Both of our Western conferences were shuffling around, primarily waiting for a big week 13 slate. The WAC did see a near upset and one overtime game, while in the MWC, New Mexico escaped from a winless season before they head over to Fort Worth for this weekend’s finale. Also, TCU has locked up the Mountain West Championship.
Western Athletic Conference
Standings
| Conf | Overall | |
| Nevada | 7-0 | 8-3 |
| Boise State | 6-0 | 11-0 |
| Fresno State | 6-2 | 7-4 |
| Idaho | 4-3 | 7-4 |
| Hawaii | 2-5 | 5-6 |
| Utah State | 2-5 | 3-8 |
| Louisiana Tech | 2-5 | 3-8 |
| New Mexico State | 1-5 | 3-8 |
| San Jose State | 0-6 | 1-9 |
This Week
Boise State 52, Utah State 21- Boise has let some lesser teams hang around too long this season, but after the 4:47 mark of the 2nd quarter, they pulled away and never looked back.
Fresno State 30, Louisiana Tech 28- Fresno State needed a last second field goal to win this one and get the all-important seventh win, in a season where there might not be enough WAC bowls to go around (more on my bowl projections coming tomorrow).
Hawaii 17, San Jose State 10-Hawaii avoids the league cellar by beating SJSU in overtime, days after the Spartans coach announced his impending retirement. The Warriors still have a chance to get to the Hawaii Bowl, but they’ll have to beat Navy and Wisconsin in back to back games to pull it off.
Nevada 63, New Mexico State 20- Nevada now has three different 1000 yard rushers on their team this year. This is the fourth time they’ve eclipsed 60 points this year (5th over 50), and I’m still not convinced that Boise State is a lock to win their game Friday night.
Week 12 Power Rankings
My rankings are almost unchanged, but Hawaii has moved up a little as the only team left with a chance to go bowling.
- Boise State
- Nevada
- Fresno State
- Idaho
- Hawaii
- Louisiana Tech
- Utah State
- New Mexico State
- San Jose State
Conference Championship Outlook
Nevada at Boise State, Friday, 10 PM Eastern ESPN 2. Winner take all in the conference.
Mountain West
Standings
| Conf | Overall | |
| TCU | 7-0 | 11-0 |
| BYU | 6-1 | 9-2 |
| Utah | 6-1 | 9-2 |
| Air Force | 5-3 | 7-5 |
| Wyoming | 3-4 | 5-6 |
| San Diego State | 2-5 | 4-7 |
| UNLV | 2-5 | 4-7 |
| New Mexico | 1-6 | 1-10 |
| Colorado State | 0-7 | 3-8 |
This Week
TCU 45, Wyoming 10- Just like when Texas came to town, Wyoming had the score tied 10-10 in the second quarter, but saw the game get broken open shortly thereafter. TCU is past the last minor obstacle and will face 1-10 New Mexico to close out the regular season.
BYU 38, Air Force 21- Air Force’s regular season ends having conquered the not-big-three of the MWC to wind up 5-3 on the year. No doubt they would have liked to steal one against BYU or Utah, but another solid year in Colorado Springs with a postseason game ahead.
Utah 38, San Diego State 7- Utah rebounds from their TCU loss by dispatching the Aztecs with ease. All eyes in the MWC world now turn to this week’s “Holy War” with BYU.
New Mexico 29, Colorado State 27- A last minute field goal just adds to the misery that has been CSU’s 8 game losing streak, and gets New Mexico off of a very ugly list. CSU will have the chance to ruin Wyoming’s season on Friday afternoon.
Mountain West Power Rankings
- TCU
- Utah
- BYU
- Air Force
- Wyoming
- San Diego State
- UNLV
- New Mexico
- Colorado State
Conference Championship
Officially, TCU has only clinched a share of the championship, but even if they shockingly lose to New Mexico, they hold tiebreakers over the rest. When they win, however, they will own the MWC crown outright.