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Not a bad weekend for the WAC- they win both out of conference games and lock up the season-long win over the Mountain West, 7-4 with one more to go.
Louisiana Tech 24, Utah State 6- The Bulldogs’ offense came alive Saturday, while the Aggies never got anything going, and couldn’t capitalize on any momentum from their win over BYU last week. Both teams are now 2-4 with a long road back to bowl eligibility. Next Week: Idaho at Louisiana Tech, Utah State is idle.
New Mexico State 16, New Mexico 14- Read Post
The WAC sees 3 conference games this weekend, a rivalry game that might decide who’s the worst team in America, and a somewhat unusual pairing over in Boise.
4:00 PM- Utah State at Louisiana Tech: Utah State will be looking to build off their win over BYU, while Louisiana Tech hasn’t found the answers on offense yet, and is still hunting for a win over a FBS team. Line: Louisiana Tech by 1 (!). They’re clearly seeing something I’m not out there, as it seems like the Aggies are a much better team at this point. I think they win this one comfortably, 31-20.
8:00 PM- New Mexico at New Mexico State: A combined 0-9, the eyes of the country will be on this one, primarily for comedy reasons. Line: New Mexico State by 2.5. That should be about right- NMSU should pick up their second straight win over the Lobos, but it won’t be pretty. 17-10.
8:00, WAC Sports Net- Toledo at #4 Boise State: Read Post
Things didn’t go so well for the WAC this week, despite Idaho’s win over Western Michigan, as San Jose State lost to a FCS team and Boise dropped in the polls despite winning by 59. We’ve known all along that Boise would need help to get to the national title game, but it’s starting to look like they’ll need more than we thought.
Idaho 33, Western Michigan 13-  Idaho wins its third straight against MAC opponents over the last two years, returning the favor after WMU won big in Moscow in 2008. The Broncos pulled the game within four in the third quarter, but it was all Vandals through the rest of the second half. Next Week: Idaho is idle, at Louisiana Tech 10/16.
UC Davis 14, San Jose State 13- The Spartans offense sputtered the whole game, turning good opportunities into only 13 points in the first half, then failed to respond as UC Davis scored a pair of third quarter touchdowns to beat a FBS team for only the second time in school history. Next Week: San Jose State at Nevada
Boise State 59, New Mexico State 0- Read Post
Six games on tap for the WAC today, only one of which starts before 7 PM Eastern. NFL games may kick off before the WAC is done playing.
2:00 PM, WAC Sports Network- Idaho at Western Michigan: This is an interesting game, with Idaho coming in off a disappointing loss to Colorado State, and Western having been beaten soundly by Toledo last week. While there doesn’t seem to be much at stake in this one, victories aren’t easy to come by down the stretch on either schedule, and getting this one could be key in quest for bowl eligibility. Interestingly, Idaho was 2-0 against the MAC last year. Line: Idaho by 3.5. That seems generous, but I have a hard time picking this to be really close- I think either team could win, but it’ll be by a touchdown in a shootout kind of game. Let’s say Idaho 45-38.
8:00 PM- UC Davis at San Jose State: San Jose State filled in their 13th game (Hawaii Rule) with a second FCS opponent. UC Davis is 1-3 on the year including a 52-3 loss to Cal. No line.
8:00 PM, WAC Sports Net- Boise State at New Mexico State: Any team could be vulnerable if they overlook conference opponents, but there gap is too wide in this one. Read Post
The weekend did not quite go as planned for the WAC, going 1-3 against the Mountain West, just 3-6 on the day, and losing one of their unbeaten teams in the process. On the flipside, Boise State won on national television and Nevada has reached #25 in the polls.
Colorado State 36, Idaho 34- 51 weeks after Idaho beat the Rams for the second of what would be 12 straight losses, CSU manages a 4th quarter comeback and wins on a last second field goal to break the skid.
Nevada 27, BYU 13- Nevada used a devastating rushing attack to defeat the Cougars, handing BYU their third consecutive loss. As noted, 4-0 Nevada is ranked for the first time since 1948.
Kansas 42, New Mexico State 16- The Aggies may have hoped for a repeat of North Dakota State’s performance against the Jayhawks, but it was not to be.
