MWC Bowl Projections: Boise State gets company in the race to Vegas

This weekend was a good one to be a college football fan.  There were upsets galore all across the FBS landscape, and a couple of Mountain West contenders were able to put some fine feathers in their caps.  Boise State re-established itself as a front-runner with a wild win in Reno, while Utah State toppled ranked BYU and Fresno State came back from the dead to defeat a depleted San Diego State squad.

If we've learned anything in conference play so far, perhaps it's that things can change quickly in this wide-open race.  What, then, do the prognosticators make of an MWC that has just two teams left with only one loss?

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

Sorry, Broncos fans, but for the moment you have been dethroned by a team you've already beaten.  I suspect Kirk sees another loss somewhere on the schedule for Boise State, which would give the Rams an inside track to the division title.  The consolation is that the bowl game would essentially be a home game, but I would not be surprised if this development caused some consternation.

Next up is Jerry Palm of CBS Sports:

Take heart, though, because the Broncos still have at least one believer out there.  Most of the reshuffling here regards the opponents.  Bulldogs fans may not relish two trips to the Smurf Turf in one calendar year, but it's fun to imagine that matchup as being "defense optional".

The Cactus Bowl, it should be noted, is one with which the MWC has secondary ties in the event that the Big 12 or Pac-12 can't muster as many eligible teams as needed.  It's a little surprising that Palm is down on the Pac-12, but Bohl-ing against a high-powered Cowboys offense would be an interesting game to watch.

Next up, Brant Parsons of the Orlando Sentinel.

Now here's a surprise.  Not only have the Broncos been knocked from their Royal Purple perch once more, they've been replaced by their next opponent.  If you're as puzzled as I am, it's okay to admit it.  A return trip to the islands to face Rakeem Cato may not be at the top of the Boise fan's Christmas wish list, so it'll be fun to see what happens two weeks from now.

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

McMurphy

Schlabach

I'm not entirely sure why Schlabach would elect to give the MWC bid to Utah for the Poinsettia Bowl, considering it will be the Potato Bowl that gets shut out if there's a deficit of eligible teams.  This picture suggests a waste land in the West division when all is said and done, which I'm not sure is fair.  Both men are also the only experts to forecast the Falcons into a bowl game.

Last but not least are my own bowl picks, which don't see as much change as I first considered.  I've said all along that Utah State would win the conference, so the Aggies are in the catbird's seat until further notice.  Fresno still has some work to do to get back into my good graces, while Wyoming gets bumped in favor of the Falcons.  Eight wins is doable for the boys from the AFA, though it will require an upset somewhere down the road, which is much more than I anticipated before the season began.

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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