MWC Bowl Projections: Colorado State, Utah State make another statement

As the Boise State Broncos and San Jose State Spartans took a breather this past weekend, the rest of the Mountain West was locked into a slate that may come to define their standing in the conference when it's all said and done. While some teams fell on their faces (Fresno State, Wyoming) in winnable games, others did themselves a favor by further establishing their bonafides as title contenders (Utah State, Colorado State).

Just how much did this week's wins and losses shake up the experts, though?

For a quick refresher, here is the list of bowls with which the Mountain West is affiliated, along with the potential opponent.  The bowls have an order in which they are allowed to pick teams, and the Las Vegas Bowl picks first.  The Hawaii, New Mexico and New Orleans will share picks three, four and five, while the Potato Bowl picks sixth.  Also note that the conference has secondary ties with the Armed Forces Bowl and Cactus Bowl.

1. Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl - December 20, 2014 - MWC #1 vs. Pac-12 #6
2. San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl - December 23, 2014 - MWC #2 vs. Navy (if eliglble, or at-large)
3. Sheraton Hawaii Bowl - December 24, 2014 - Hawaii (if eligible) or MWC #3-5 vs. C-USA #2-5
4. Gildan New Mexico Bowl - December 20, 2014 - MWC #3-5 vs. C-USA
5. R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl - December 20, 2014 - MWC #3-5 vs. Sun Belt #1
6. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl - December 20, 2014 - MWC #6 vs. MAC #2

Everything is as it was a week ago, excepting a couple of opponent changes.  The result of this would be a really interesting matchup between two well-regarded mid-majors on the Smurf Turf, but there's a long way to go until that actually happens. Expect both the Broncos and the Huskies to be in the title mix.

Next up is Jerry Palm of CBS Sports:

There's not much change in Palm's picture, either, but I would point out that his "Bohl-ing" update would be a really fun game to watch.  Sean Mannion against that defense?  Despite the hiccup on the Big Island late last night, I would watch that game.

Next up, Brant Parsons of the Orlando Sentinel.

Unsurprisingly, Parsons has come to his senses after slotting the Bulldogs as Vegas-bound a week ago.  There's very little movement in this picture, aside from flipping the Rams and the Wolf Pack following yesterday's action.  I still wonder, and most CSU fans would agree, whether Parsons is underrating the Rams just a little.

Next, we'll take a look at what ESPN's Brett McMurphy and Mark Schlabach have to say:

McMurphy

Schlabach

I'll admit I don't understand the logic in either of these pictures.  McMurphy's slate is dominated by the Mountain division, and perhaps for good reason, but it ignores the face that it'd be really difficult for SDSU, Fresno and Wyoming to all fall short of the requisite six wins.  Schlabach still doesn't have anyone slotted for the Poinsettia Bowl, opting instead for Utah from the Pac-12.

The upside is there would be an awful lot of fun games in either situation:  Garrett Grayson and Dee Hart against the vaunted Cardinal defense or the non-existent Falcons one! Myles Jack and Zach Vigil, dueling two-way players! The Chris Petersen/Boise State reunion and grudge match!  Maybe give these guys credit for thinking outside of the box.

Last but not least are my own bowl picks.  Fresno State made me look smart with their embarrassing performance in Vegas, but the only change to speak of is flipping the Aztecs and the Wolf Pack.  It would be a shock if Nevada didn't make it to six wins at this point, with suddenly vulnerable BYU and SDSU teams on the horizon, but don't be surprised if other opponents like Hawaii and Air Force make them earn those victories.

If you have your own thoughts on these bowl predictions or have a set of your own, make sure to leave them in the comments!

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