Week Five Fan Guide

We inch closer to the halfway point of the season, and many teams have finished their out-of-conference schedule while others will wrap it up this weekend. The Mountain West is coming off of an impressive weekend that saw its teams go 6-2 against teams in other conferences. This weekend will offer more opportunities for impresive wins against out-of-conference foes, while others hope to start their conference schedule out with a bang. Let’s take a look at what this weekend has to offer.

Utah State @ UConn

The Aggies are coming off of a heartbreaking loss that saw the team nearly pull off a miracle come from behind victory over James Madison. The Aggies have found their quarterback in McCae Hillstead and appear to be finding their footing on the offensive side of the ball. The young defense is really struggling, but a game against UConn may help them find some momentum on that side of the ball.

Who you should root for: The Aggies. A loss to a bad UConn team would not be a good look for the conference.

Boise State @ Memphis

The Broncos finish up their out-of-conference road slate with another tough contest. The trip to Tennessee will be a tough test for a Bronco squad that has seen struggles on both sides of the ball. The Broncos struggled to tackle in a close victory over San Diego State this past weekend. Will Boise State be able to clean things up and contend for the conference championship? This weekend will go a long way in determining how this team will respond to adversity.

Who you should root for: Boise State. A win over one of the top teams in the AAC would go a long way in showing that the Mountain West is the best Group of Five conference.

Hawaii @ UNLV

This is an intriguing game. The Rebels are pretty heavy favorites, but there is always a strong contingent of Hawaii fans in Las Vegas. The Rebels should win this game, but it would not shock me if the Rainbow Warriors keep things interesting.

Who you should root for: It is the first conference game for both teams, but the Rebels are probably more likely to contend for a championship. I would probably pull for the Rainbow Warriors if I was a fan of one of the top teams in the conference.

New Mexico @ Wyoming

In the first Mountain West game of the season for both of these teams, New Mexico and Wyoming will both look to start the conference season off with a bang. New Mexico coach Danny Gonzales made a big statement when he said his team will make a bowl game. If that is going to happen, they will need to pull off some big upsets. Here’s their first chance.

Who you should root for: Wyoming has been the far superior team. If I’m a fan of any other school in the conference, I want to see the Lobos pull off the upset.

Utah Tech @ Colorado State

The Rams wrap up their out-of-conference schedule with a tune up game against an FCS foe. Colorado State needs to use this game to find their footing on defense and clean up some of the mistakes (penalties and turnovers) that have held their offense back.

Who you should root for: Colorado State. Let’s avoid embarassing losses to FCS teams.

San Diego State @ Air Force

The Aztecs are coming off a heartbreaking loss to Boise State, and the Falcons are already 2-0 in conference play. The Falcons have had a pretty soft schedule at this point, while the Aztecs have played a brutal schedule.

Who you should root for: If you aren’t a Falcon fan, you should be pulling for the Aztecs in this one. The Falcons have played a pretty weak schedule, but they have looked very strong.

Nevada @ Fresno State

The Wolf Pack have shown signs of growth at moments, but they are in for a big test this weekend. Fresno State is coming off of a dominant victory over Kent State and is now nationally ranked. The Bulldogs will look to show they are worthy of that ranking and start the conference schedule out by making a statement.

Who you should root for: It is really unlikely, but teams around the conference should be rooting for the Wolf Pack to pull off the upset. I don’t see it happening, but crazier things have happened.

Which games are you looking forward to this weekend? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.