September 25, 2009

T.E. Parker
Rebel-Net.com

Let's take a look back and forward....

RATING THE MWC FROM TOP TO BOTTOM....

No. 1 TCU (2-0) - TCU had an easy time dismantling Texas State on Saturday (56-21) but now must represent the conference after a hard-luck weekend when the Horned Frogs play at Clemson. TCU must put pressure on a Tiger offense that has struggled early in games. The Horned Frogs, which are ranked No. 15 in the AP poll, could go unbeaten if they can secure this victory.

No. 2 BYU (2-1) - Ouch! The Cougars were living large until Florida State came to town and put a thumping on the home Cats, (54-28). FSU showed that you can run on this BYU club by piling up 313 yards on the ground. The Cougars don't have a lot of time to feel sorry for themselves as they prepare for a MWC opener against undefeated Colorado State. Could this be a letdown game for BYU?

No. 3 Colorado State (3-0) - The Rams rebounded from a lackluster perfomance against Weber State to crush Nevada, (35-20). CSU was winning 35-7 at one point in the fourth quarter. How'd they do it? The Rams forced five Wolf Pack turnovers while not giving up the ball once. Getting John Mosure back at running back (18 carries for 99 yards) certainly helped, too. A big opportunity for CSU on the road at BYU this weekend.

No. 4 Utah (2-1) - How much are the Utes missing leaders Brian Johnson and Paul Kruger? Oregon tried to give Utah every opportunity to win in Eugene, Ore., on Saturday but the Utes wouldn't take it. The Ducks couldn't throw the ball and turned it over four times, yet still won handily. Utah had no answer for Oregon's running attack, and now the Utes return home to face Louisville (1-1) and standout runner, Victor Anderson.

No. 5 Air Force (2-1) - Something tells me that this Air Force club is pretty good. The Falcons did exactly what they needed to do last weekend by crushing New Mexico on the road. A second MWC game is on tap this week with San Diego State visiting Colorado Springs. The Aztecs don't have much that should scare the Falcons so this should be a good tune-up for a two week stretch that includes games at Navy and a home date with TCU.

No. 6 UNLV (2-1) - The Rebels were winners Saturday against Hawaii (34-33) but there definitely some glaring weaknesses exposed. UNLV gave up 477 yards through the air to the Warriors and were just lucky enough that Hawaii had just as hard of time defending the pass as UNLV did. The Rebels haven't won a road game in conference play since 2004. They will look to snap that streak at Wyoming this weekend.

No. 7 Wyoming (1-2) - There is nothing more depressing than being shutout by a team that gave up 54 points to Toledo the game before. That's what happened when the Cowboys played at Colorado last weekend. The woeful offensive perfomance is what prompted a change at quarterback to true freshman Austyn Carta-Samuels. Putting someone so young in for the first conference game of the year (vs. UNLV) is quite the gamble. We will see how it pays off for first year coach Dave Christensen.

No. 8 San Diego State (1-2) - I felt like things were moving in the right direction for SDSU but a whipping by Idaho is a slap back to reality. The Aztecs were able to throw the ball some with QB Ryan Lindley (21-of-35, 200 yards), but were awful running the ball (23 rushes for 55 yards). That has got to change if they want to start winning games. Playing at Air Force this week is a much stiffer test than at Idaho.

No. 9 New Mexico (0-3) - The Lobos only realistic shot at a victory this season comes this weekend when they host rival New Mexico State (1-2). Both teams are simply lousy. NMSU's lone victory came against Prairie View A&M, and it was only by three points. This could be the worst offensive match-up of the season as the two teams have combined for 68 points in six games. To think that this game is being televised but the league game of UNLV at Wyoming isn't is a little disheartening.