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Week 2 New Mexico Bowl Notes

Week 2 New Mexico Bowl Notes in PDF Format

IN OUR EYES: Week one did not disappoint. Six Mountain West Conference teams were victorious while five Western Athletic Conference teams earned wins. All but two MWC and one WAC team scored at least 20 points. Utah, TCU and Boise State all took down top-25 teams and Hawai`i, UNLV and Utah State held their own with other nationally-ranked teams. Fresno State toppled Cincinnati, who was the top vote-getter just outside of the top-25. For their efforts, the Horned Frogs, Broncos and Utes are ranked while BYU and Fresno State are receiving votes.

This week we eargerly anticipate MWC action getting under way as BYU travels to Air Force and Utah hosts UNLV. The MWC and WAC go head-to-head with two Mountain West programs hitting WAC stadiums. Oh, and lets not forget fifth-ranked Texas, sixth-ranked Nebraska, 11th-ranked Wisconsin and vote-getting Texas A&M and Texas Tech are on the slate.

BOWL PREDICTIONS: There are a few college football experts who have declared their predictions for the postseason even though the regular season has three full months left. Here is the breakdown of what has been selected for the 2010 bowl:

*indicated at-large bid due to contracted conference being unable to fill slot

CollegeBCS.com (Jerry Palm): Wyoming (MWC) vs. *Western Michigan (MAC)

ESPN (Mark Schlabach’s pick): Wyoming (MWC) vs. Fresno State (WAC)

ESPN (Andrea Adelson’s pick): *Arizona State (Pac-10) vs. Nevada (WAC)

Phil Steele (Operation Sports): San Diego State (MWC) vs. Nevada (WAC)

Sports Illustrated (Stewart Mandel): *Kent State (MAC) vs. Utah State (WAC)

MWC VS. WAC - THE REGULAR SEASON WAR: Before teams from the Mountain West and Western Athletic Conferences get a chance to battle in the New Mexico Bowl, several of them will square off on the gridiron in hopes of earning a win in their quest for the postseason. There are 12 games between MWC and WAC teams slated this year with the war starting this weekend. The WAC’s New Mexico State hosts San Diego State while Nevada (WAC) welcomes Colorado State. Last year, the MWC won the regular season match-up 6-3, outscoring the WAC 263-203. Both Utah (MWC) and Idaho (WAC) posted the best records against the opposing conference, going 2-0.

ON THE SAME PLAYING FIELD: Many critics claim that it is unfair to consider making the Mountain West Conference or the Western Athletic Conference automatic qualifiers for BCS Bowl Games because the level of competition in their leagues is weak, providing them an easier schedule week-in and week-out. Say what you want, but both conference’s members have gone above and beyond scheduling current automatic qualifiers from the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and SEC. For the season, there are 24 games slated (14 WAC, 10 MWC), including four this weekend, while nine are already in the books. The MWC went 2-2 in the opening weekend with TCU knocking off Oregon State (PAC-10) and BYU slipping past Washington (PAC-10) but were outscored 151-74 thanks in large part to a 72-0 pounding of New Mexico by Oregon (PAC-10). The WAC was 2-3 with Boise State topping Virginia Tech (ACC) and Fresno State besting Cincinnati (Big East) and were slightly outscored 172-124.

NATIONAL RANKINGS: Between the MWC and the WAC, there are three teams ranked in the Associated Press top-25 and four in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Boise State (WAC) leads the way, sitting No. 3 in both polls. The Broncos rose two spots from the preseason rankings in the coaches poll while remaining in place in the AP listings. However, BSU garnered eight first place votes in the AP poll, which was the second most behind No. 1 Alabama.

TCU is right on the Broncos’ heels, sitting fourth in the AP and fifth in the coaches poll. The Horned Frogs have their highest ranking this early in the season since 1956, when they were also fourth in the AP poll. TCU has been ranked a school record 27 consecutive weeks, appearing in every poll since Oct. 19, 2008.

Utah and BYU round out the rankings. The Utes are No. 20 in both polls while the Cougars are No. 24 in the coaches and receiving votes in the AP. BYU has been ranked in one poll or another 34 of the last 36 weeks while Utah has made the cut 31 of the last 33.

Fresno State, Nevada and Air Force cannot go unmentioned. The Bulldogs are garnering votes in both polls after their win over back-to-back Big East Champion Cincinnati. Nevada and Air Force also got a vote each in the coaches poll after convincing wins over their FCS foes.

TALE OF THE TURNSTILES: The heads have been countred and over 800,000 people watched a MWC or WAC team in action last weekend, and that doesn’t include those who watched on national television. The WAC teams tallied 414,942 through the games thanks to three huge games hosted by top-10 teams. San Jose State was the only one to hit six figures though, playing in front of 101, 821 at No. 1 Alabama. As for MWC schools, they competed before 392,408 pairs of eys, led by 63,771 in Provo for BYU vs. Washington. A complete breakdown of each team’s attendance figures is available in the attached PDF.

TRAGEDY STRIKES COWBOYS: Wyoming coach Dave Christensen says his team is trying to maintain its normal routine to help players cope with the death of a teammate. Nineteen-year-old linebacker Ruben Narcisse of Miami died in a wreck Monday after he and three teammates were injured when their pickup drifted off U.S. 287 south of the Wyoming state line and crashed on Monday. Trey Fox, 19, of Glenwood Springs, Colo., Christian Morgan, 18, of Aurora, Colo., and J.J. Quinlan, 19, of Everett, Wash., were injured and were taken to hospitals in Laramie, Wyo., and Loveland, Colo. As of Tuesday afternoon, Fox and Quinlan had been released from the hospital while Christensen said Morgan had surgery on his elbow and may be released Wednesday. Christensen says the team plans to wear a decal with Narcisse’s initials.

THIS WEEK’S PREVIEWS: There are 16 games on tap for Saturday, Sept. 11 as Boise State and Fresno State sit out. Links to all the games live audio and stats are available at www.NewMexicoBowl.com under the Media Info’s "On the Net" tab. Some games are even available to view online. Brief breakdowns of each game slated for this week are available in the attached PDF.