Mountain West Connection
All you need to know about the Mountain West, and then some
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Mountain West Football Rankings: 2026 Preseason Edition
The college football season is almost upon us. Football games start this Saturday for Week 0, so it’s time to rank the teams entering the year. Take a look at this week’s MWCConnection Power Rankings, and let us know what you like and what you don’t. Feel free to drop your own rankings in the […]
PAC-12 Preseason Football Rankings
Week Zero is here. While there are no PAC-12 teams in action, I am going to get a head start on the upcoming season. Every Monday (except next week), I will look at where each PAC-12 team stands and do my best to re-rank them based on their collective body of work. This week will […]
MWCConnection Recruiting Roundup 8-24-26. Team Recruiting Staff List
It’s another week of the Recruiting Roundup. As the season draws closer, recruiting remains at a standstill. The focus is clearly on the impending season. There were two lone offers and no known commitments, but there was a decommit this week. As UTEP was one of the teams with an offer, they are featured on […]
Mountaintop View 8-24-26. Broncos Scrimmage, Texas State Preview, G6 Predictions, Timmy Chang, Bednarik Award
It’s Monday, and it is game week! As Week 0 games approach, we have you covered. As always, check out our original coverage and what we can find on the World Wide Web below. Broncos Scrimmage Takeaways Boise State wrapped up a scrimmage this weekend. It sounds like some positions have been solidified while others […]
AZTECS WIND DOWN PRACTICES AS THEY GET READY TO LAUNCH INTO 2026 SEASON
Aztecs look forward to September 5 opener against Portland State. Expect an elevated offense while remaining dominant on defense. Key players will headline the Aztecs on defense and offense. The Aztecs are deeply engaged in fall camp practices. The emphasis is on “Focus and Finish”. Coach Sean Lewis, while optimistic, has legitimate concerns as he […]
MWCConnection Reacts Results: Top Defensive Team in 2026
This post is brought to you by FanDuel, a proud partner of SBNation. Bulldogs will have the top defense In a closely contested poll, Fresno State got the most votes, as fans think they will have the top defense between the two conferences this season. About a third of fans believe in the Bulldogs, while nearly […]
Mountain West/Pac-12 Softball Transfer Portal Tracker 08-21-2026
The 2026 season has come to its conclusion, and with it, the chaos that is the NCAA transfer portal has officially opened. While teams navigate the Mountain West-Pac-12 split, I will be keeping track of who teams lose and gain through the portal window. A few more moves have been made over the past week, […]
Every PAC-12 Program’s Best Week One Victory Ever
We’ve almost made it. This weekend will be the last weekend without college football until 2027. From the ACC fans in the northeast, to Big Ten country and out to the west coast and the debut of the new PAC-12: everyone has their calendars circled with the dates of week one. Any form of football […]
Friday Five: Top 5 Mountain West Quarterbacks
Welcome to the final edition of “Friday Five” in 2026. It finally happened, folks. After years of in-fighting and petty behavior, the Mountain West split has actually happened. The “departing five” have left to reform the Pac-12. The Mountain West has added the likes of North Dakota State, Northern Illinois, and UTEP to fill the […]
The NCAA’s biggest problem has infiltrated the Mountain West
Update: A federal appeals court has granted the NCAA a “stay,” effectively pausing Colorado’s July ruling that would have granted several athletes an extra year of eligibility, per the AP. College athletics — namely the two heavyweights, football and basketball — are in a state of chaos. No, we do not the beautiful chaos that […]
Mountaintop View 8-21-26: Is Texas State a Contender?, Ashton Jeanty, Tim Polasek, UNLV Attendance, UTEP Football, Hawaii Linebacker
Can Texas State compete in the PAC-12? The Broncos are the clear favorite, but Texas State and Fresno State will make things interesting according to the Mercury News. Ashton Jeanty shares his story A great piece written by former Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, chronicles his journey from Italy to the NFL. An interesting […]
A deeper dive inside SJSU’s defensive scheme & overhaul
There is no dressing up what the 2025 Spartan defense actually was. Eighteen sacks all season. Barely four tackles for loss per game. A fourth-down stop rate that ranked among the worst in the country. A secondary that allowed 28 or more points in seven straight games. And defensive coordinator Derrick Odum who did not […]
Pac-Mountain Pulse Ep. 5: MW/Pac-12 Defensive Rankings, Luke Weaver Leading SJSU, Patch Brand Deals Good or Bad?
