The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Week Four

I have followed the Mountain West for a long time, and this has to go down as one of the worst weeks in conference history. Even teams that were on a bye found a way to lose. There is no denying that week four had very little good and a whole lot of ugly. Here are the good, bad, and ugly moments of week four.

The Good:

Utah State

I’m not sure if this speaks highly of Utah State or is just a testament to how poorly the rest of the conference played. The Aggies did what they should have done and beat a poor Air Force team at home. Utah State has an electric offense led by quarterback, Jordan Love, who will likely take home offensive player of the week honors. Love finished the game completing 26 of 38 passes for 356 yards and two touchdowns. The Aggies look vulnerable on defense, allowing nearly 500 yards to an Air Force team that won’t win many games this year.

The Bad:

San Diego State

The Aztecs were balanced in the running and passing game. But their offense lacks explosive play makers. Their best player, Juwan Washington, missed the second half with a chest injury. Rocky Long claims that the injury is not serious, but if Washington misses any time, the Aztecs are in trouble. This Aztec squad is really confusing; they struggled with a bad MAC team and an FCS opponent, but they defeated a decent PAC 12 squad. We will learn a lot about the Aztecs after their bye week when they travel to Boise.

Fresno and Boise lose the bye week

Those losses to Minnesota and Oklahoma State are not looking good after both teams got blasted this week. NY6 hopes took another hit when UCF, USF, and Cincinnati all won this week. North Texas also looks like a team that you should keep an eye on.

UNLV

The Rebels had a chance to make a statement against a decent Sun Belt team in Arkansas State, but they laid an egg. Armani Rogers had one of the oddest stat lines I have ever seen with 181 yards rushing and 23 yards passing. 5 out of 21 for 23 yards won’t win you many games.

The Ugly

Where to start...

Colorado State

This is the most obvious answer. Colorado State’s defense had absolutely no answer for Illinois State; they couldn’t stop the run or the pass. The Rams surrendered over 500 yards to an FCS squad. Colin Hill took over for Carta-Samuels and did not find much success. This Rams squad has a whole lot of questions and very few answers. A bowl game seems unlikely, and Colorado State might be looking for a new coach if they don’t turn things around quickly.

Nevada

The Wolf Pack had a chance to prove themselves against a respectable MAC team and fell flat. Their defense has major flaws; they surrendered 63 points and 460 yards. It looks like the state of Nevada might have to go another year without a bowl team.

Mountain West Non-Conference Play

The Mountain West had a chance to make a statement early in the season. Most teams had manageable schedules and an opportunity to challenge the American for Group of Five superiority. The conference completely dropped the ball. Losing multiple games to FCS squads is unacceptable. The conference better hope the AAC cannibalizes itself, or there will be a lot of questions this off-season.

What were your good, bad, and ugly moments of week four? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.