Mountain West Maintains Standings
Not a whole lot changed over the weekend as Nevada took two of three of San Jose State and San Diego State did the same in their series with Fresno. A mild surprise was UNLV sweeping Air Force at home. The Rebels have struggled this year as many (including me) thought they would be much better than they have. New Mexico didn't carry the MWC's banner very well as they lost all three at Wichita State and that's a program that is struggling this year.
SJS at Nevada
The Wolf Pack did nothing to dispel the thought that they are indeed the best in the MWC. The lowly showed up at Reno to take on the Pack and got thoroughly thrashed in the first two games; 12-0 and 27-2. Yeah, you read that right, 27-2. The fans in San Jose are not happy with the way things have gone in the past few years and coach Nakama is on the hot seat. The final game went to the Spartans in a gutty 6-4 victory. It must have been loud in the clubhouse after the 27-2 debacle as the boys in blue came out and were competitive. You'd think the team was nothing but freshmen by the way they have playing. Oh, that's right, they mostly are. Nevada missed an opportunity to open up a bigger lead in the standings by losing this game. Nevada has two mid-week games with St. Mary's and then it's off to Albuquerque and the Lobos for three. San Jose State has a mid-week game with Stanford which is having a sub-par season. They then take on Fresno for three at home. All four games are rival games for the Spartans and the fans will be paying attention. More on previews of all games later.
San Diego State at Fresno State
This was a tough one. The Aztecs were desperate to keep pace with Nevada and the Bulldogs were desperate to make a move up in the standings by a game or two or three. The Aztecs took two of three on the road which is always good for the old RPI. The first game was close as Fresno won 5-4 but the Aztecs' games were characterized by offense that resulted in easy wins. San Diego State has four home games coming up with the mid-week game against Northridge and three with UNLV. Fresno State hits the road with a game at Cal and then three with rival San Jose State. The games with the Spartans are always good ones.
Air Force at UNLV
The Falcons got surprised a bit by losing all three to a struggling Rebels' team. Two one-run games and an easy win for UNLV. I attended one Air Force game earlier in the year and they are really designed for their field. Then again, most teams are and that's why it's hard to win on the road. Air Force will continue life on the road with one at Northern Colorado and then three against Army. UNLV will have a home game with Riverside and then it's on to San Diego State for three.
New Mexico at Wichita State
The Lobos lost three close ones at Wichita which is suffering through a bad season which makes the losses that much worse for New Mexico. I went to a few games at Wichita State a few years ago and, boy, do they have a beautiful place to play. Years of success will do that especially if you have a strong following and don't have football to get the lion's share of money. Good basketball, too. The Lobos have three games at home with Nevada coming up and that should be a good series to attend as the Lobos should be ready to make a statement. There should be lots of offense also. Stay tuned.