Division Leaders Once on a Losing Pace and Now on Winning Streaks

Boise State

At the beginning of the 2022 season, Boise State got off to a little bit of a rough start through their first four games finishing at 2-2 losing to both UTEP and Oregon State by 17 points. However, the head coach for the Broncos decided to make the decision to fire offensive coordinator Tim Plough following their loss against UTEP and it seems to be the right decision considering the Broncos are currently 6-2 and in the lead of their division.

Tim Plough was replaced by previous BSU and NFL coach Dirk Koetter who seems to have changed the scoring pace for the offense this season. Tim Plough’s offense only put up 88 points through the first four games whereas Dirk Koetter’s offense had a total of 143 points in the previous 4 games. It is safe to say Boise State has gotten it’s offense back on track and they gained an important win earlier this season against the other divisional leader in their conference, Fresno State. In total yards Boise State dominated the Bulldogs finishing with a total of 443 yards total while holding the Bulldogs to a total of 233 yards.

Boise State faces the BYU Cougars this week while at home at 4 pm (PT) tomorrow on FS2. While Boise State has been on a four-game winning streak, BYU has done quite the opposite and has lost their past four games after opening up the season 4-1 only losing to number eight-ranked Oregon. BYU is sitting currently at 4-5 and third in the FBS standings. This match-up will make for an interesting game considering BYU needs to put it’s losing streak to a halt, however, Boise State wants to keep marching forward to finish as number one in the Mountain West Conference. Boise State is only an eight-point favorite against BYU according to William Hill sports book.

Fresno State

The common story for both divisional leaders in the Mountain West conference is the fact that both Fresno and Boise opened up their 2022 season to a rough start with Fresno starting at 1-4 and Boise at 2-2, however, both teams have got put back into gear and are now leading their divisions. Fresno State is in the lead of their division mainly due to their important divisional wins against San Jose State and San Diego State who were both slowly encroaching for that number one spot, however, with both San Jose State and SDSU losing to the Bulldogs, Fresno State remains on top in the Mountain West division.

Fresno State had a wild win last week against SDSU scoring two touchdowns in little more than a minute and essentially stealing the win from SDSU. Quarterback for Fresno, Jake Haener, finished with an impressive stat sheet throwing for 34-45 completions, 394 yards passing, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. While Fresno remains on top in their division they will have to continue to win to stay there. Hawaii marches into Bulldog stadium tomorrow at 7:30 pm (PT) on FS2. Fresno State are 27 point favorites against Hawaii according to William Hill sports book.