Mountaintop View 12-19-22. Bulldogs cruise, Broncos win a nail-biter, redshirts play, SDSU NIL, Lobo MBB.

It’s Monday, and we are back at it. Fresh off a weekend without football games, we have two bowl games coming up on Saturday. Through it all, we are bringing you coverage of both this past week as well as getting you ready for the upcoming weekend. Check out our original coverage and what we can find from the world wide web below.

Bulldogs come away with an easy win.

Fresno State was in control of this game from start to finish. They scored on their first possession on a wide open play and didn’t look back. While the offense wasn’t perfect (Jake Haener had to deal with a lack of protection more than a few times), Haener and Mims both had fantastic games. The Bulldog defense kept Washington State out of rhythm all game long and they cruised to a victory.

Broncos win a shootout.

On paper it looked to be a huge mismatch but it ended up being a game that came down to the final minute. Boise State came out pretty flat and North Texas was throwing everything they had at them. The first half was low scoring, with the Mean Green leading 10-6. In the second half, both offenses exploded and it was back and forth for much of the game. Then, a bruised and battered Bronco defense was able to get a key interception and some big stops to seal the victory.

NCAA rules redshirts can play in bowl games.

In a last-minute ruling (literally a few hours before bowl games started on Friday), The main benefit of this change is to help teams that have been impacted by transfers, injuries, or opt-outs. It bolsters rosters so that teams still have depth going into the last game of the season. Plus, young players can get extra snaps to cap off the year, which is always a good thing. The NCAA rarely seems to get it right, but this one makes sense and except the one-time rule to be adopted for every year going forward. This isn’t just for any old bowl, it includes the CFP games.

SDSU NIL Collective

An interview with a SDSU alum Jeff Smith as he laments about the changes to college sports. While he doesn’t necessarily like NIL, he does understand how it helps student-athletes. He also how funds are disseminated to athletes through the school’s MESA foundation (Mentoring and Empowering Student-Athletes). Basically, it gives $2K a month to men’s and women’s basketball players out of a fund totaling $350K in exchange for community service projects and social media posts bringing awareness to these projects. It’s completely donor-driven and has tax-exempt status.

Lobos keep winning.

On the horizon:

• Later today: A new MWC Recruiting Roundup with the latest news, offers, and commitments.
• Later today: San Jose State football preview
• Coming Tuesday: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: Bowl Game #1
• Coming Tuesday: Reacts Questions: More Bowl Games and Signing Day
• Coming Tuesday: The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
• Coming Tuesday: Class of 2023 MWC Signing Day Tracker
• Coming Wednesday: Signing Day. We will be updating our 2023 MWC Signing Day Tracker all day.
• Coming Wednesday: Peak Perspective: Reviewing the Mountain West 2019 Recruiting Class