Adam’s WAC football power poll: Week three
Believe it or not, we’re officially one-fourth of the way through the college football regular season. And as the leaves begin to change and the mercury begins to drop, so will conference play pick up in earnest for the WAC’s nine teams. We got a little taste of conference action this past week when Fresno State began what could end up their WAC farewell tour, but for the time being, we’re in for one more week of non-conference games which will test the WAC’s relative strength. Where do the WAC’s teams stand in relation to each other and the rest of the nation after three weeks, and who has the inside edge going into the the last weekend of September?
Boise State (2-0): a week after facing questions of how strong their non-conference schedule really is, Boise State came back from a bye week to to put an old fashioned beatdown on Wyoming, putting up nearly 650 yards of total offense in the 51-6 route of the Cowboys. Boise State didn’t just beat their future Mountain West foe, they dominated, limiting Wyoming’s offense to just 135 yards (including -21 on the ground) and two first downs in the entire game. The Broncos certainly won in impressive fashion – and received a boost with a Virginia Tech win over East Carolina – but their ongoing battle to earn national respect and a possible No. 1 ranking stayed stagnant. A week after losing seven of eight first-place votes in the AP Poll, Boise failed to pick up an additional first-place tally this week, and entered week four ranked No. 3 in the country. A resounding win over No. 24 Oregon State this Saturday could go a long way toward improving their standing, however.
Nevada (3-0): If there was one WAC team which made a definitive statement in week three, it was the Wolf Pack, who ran all over nationally-ranked California in a 52-31 victory in Reno on Friday night. Wolf Pack QB Colin Kaepernick continued to show why he belongs in the Heisman trophy discussion, eclipsing the 100-yard mark through the air and on the ground while also accounting for five touchdowns. While the Wolf Pack were ultimately outgained by the Bears, Nevada was able to force their Pacific-10 conference foe into three turnovers, and prove that early season wins against lesser competition were no flukes. Now seated just outside the Top 25 in both the AP and Coaches’ Polls, the Wolf Pack have a real chance to go 4-0 against their non-conference slate when they travel to Provo to take on a slumping Brigham Young team this weekend.
Fresno State (2-0, 1-0 WAC): Currently seated atop the WAC standings with a 1-0 mark, Fresno came away from Logan this Saturday with a solid win against an improved Aggie team. Two weeks after failing to generate much of a running game against Cincinnati, the Bulldogs rode backup running back A.J. Ellis for 165 yards and two scores on the ground. Fresno’s defense continues to impress, so don’t be surprised if Pat Hill’s team cracks the top 25 if they come away with a win at Mississippi this Saturday.
Idaho (2-1): A week after getting blown out by Nebraska, the Vandals got back on track Saturday by blowing out Mountain West foe UNLV 30-7 in at home. The Vandals nearly doubled up the Rebels in total offensive output during the game, scoring touchdowns on their first three offensive possessions. UNLV’s only points of the game came in the form of a garbage-time, fourth-quarter touchdown. The Vandals should find success against a down team in Colorado next week, and could jump out to an early 4-1 start if they can handle a beatable Western Michigan squad in week five.
Hawaii (1-2): The Warriors’ 1-2 record may not look too impressive, but a close loss to USC (3-0) in the opener and a hard-fought game against Colorado in last weekend’s 31-13 loss give Hawaii fans something to look forward to with conference action around the corner. Hawaii actually led Colorado 10-0 at halftime, but surrendered back-to-back Rodney Stewart touchdown runs to allow the Buffs to surge back into the game. The Warriors never should have found themselves in the situation to begin with, and could have been up 24-0 on their PAC-10 foe had the team not fumbled a snap on the Colorado one-yard line and missed a chip-shot, 20-yard field goal early on. Hawaii should easily handle Charleston Southern next weekend before squaring off against Louisiana Tech on Oct. 2.
Utah State (1-2, 0-1 WAC): Another promising start against an elite conference team, and another late-game collapse for Gary Andersen’s Aggies, who continue to struggle with establishing a winning mentality. To be fair, USU has been arguably the most injury-decimated team in the country to this point, getting no better on Saturday when starting defensive backs Rajric Coleman and Chris Randle went down. With a stiff test on the road this week against San Diego State, it’s now or never for the Aggies, who have never been over the .500 hump under Andersen tenure.
Louisiana Tech (1-2): Is there a team which has fallen off more in the span of a single season than the Bulldogs? Perhaps not, and after Saturday’s 37-23 loss to Navy at home, it’ll likely take a midseason rally against conference competition to get first-year head coach Sonny Dykes’ team to the postseason. Granted, Navy is no pushover, but giving up 297 yards on the ground is not vintage Louisiana Tech football, and it’s apparent that Dykes’ implementation of a spread offense will need some more time. Unfortunately for Tech fans the schedule offers no breaks, and the Bulldogs will have a tough time with Southern Miss (2-1) this Saturday.
San Jose State (1-2): A win is a win, but the Spartans 16-11 nail-biter against Football Championship Subdivision member Southern Utah was about as ugly as they come. SUU outgained San Jose by a margin of 334-250 total yards, and also held advantages in first downs and possession time. The Spartans continued to struggle in their transition to a new offense, and were only bailed out of the game when running back Lamon Muldrow scored with just over a minute left in the game. Another winnable game is on the horizon when for SJSU when UC-Davis comes to town, but expecting more than one conference win may be pushing the limits of viable hypotheses for Spartan fans.
New Mexico State (0-2): About the only thing going for the southern Aggies right now is their in-state rival, the University of New Mexico, is 0-3 and perhaps the worst team in college football. That’s little solace for fans, though, who give their state the distinction of having perhaps the two worst programs in the entire Football Bowl Subdivision in light of their most recent loss at UTEP. New Mexico State yielded nearly 500 total yards of offense to the Miners in the loss, while Aggie quarterback Matt Christian struggled to hit just over 50 percent of his passes. Kansas and Boise State loom over the next two weeks, but the entire world is bound to tune in on Oct. 9 when the Aggies battle the Lobos in the “Mr. Irrelevant Bowl.”
Game of the week: The Broncos may have taken a hit when Virginia Tech was upset two weeks ago, but a Bronco win over No. 24 Oregon State would go a long way to proving Boise is viable national title candidate heading into the start of WAC conference play.
Got beef with my picks? Think I missed the mark? We want to hear from you. Drop me a line at adam.nettina@aggiemail.usu.edu.