Boise State on top, SJSU rises after win at UNLV

Last season, the Hotline published weekly ‘Best of the West’ power ratings that considered not only Pac-12 teams but those in the Mountain West and Brigham Young. The exercise was so popular that we’re adding a MW-specific column to our array of offerings this season.

And New Mexico makes three.

The Lobos fired coach Danny Gonzales on Sunday, becoming the third Mountain West program to initiate a change. San Diego State and Boise State made in-season moves, while the Lobos waited until Gonzales’ fourth consecutive losing year was complete.

We suspect there will be more moves to come in the conference.

Nevada, for example, must consider its future under Ken Wilson.

Could Fresno State’s Jeff Tedford or Wyoming’s Craig Bohl decide it’s time for retirement? (Both are in their 60s.)

Could San Jose State’s Brent Brennan or UNLV’s Barry Odom get poached by Oregon State?

More broadly, schools across the Mountain West are facing existential pressures in the aftermath of the Pac-12’s collapse and the restructuring of college football in the western third of the country.

Will there be a full merger between the conference membership and Washington State and Oregon State in coming years?

Will the top MW teams peel off and join the Pac-12 leftovers in an eight-team league that begins play in 2026?

Will the MW’s next media rights contract feature a performance-based revenue model?

Success on the field equals security off it — security and cash.

Every season wasted under a floundering head coach is a step closer to an undesirable outcome.

To the power ratings …

1. Boise State (7-5/6-2)

Last week: 2
Result: beat Air Force 27-19
Next up: vs. UNLV in MW championship (Saturday)
Comment: Two of Boise State’s most impressive performances have come since the mid-November dismissal of coach Andy Avalos. Makes you wonder how the season would have unfolded if the school had made the move a few weeks earlier.

2. San Jose State (7-5/6-2)

Last week: 3
Result: won at UNLV 37-31
Next up: TBD (bowl game)
Comment: The Spartans beat UNLV on the road in the finale and finished tied with the Rebels in the standings but were boxed out of a spot in the conference championship game by computer rankings. Nope, it’s not fair. But it’s the system the schools agreed to when the MW abandoned divisions.

3. UNLV (9-3/6-2)

Last week: 1
Result: lost to San Jose State 37-31
Next up: vs. Boise State in MW championship (Saturday)
Comment: The Rebels have several concerns after their stellar season. In addition to preparing for the title game, they must hang onto offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, one of the hottest young coaches on the market.

4. Air Force (8-4/5-3)

Last week: 5
Result: lost at Boise State 27-19
Next up: TBD (bowl game)
Comment: From 8-0 to 8-4, it was a November to forget for the Falcons. Chief among their failings in the final month: Securing the football. Turnovers were their undoing.

5. Wyoming (8-4/5-3)

Last week: 6
Result: won at Nevada 42-6
Next up: TBD (bowl game)
Comment: Craig Bohl is going bowling for the sixth time in his decade leading the program — a stretch of success unprecedented in the program’s recent history. But he turns 66 next summer. How many seasons does he have left?

6. Fresno State (8-4/4-4)

Last week: 4
Result: lost at San Diego State 33-18
Next up: TBD (bowl game)
Comment: The season-ending three-game losing streak came as a surprise. That it included losses to New Mexico (2-10) and San Diego State (4-8) came as a shock.

7. Utah State (6-6/4-4)

Last week: 8
Result: won at New Mexico 44-41
Next up: TBD (bowl game)
Comment: The Aggies won the games they needed to win (New Mexico, Nevada, SDSU) and are headed to the postseason for the third time in three years under Blake Anderson.