The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Season Review

The crazy 2020 season is behind us. I’m not going to lie, I’m happy it is over. From not knowing whether a game was going to take a place or wondering who was going to play, it took a lot of fun out of the season. Let’s take a quick look back at some interesting performances from the 2020 Mountain West football season.

The Good:

David Slays Goliath

No team in the Mountain West fits the David mold more than San Jose State. The Spartans have been a perennial doormat since joining the Mountain West. They also had arguably the toughest circumstances to overcome with moving the teams to multiple locations over the course of the season. With that being said, the Spartans absolutely manhandled Boise State on the way to their first football championship since joining the Mountain West.

Who is the Real Power Six?

The Mountain West faced off against the AAC in two bowl games this year. The Mountain West showed up big in both games with Nevada comfortably defeating Tulane in the Potato Bowl and Hawaii beating Houston in the New Mexico Bowl. It was an impressive showing for both squads and gave the conference some bragging rights.

The Bad:

Lack of Star Power

There were some impressive individual performances this season, but it didn’t feel like the conferences had many big stars - players you could look at and say, “That’s a first round draft pick.” I think that changes next year with guys like Khalil Shakir, Nick Starkell, and Carson Strong all returning. There were also some key players that missed significant time like George Holani, Hank Bachmeier, and Sean Chambers.

The Ugly:

The Bottom of the Conference

Utah State, UNLV, Colorado State, and New Mexico were really bad this year. The bottom of the conference will really need to step up their game. I think a few of these teams have a chance. Marcus Arroyo has been recruiting at a high level, Blake Anderson was a great hire for Utah State, and Danny Gonzales had the Lobos trending in the right direction at the end of the season. If there is one team I am not too optimistic about, it is Colorado State. I questioned the Steve Addazio hire from the beginning, and their recruiting has taken a step back since firing Bobo.

That’s it for this edition of “The Good, the Bad, the Ugly.” Next week, we will be rating the performances of Mountain Division teams. What were your favorite moments from the 2020 season? What were some moments you would rather forget?