season!
The Mountain West Conference continues to be loaded up top. Coming into this week, there are three teams with a 4-1 conference record, and Boise State is the lone undefeated team.
Will that change this week? Probably not, but let’s dive in and examine the predictions.
Fresno State at UNLV
Friday, November 11
7:30 p.m., PT, CBS Sports
The Fresno State Bulldogs have been scorching hot, almost as hot as the summers in the valley.
They have won four straight since losing to Boise State, and Jake Haener and Evan Williams have returned just in time to give Jeff Tedford’s team a much-needed boost.
Now, they head to Sin City to face the UNLV Rebels.
UNLV is trending in the complete opposite direction, as Marcus Arroyo’s team has dropped four straight since jumping out to a surprising 4-1 record to start the year.
The Rebels are coming off a 14-10 loss to SDSU, while Fresno State just scored 55 on Hawai’i.
This is all Fresno, even in Las Vegas.
Prediction: Fresno State 45, UNLV 17
New Mexico at Air Force
Saturday, November 12
12:30 p.m., PT, CBS Sports
There is still a case to be made for Air Force being the best team in the MWC this season.
Unfortunately, a couple of losses have them further down the power rankings, but the Falcons are still a dangerous football team and a headache for opposing coaching staffs.
New Mexico has yet to win a MWC game this year, and frankly, they probably won’t win any this entire season.
The Lobos have a grand total of 28 points combined in the past three games, and the Falcons’ lethal rushing attack will give New Mexico nightmares.
Prediction: Air Force 24, New Mexico 6
Wyoming at Colorado State
Saturday, November 12
4:00 p.m., PT, CBS Sports
Are there any good matchups in the MWC this weekend? Yes, we will get there.
Sadly, this isn’t one of them.
Wyoming is one game behind Boise State for the Mountain Division lead, and the 194 rushing yards per game has the Cowboys in the top 60 in the nation in that category.
The Rams have two straight losses, and this game should be no problem for Wyoming—even with it being played in Fort Collins.
Prediction: Wyoming 31, Colorado State 14
Boise State at Nevada
Saturday, November 12
7:30 p.m., PT, CBS Sports
Ayear ago, this game would’ve been the talk of the Conference. That’s how much difference a year makes.
The post-Carson Strong and Romeo Doubs era has started off brutally for Nevada.
The Wolfpack have lost seven straight games, and if it weren’t for 10 touchdowns courtesy of RB Toa Taua, their stats would be even worse.
The Broncos have yet to lose a MWC game this year and just lost to BYU last weekend, so the motivation is even bigger for them to rebound.
Prediction: Boise State 42, Nevada 10
San Jose State at San Diego State
Saturday, November 12
7:30 p.m., PT, FS1
This is easily the best MWC game of the weekend. Or at least it should be.
The Spartans are tied with Fresno State for the West Division lead, although the Aztecs are right behind with a 3-2 conference mark.
The Spartans have one of the best defenses in all of college football, allowing just 16.38 PPG, good for 15th in the country. That’s good news for Brent Brennan, especially since the Aztecs rank 227th with just 19.6 PPG.
Can safety-turned-QB Jalen Mayden lead the Aztecs to another victory?
It will be close, but give me the Spartans in a hard-fought game.
Prediction: San Jose State 27, San Diego State 20
Utah State at Hawai’i
Saturday, November 12
8:00 p.m., PT, Spectrum Sports
Does anybody want to watch this game? Probably not.
But believe it or not, the Aggies can move to .500 on the season with a victory.
After starting the year 1-4, they have turned it around with wins over Air Force, Colorado State, and New Mexico.
The Aggies should defeat the Rainbow Warriors, although traveling to the Island always gives teams a difficult time.
Nonetheless, Utah State is a much better team than Hawai’i.
Prediction: Utah State 23, Hawai’i 13
—More from Matt Wadleigh—
Matt is a Senior Writer for SuperWest Sports, covering Mountain West football and basketball.