No. 17-ranked Falcons lead this week's MW power rankings

Nov. 1—LARAMIE — The Mountain West title race continues to heat up going into the final month of the regular season.

Air Force has cemented a two-game lead at the top of the conference standings going into week 10. Fresno State, UNLV and Boise State are tied behind the Falcons at 3-1 in MW play with four weeks left in the conference season.

1. Air Force (Last week: 1)

The No. 17-ranked Falcons (8-0 overall, 5-0 MW) continued their dominant start to league play with a 30-13 road win over Colorado State last weekend in Fort Collins. Air Force overcame incoming snowballs from the CSU student section to out-gain the Rams 261-42 in total rushing yards. With a comfortable lead in the MW standings, the Falcons will finish out their nonconference season against Army this weekend. Air Force opened as 18.5-point favorites to claim its second consecutive Commander-in-Chief's trophy against the Black Knights at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver.

2. Fresno State (Last week: 3)

After a road loss to Wyoming last month, the Bulldogs (7-1, 3-1) returned to their winning ways with two consecutive conference wins, the latest being a 31-24 home win over UNLV last weekend. The win moved Fresno State into a three-way tie for second place in the conference with Boise State and UNLV, with the Bulldogs now holding the tiebreaker over the Rebels. The Bulldogs will look to earn another crucial tiebreaker this weekend, hosting Boise State at 8 p.m. Saturday in California. Fresno State opened as 3-point home favorites.

3. UNLV (Last week: 4)

The Rebels (6-2, 3-1) had a chance to force overtime late in the fourth quarter against Fresno State, but a dropped pass in the end zone led to a game-winning interception for the Bulldogs on the next play to seal the game.

UNLV still has a good chance to claim a spot in the MW title game next month, but has New Mexico, UW, Air Force and San Jose State still on the schedule. The Rebels will travel to face the struggling Lobos at 4 p.m. Saturday in Albuquerque, opening as 10-point road favorites.

4. Boise State (Last week: 5)

The Broncos (4-4, 3-1) demolished UW by 25 points at home last weekend to get back to .500 on the season. Boise State outgunned the Cowboys in all three facets, totaling 443 yards of offense to UW's 112. The Broncos finished the game 8-of-14 on third downs, while the Cowboys were 1-of-11. With its conference title hopes still plenty alive, Boise State will travel to face Fresno State this weekend in California.

5. Wyoming (Last week: 2)

The Cowboys (5-3, 2-2) likely saw their aspirations of playing in their first MW title game since 2016 disintegrate with the blowout loss to Boise State last weekend. UW is now riding a two-game losing streak and has scored just 13 points in its last six quarters of play dating back to a 34-27 road loss to Air Force. Now on the outside looking in for the conference standings, the Cowboys will try to get right during the 115th installment of the Border War this weekend. UW hosts CSU at 6 p.m. Friday in Laramie, with the Cowboys opening as 6.5-point favorites.

6. Colorado State (Last week: 6)

The Rams (3-5, 1-3) stuck with Air Force through one half of football last weekend, but a 13-13 tie turned into a 30-13 home loss after CSU was outscored 17-0 in the second half. The Rams have struggled all season establishing the run, and totaled just 42 rushing yards against the Falcons last weekend. CSU's quest for bowl eligibility continues with the always emotional Border War this weekend in Laramie.

7. San Jose State (Last week: 7)

The Spartans (4-5, 3-2) have the second-longest winning streak in the conference at three games after their 35-0 pummeling of Hawaii last weekend in Honolulu. SJSU out-gained the Rainbow Warriors 468-198 in total yardage, winning the time of possession battle by nearly 11 minutes. The Spartans are now ahead of UW in the conference standings with three MW wins, and will enjoy a bye week this weekend. SJSU returns to action at home against Fresno State on Nov. 11 in California.

8. Utah State (Last week: 10)

The Aggies (3-5, 1-3) took a bye week last weekend but have been hot and cold all season. Utah State is riding a two-game losing streak into this weekend, with consecutive losses to Fresno State at home and SJSU on the road. A bowl game is still in reach for the Aggies with San Diego State, Nevada, Boise State and New Mexico still on the schedule. Utah State will start by facing the struggling Aztecs at 5 p.m. Saturday in California, opening as 2.5-point road favorites.

9. Nevada (Last week: 12)

To the surprise of most, the Wolf Pack (2-6, 2-2) have the conference's third-longest winning streak at two games. Nevada has beaten SDSU on the road and New Mexico at home in consecutive weeks to rise from the basement of the MW standings. With their 16-game losing streak now buried in the past after the win over SDSU, the Wolf Pack are riding with plenty of momentum going into this weekend's home matchup with Hawaii. Nevada will host the Rainbow Warriors at 2 p.m. Saturday, opening as 3-point home favorites.

10. San Diego State (Last week: 9)

The Aztecs (3-5, 1-3) haven't been fun to watch this season, and their home attendance reflects that. SDSU took its second bye of the season last weekend after an embarrassing 6-0 shutout loss to previously winless Nevada at home. The Aztecs are looking for three wins in their last four games of the season for bowl eligibility, starting with hosting Utah State this weekend in California.

11. New Mexico (Last week: 8)

The Lobos (3-5, 1-3) had a positive trajectory erased by a stunning 34-24 road loss to Nevada last weekend in Reno. Starting quarterback Dylan Hopkins struggled all night against the Wolf Pack, tossing three interceptions in the loss, including a pick-six. New Mexico also struggled on the ground, totaling just 83 rushing yards against Nevada. The Lobos will host UNLV this weekend in Albuquerque.

12. Hawaii (Last week: 11)

The Rainbow Warriors (2-7, 0-4) have no arguments left to not be at the bottom of the conference after an embarrassing 35-0 home loss to SJSU last weekend. Hawaii is the only MW team without a conference win this season, and its newly implemented run-and-shoot offense has totaled a league-low 75 points through four conference games. The Rainbow Warriors will travel to the mainland to face Nevada this weekend in Reno.

Alex Taylor is the assistant editor for WyoSports and covers University of Wyoming athletics. He can be reached at ataylor@wyosports.net. Follow him on X at @alex_m_taylor22.