Southern Miss 13, Louisiana Tech 12- Southern Miss intercepted a La Tech pass at their own 20 late in the game to shut down the Bulldog comeback and escape with the narrow win in Ruston.
Mississippi 55, Fresno State 38- Read Post
Week 3 decimated our list- East Carolina was done in by an angry Virginia Tech team, and Houston saw QB #1, QB #2, and any BCS hopes bite the dirt against UCLA. Air Force ran out of time against Oklahoma, and Missouri had just a bit too much time left against San Diego State. And then [...]
Nevada netted a big win Friday night to kick off the weekend, which saw the league go 3-0 against other non-BCS conferences while coming up short in a bid for another BCS win. But nobody lost to a FCS team, which is always a nice touch.
Colorado 31, Hawaii 13- Hawaii failed on two trips inside the 10 in the first half, but still led at halftime 10-0. Colorado figured something out at halftime, outscoring the Warriors 31-3 in the final two periods. Next Week: Charleston Southern at Hawaii
Navy 37, Louisiana Tech 23- Navy found its scoring offense as Louisiana Tech blew a 23-16 halftime lead when the Midshipmen scored three unanswered touchdowns to close out the game. Next Week: Southern Mississippi at Louisiana Tech, Navy at Air Force
San Jose State 16, Southern Utah 11- SJSU trailed 11-10 until a touchdown with 70 seconds to go put them ahead and saved the Spartans from an embarrassing defeat. Next Week: San Jose State at Utah
Fresno State 41, Utah State 24- Read Post
The WAC got their week off to a nice start last night, and are poised to have a big day today.
3:30 PM, Fox Regional- Hawaii at Colorado: Hawaii’s offense has put up good numbers so far, although their defense remains suspect. Colorado has been less than impressive, beating lowly Colorado State before getting curbstomped by Cal last week, 52-7. Still, beating the Buffs in their home opener is no easy task. Line: Colorado by 13. I don’t see how CU is going to score enough points to escape Hawaii by that much. I’m not sure Hawaii wins this one, but I don’t think Colorado will run and hide either. I’ll say CU 35-28.
7:00 PM- Navy at Louisiana Tech: Three weeks ago, I would have said this is an easy one for Navy. It still might be, but not if the Midshipmen can’t generate more points than they have so far. The Bulldogs haven’t shown much in the way of offense either, so either way I expect this one to be low scoring. Line: Navy by 3. I think it will be just a little more, Navy 21-17.
8:00 PM- Southern Utah at San Jose State: SJSU can’t sleep on Southern Utah- they pushed Wyoming to 28-20 and then beat FCS San Diego 32-3 last week. Upset Watch is on, but there is no line.
8:00 PM, WAC Network- Fresno State at Utah State: Read Post
It’s been an uneven week on the Fringe, but we’re going full steam into the weekend now. Here’s your BCS Buster watch (down to just 10 unbeaten teams in the non-BCS universe), and the non-BCS top 25 will follow shortly, then into the weekend previews all afternoon.
Team
W
L
Last Week
This Week
Coaches Poll
Boise State
1
0
bye
at Wyoming
4
Boise [...]
Without two of their best teams playing, things were somewhat quiet out west, but Virginia Tech’s loss to James Madison puts the WAC in the pile with those eastern leagues wishing week 2 would just go away. Boise State needs VT to be flawless, not lose to FCS teams, to keep Boise alive in the national title hunt. On the field, things went better, with a pole-axing of a MWC team, a surprising win over an independent squad, and no actual losses to FCS competition. If not for Virginia Tech…
Wisconsin 27, San Jose State 14- San Jose made a ton of mistakes early, and Wisconsin did enough with them to put the game out of reach. The Spartans refused to give up, posting their 14 in the second half, but it wasn’t to be. Next Week: Southern Utah (1-1) at San Jose State
Hawaii 31, Army 28- Hawaii jumped out to a 21-0 lead before Army surged back and took command 28-21. Hawaii leveled things, but Army was in field goal position before fumbling it back to the Warriors with 24 seconds to go. That was all they needed, as Hawaii moved into field goal position and finished off the Black Knights. Next Week: Hawaii at Colorado (1-1), North Texas (0-2) at Army
Nebraska 38, Idaho 17- Read Post
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