Hello and welcome back to the Pac-Mountain Pulse, a Mountain West Connection podcast! Thank you for joining us. In this episode, Derek flies solo to discuss how the teams of the Mountain West and Pac-12 stack up defensively, the recent news of San Jose State quarterback Luke Weaver being named the starter and the recent […]
Mountaintop View 8-20-26
How the rebuilt Pac-12 looks to be ‘in a tier of its own’ Kyle Bonagura from ESPN profiles the reformed Pac-12 as it returns to being a functional conference and hopes to set itself apart from the perceived Group of Six conferences. Spartans have their QB Boise State releases a new hand-painted helmet Biletnikoff Award […]
Luke Weaver’s razor-thin path to becoming SJSU’s starting quarterback
Long before Luke Weaver ever set foot on San Jose State’s campus, he threw one football that changed everything. Down in the final seconds of the Hawaii Bowl against Cal last year, Weaver came off the bench cold and delivered a game-winning touchdown that still gets brought up in meeting rooms today. “It was like […]
Boise State’s Top Players: #1
Every year I take a look at who I think will be the top players on Boise State’s football team. With so many unproven players, coming up with this season’s list was a bit tougher than previous years. This team’s squad is definitely more proven on the offensive side of the ball and that is […]
Every Mountain West/Pac-12 Team’s Best Defensive Player in 2026
Continuing the theme of this week, we are highlighting the best offensive player on each of the eighteen teams in either the Mountain West or Pac-12 conference. See below for who begins the year as each team’s best player. Air Force LB Blake Fletcher Fletcher is a throwback at linebacker, specializing in downhill tackles that […]
Mountaintop View 8-19-26: WSU football news, Texas State unis and ladies soccer.
Washington State looking to add former players, pending eligibility A new rule may allow some former players to get more eligibility. Texas State womens soccer wins home opener. The Bobcats route UTRGV in home opener. Boise State adds Progressive Insurance as a sponsor on the blue turf Air Force basketball gives out conference schedule Texas […]
Boise State partners with Progressive Insurance, places logo at midfield
Everyone and their mother know that collegiate institutions are continuously looking to generate more revenue with the ever-increasing demands of NIL and the roster “rat race.” The Big 12 has been criticized for its deal with Monster, the energy drink company with an iconic electric green “M” as a logo. Not because of the deal […]
After Successful Stadium Scrimmage, Can SDSU’s Defense return to last season’s heights?
Losing your defensive coordinator as you head into a new conference is not a recipe most programs tend to look for in the gridiron cookbook. But after a successful Saturday practice, it looks like the San Diego State Aztecs could still bring the heat in the defensive kitchen this fall. In “First Saturday” at Snapdragon […]
MWConnection Reacts Survey: Top Defenses in 2026
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Mountain West fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys:
Lobos’ First Fall Scrimmage Reveals Explosive Potential—and Areas That Still Need Work
Toa Fa’avae and Kiefer Sibley strengthened their cases for larger roles, while New Mexico’s defense continued to set the tone during Saturday’s scrimmage. For the first eight practices of New Mexico’s fall camp, defenders were required to wrap up, tag off and wait for the whistle. That changed Saturday morning at University Stadium. The intensity […]
The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Defensive Preview
Happy Tuesday, Readers! We are now only a few weeks away from our first weekend of college football. With that, we are going to take a deep dive into previewing the top offenses and defenses in the PAC 12 and Mountain West. With that being said, this week’s edition of “The Good, the Bad, the […]
1st Live Radio Interview w/ North Dakota State’s Bison 1660! NDSU predictions & X-Factors, Mountain West storylines, & more! HP Ep. #166 OUT NOW!
Hi everyone, welcome back to the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! I’m dealing with some technical difficulties this week, so unfortunately, the episode I recorded on the Mountain West and PAC-12’s settled litigation won’t be ready this week. Apologies for that, I’m away from home right now and I’m […]
Mountaintop View 8-18-26
Mountain West, 5 Departing Schools Agree to $49M Settlement It was only a matter of time before the settlement leaked. It looks like the Mountain West is “getting” less than half of the original number. Daniel Libit of Sportico has the details. AP Top 25 Poll Another step towards football season! There are no Pac-12 […]