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Paul Myerberg of USA Today and Matt Murschel of the Orlando Sentinel have put in a tremendous amount of hours toward the publication of their respective power rankings, seemingly begun after the Florida State Seminoles were crowned the last BCS champions in February. Within the last week, however, the last of the Mountain West's top teams were revealed, which means now is a good time for a "compare and contrast" exercise. How did the MWC shake out?
| Myerberg rank | behind/ahead of | Murschel rank | behind/ahead of | |
| Air Force | 102 | Colorado, Wyoming | 94 | Colorado, Connecticut |
| Boise State | 25 | Duke, Arizona | 27 | Washington, Nebraska |
| Colorado State | 73 | South Alabama, Vanderbilt | 70 | Troy, Western Kentucky |
| Fresno State | 51 | Oklahoma State, Oregon State | 40 | Florida, Virginia Tech |
| Hawaii | 123 | Miami (Ohio), Georgia Southern | 125 | Georgia Southern, Appalachian State |
| Nevada | 82 | Boston College, Tulsa | 82 | Washington State, Old Dominion |
| UNLV | 111 | New Mexico, Kansas | 77 | Louisiana-Monroe, Texas State |
| New Mexico | 110 | Tulane, UNLV | 105 | UTEP, Iowa State |
| San Diego State | 58 | Ball State, Pittsburgh | 72 | Western Kentucky, Syracuse |
| San Jose State | 76 | Syracuse, Troy | 80 | Akron, Washington State |
| Utah State | 46 | Texas, Arizona State | 42 | Virginia Tech, Iowa |
| Wyoming | 103 | Air Force, Kentucky | 103 | Louisiana Tech, UTEP |
So what can we learn? All things considered, it's surprising how relatively similar the two lists are to one another. Two teams, Nevada and Wyoming, are in the exact same spot, while four others are less than five places apart. Poor, poor Hawaii is dwelling near the FBS basement, while Boise is rightfully considered a Top-25 caliber squad.
The greatest disparities come out of the West division, where Myerberg and Murschel have more than ten spots separating Fresno State and San Diego State. It's somewhat surprising to see the Aztecs firmly in the middle of the pack, more so when considering the healthy buzz around their conference title hopes. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, seem to receive at least a little benefit of the doubt in having to replace their big offensive stars.
And then there's UNLV, for whom arguments can be made in favor of both regression and the proverbial step forward. Both previews account for the overturned postseason ban, though Myerberg admits some hesitancy toward throwing support behind the program's limited success:
Let's think what the Rebels do well. The receiver corps is headlined by one of the top receivers on the non-major level. The offensive line is as experienced as it gets; when it comes to left tackle, the Rebels are as good as you'll see in the Mountain West. The backfield might be unsettled, but you have to admire [Shaquil] Murray-Lawrence's production in a smaller sample size. And the secondary, with two veterans in the fold and a nice freshman in the mix, is an unquestioned strength. The issues? Quarterback, defensive line, linebacker, kicking game, coverage teams, pass rush and run defense. So it's not a perfect team by any stretch.
With the benefit of hindsight, how do these two rankings look to you? Is there any team that's too high or too low? Let us know in the comments.