Mountaintop View 9-20-21. Bulldogs upset, Aztecs to PAC12, Aggies 3-0, Lobos get paid, MWC gets ranked.

Another weekend of college football is in the books! The Mountain West had some big wins, going 8-3 on the weekend. Taking down a PAC team and beating your rival is awesome, although there were some rough losses as well. No matter the outcome, coverage is still coming your way today in the form of game links from the weekend and original content later today and all of this week.

Bulldogs pull off a huge late-night upset.

Fresno State is the best team in the MWC and likely the second best team in the PAC12. They went back and forth with the #13 team in the country and pulled out the victory. Down 4, with 54 seconds remaining and 75 yards to go, they faced tough odds. However, Jake Haener drove the offense down the field over the course of six quick plays, capped by the TD to Jalen Cropper.

Aztecs continue to own the PAC-12.

SDSU had next to no passing game and still pulled out a victory, although it took 3 OTs to do it. But a special teams TD, lots of rushing plays, and a trick play led the Aztecs to move to 2-0 against the PAC-12 this year, and 7-2 against the Pac-12 since 2016. Just put them in the Rose Bowl already.

The Aggies move to 3-0, winning a shootout.

Utah State wins once again. Not everything was perfect but it was enough to gain a conference/division win over Air Force. The offense was a second-half team once again with lots of big plays. The defense struggled with the option but made stops when they needed to, especially in the fourth.

Lobos get paid to get blown out.

New Mexico received $1.1 million to serve as a punching dummy in a glorified scrimmage for Texas A&M this weekend. It’s the life of a G5 school sometimes and while ugly, it served a purpose. Coach Gonzales sees these games as measuring sticks and motivators for his program. Despite the odds, they are games the players look forward to playing in, and there were some bright spots.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/aztecs/story/2021-09-17/san-diego-state-sdsu-aztecs-mountain-west-expansion-realignment-craig-thompson-air-force-colorado-state

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/american-targeting-mountain-west-powers-among-handful-of-expansion-candidates-in-realignment/

Bulldogs vault into the rankings.

On the horizon:

• From the weekend: Don’t miss the game recaps from Nevada, SJSU, Boise State, New Mexico, Hawaii, Fresno State, Utah State, Air Force, and Wyoming.
• Later today: MWCConnection Players of the Week: Week 3
• Later today: A new MWC Recruiting Roundup, with the latest news and offers and interviews.
• Later today: Power Rankings: Week 3
• Coming Tuesday: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: Week 3
• Coming Wednesday: Peak Perspective: Should the Mountain West consider adding PAC-12 teams?
• Coming Wednesday: Bowl Projections: Week 3