Mountaintop View 4-24-23. Clock running, Rams & Wolf Pack Spring Game, G5 QBs, Conference Realignment, Tennis Champs

It’s Monday, and we are back at it. Check out our original coverage and what we can find from the world wide web below. PLUS, the NFL Draft is this week!

The Clock Keeps Running.

More new rules for college football have been approved. These all revolve around clock stoppage, or rather, the clock not stopping. In an effort to speed up college football, the clock will now keep running following first downs. The only exception of this will be the final two minutes of each half. This alone is expected to decrease the average number of plays by seven each game. Also, teams will no longer be able to call consecutive timeouts and there will no longer be any untimed downs at the end of the first and third quarters.

Starters prevail in Ram’s spring game.

Coach Norvell puts the starters against the rest of the team and begins the game with them down 21 points so they have to orchestrate a comeback. They were able to do just that, prevailing 34-24 to conclude spring practices. The offense moved the ball well, even without their top WR and RB (who is unknown at this time). The rebuilt O-line looked pretty good, which will help the offense a good deal. The defense looked pretty good, even with four starters out. Perhaps the biggest part of the day was they raised $40,000 to go towards cystic fibrosis from their second annual CSU Grit Run 5K

Offense ahead of defense in Nevada spring game.

The defense came out on fire, but it was the Wolf Pack offense who had the last laugh. As is common this time of year, some parts of the game were sloppy. There were four delay of game penalities, which pointed to the lack of experience among the 6 quarterbacks who played. Brendon Lewis got the start and picked up yards through the air and with his feet. Shane Illingworth had the best day from a passing standpoint. Coach Wilson was happy every remained healthy but said the team needs to get used to the speed of the game.

Top G5 QB Rankings.

Chris Vannini of the Athletic put together a list of the top quarterbacks among Group of 5 teams and the Mountain West had a few mentioned. Boise State QB Taylen Green checks in at #6 and it notes that he should take a big step forward this year. SJSU’s Chevan Cordeiro is at #9, describing how he led the conference in passing yards and TDs. The Aztec’s Jalen Mayden is in the just missed category. Also, he discusses some conference realignment, talking about how Fresno State is probably a long-shot for the Big 12, and that San Diego State is still waiting for the PAC-12 media deal to complete. Also, he is unsure if the unlimited OV rule will help or hurt mid-majors.

MWC Tennis Regular Season Champs.

Spring Ball Schedules:

This will be updated as more information comes in.

AFA: Feb 14-March 4 (Spring Game)

BSU: March 2-April 8 (Spring Game)

CSU: March 27-April 22 (Spring Game)

FSU: March 6-April 15 (Spring Game)

Hawaii: Feb 6-March 3 (Spring Game)

Nevada: March 15 - April 22 (Spring Game)

New Mexico: Feb 14-March 8 (Spring Game March 6)

SDSU: Feb 20-March 23 (Spring Game)

SJSU: April 4-May 6 (Spring Game)

UNLV: March 1-April 8 (Spring Game)

Utah State: March 20-April 22 (Spring Game)

Wyoming: March 28-April 29 (Spring Game)

On the horizon:

• Later today: A new MWC Recruiting Roundup with the latest news, offers, and commitments. Discussing the Spring Evaulation period.
• Coming Tuesday: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: Quarterback Preview
• Coming Tuesday: Reacts: NFL Draft Talk
• Coming Wednesday: Peak Perspective: How can mid-majors survive in college football?