Mountain West Mania: Takeaways From The Sixth Week of Mountain West College Football

Just when many thought it was time to count out UNLV, the Rebels have responded in a resounding way. And now, they’re at the top of the conference standings.

Here are my top five takeaways from how Mountain West teams performed after Week 6:

UNLV Is Back In Command In The Mountain West Title Race

Maybe I should’ve never counted out the Rebels. But could you blame me after that wildly disappointing showing against North Texas when UNLV lost 44-6?

Sure enough, though, UNLV is in command of the Mountain West right now after beating North Dakota State 13-7. The Rebels are 4-2 overall with losses against Memphis — a six-point game in Week 0 — and UNT. Since that defeat at the hands of the Mean Green, the Rebels have won three straight against Akron, Cal and NDSU.

If UNLV had beaten Memphis, the Rebels’ case for the College Football Playoff would be very interesting with their Power Four victory. But at two losses, and with Boise State winning the way it has, making the CFP would be tough at this point.

Nonetheless, the Rebels are 2-0 against Mountain West teams, something no one else can say.

There’s still reason to be concerned about UNLV, though. The Rebels didn’t score on offense against NDSU, as their only touchdown was a pick-six in the first quarter. Jai'Den Thomas ran for more than 100 yards again, going for 112, but quarterback Jackson Arnold completed just 8 of 16 passes for 77 yards and an interception. 

UNLV still has to play at New Mexico, and that’s going to be a brutal test for the Rebels. And I’m wondering if some of the Rebels’ flaws show up in another conference game that sets them back in terms of the conference title race.

North Dakota State’s Offense A Worrisome Development

North Dakota State suffered its first loss as an FBS program against UNLV. This doesn’t necessarily mean the Bison’s CFP hopes are gone, but they can’t lose another game and a lot more has to happen elsewhere in the Group of Six.

I want to make something clear though: The Bison’s defense was great on Saturday. They’re second in the FBS in terms of yards allowed per game (239.3) and points allowed per contest (10.3). And considering they didn’t give up a single touchdown on that side of the ball to UNLV and that they only gave up 255 total yards of offense, nothing has made me think the Bison suddenly have a problem with their defense.

But their offense, specifically turnovers, could be an issue moving forward.

I’ve been wildly impressed by NDSU quarterback Nathan Hayes this season, but he finally looked like a first-year starter against UNLV. He completed 12 of 22 passes for 124 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. One was returned for a touchdown, and another was on NDSU’s final drive when the Bison were deep in UNLV territory in position to take the lead.

The Bison rely on a strong rushing attack and outstanding defense. Turnovers are particularly problematic for that style of team. If that’s not fixed, NDSU might not make it to the Mountain West title game.

Air Force Takes Care Of Business

Even without starting quarterback Liam Szarka, who is out for the season due to a leg injury, Air Force kept winning.

And that was despite the fact that the Falcons didn’t complete a single pass and only attempted one in a 28-7 victory at Northern Illinois. But the Falcons ran for 439 yards as a team en route to the win. 

Evan Medders rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries while Owen Allen added 100 yards and two more scores. That helped Air Force win time of possession by more than 18 minutes. The Falcons went 10 of 13 on third downs, committed just three penalties and didn’t turn the ball over. 

That’s pretty disciplined football.

Now the question is: Can Air Force keep winning without Szarka? If people picked Air Force to win the Mountain West, it was likely thinking he could give the Falcons offense some explosiveness both through the air and on the ground.

At 2-1 in conference play, Air Force still has to play UNLV and New Mexico. So I don’t think the Falcons will make the conference championship, and I would’ve said that even before the Szarka injury. But Air Force can beat UConn and UTEP, and wins there would be enough to get Air Force in a bowl. Games with San Jose State and Wyoming could be interesting as well. Also, the Falcons play at Army on Nov. 7, and if they win, they would secure the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. 

There’s still plenty for Air Force to play for at this point.

Hawaii’s Disappointing Season Continues

If someone had predicted before the season that Northern Illinois would be 0-5 overall or UTEP would be 1-5, that would’ve been easy to believe considering NIU’s coaching situation or UTEP’s lack of success in Conference USA.

But I sure would’ve been stunned if someone said Hawaii was going to go 1-5 in its first six games. But that’s the case following a 30-12 loss at Arizona State. The Rainbow Warriors’ lone victory thus far was a 29-19 decision at home against New Mexico State. 

Granted, Hawaii’s schedule hasn’t been easy. The Rainbow Warriors have taken on Stanford and Arizona State this year, and they managed to be somewhat competitive in both of those games. At the very least, they weren’t blowouts.

The more shocking results have been Hawaii’s performances against Wyoming, a 27-10 loss, and San Jose State, a 20-16 defeat. Both of those teams I thought the Rainbow Warriors would be much better than. 

Hawaii still has yet to play NIU, UTEP, Nevada and Sacramento State. But in order to make a bowl game, the Rainbow Warriors would have to win all those games and split their contests with New Mexico and North Dakota State. At this point, I would surprised if that happens.

But I’ve been surprised about this team before.

Colton Pool is a Group of Six college football writer and has covered the G6 for five years. He’s the host of The Pool Report Podcast and writes for The Pool Report Substack.

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