Power Rankings: Week 7

This week featured some of the better in conference matchups of the season so far. BSU/Hawaii, SDSU/Wyoming, and so on. How did those results change the rankings for this week? Check it out below.

1. Boise State

• What a difference a week makes. After not looking their best against UNLV, Boise State made a statement against Hawaii and showed every has large the gap between them and everyone else is right now.

2. Hawaii

• I debated moving Utah State up, but Hawaii remains in the second spot even after their loss to Boise State. They still have some great non-conference wins and are now .500 in the MWC. However, they may lose their advantage if they can’t gain those conference wins.

3. Utah State

• The Aggies stand pat with their bye week and it will be curious to see they look coming out of it. They have a case for the 2nd spot since they have more conference wins than Hawaii. On the other hand, their two games agains the best teams they faced have been their two losses, so they may have to prove they deserve to be higher.

4. San Diego State

• In another tough call, the Aztecs jump the Falcons despite them both winning. SDSU has quietly been solid pretty much all season. They passed a pretty tough test with a win over Wyoming. Their defense seems to have taken things to another level the past two weeks and even though the offense isn’t scoring more than past years, their formula is still giving them success.

5. Air Force

• The Falcons got a nice win over a struggling Fresno State team to get back on track after their hiccup against Navy. They still look better this year than the past season, and are in a unique position here at #5. They are primed to rise quite for a few spots if they can pull off wins against Wyoming and Utah State. However, if they drop those games, they won’t like where they end up in the rankings.

6. Wyoming

• The Cowboys stay put despite their loss. First of all, it was a pretty strong loss after a close game. Secondly, they (and the other 5 teams above them) seem to be head and shoulders better than the rest of the conference. The line between the good and the bad is right here this week.

7. Nevada

• A QB change and a matchup against San Jose State got the Wolf Pack back on track, for this week anyway. It was a close win and it may not last against better competition, but looked more like the team we saw in week 1 than any week since then.

8. San Jose State

• The Spartans take the next spot following their loss to Nevada. That most likely killed their hopes at a bowl game but they have still distanced themselves from the conference cellar which is a huge accomplishment for them.

9. Fresno State

• The wheels feel like they are coming off for the Bulldogs. Again, Air Force is a good team, but Fresno State really needed that win in the long run. They are likely heading for a 6-6 season, barring any unexpected games (so naturally they’ll be anything but 6-6), putting them just across the line to make a bowl. They get a softer two-week slate but the three biggest games of their season.

10. UNLV

• The Rebels get a small bump for their big win. It may be the start of a turnaround for them, or it may just end up a bright point in a trying season. Hopefully it’s the former and like it’s been said a few times for a few different teams this year, their game next week against Fresno State is one both teams could use as a way to turn their season around.

11. Colorado State

• The Rams, like a few other teams listed above, dropped a spot despite a win. When the win is against the #12 team, it’s hard to justify too much. It wasn’t a pretty or easy win either, so putting Colorado State here at #11 seems about right this week.

12. New Mexico

• The CSU loss pretty much cements their status here at the bottom. Barring a bit upset, Nevada may be the only other game that could be a win left on their schedule. Yes, they are 2-4 through the easier half of their schedule as four of their remaining five games are against four of the top five teams on our list this week.