(number)= previous ranking
1. FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS (2)
The Bulldogs (3-0) forced eight turnovers during a 29-0 victory at Arizona State for their second Power 5 road win of the season. Jeff Tedford noted that there were more Fresno State fans than Sun Devils fans inside Mountain America Stadium at the end of the game. The reigning MW champs appear to be the team to beat again with Mikey Keene doing a good job of replacing Jake Haener as QB1.
Saturday: Host Kent State at Bulldog Stadium (4:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
2. WYOMING COWBOYS (1)
The Cowboys (2-1) played valiantly against No. 4 Texas but were outscored 21-0 in the fourth quarter of the 31-10 loss. UW returns to Laradise for a three-game home stand that concludes with a visit from Fresno State on Oct. 7.
Saturday: Host Appalachian State at War Memorial Stadium (1 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
3. AIR FORCE FALCONS (3)
The Falcons (3-0, 1-0) led 21-0 at the end of the first quarter and were never threatened during a 39-21 victory over Utah State in the MW opener for both teams. Air Force had a 344-54 edge in rushing yards.
Today: At San Jose State at CEFCU Stadium (4:30 p.m., FS1)
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4. UNLV REBELS (7)
The Rebels (2-1) deserve some love after pulling off a 40-37 victory over Vanderbilt, despite losing starting quarterback Doug Brumfield to an injury in the first quarter and trailing 17-0. Backup Jayden Maiava came up with a clutch 48-yard completion to Ricky White to set up the winning field goal with five seconds left.
Saturday: At UTEP at the Sun Bowl (3 p.m., ESPN-plus)
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5. BOISE STATE
BRONCOS (4)
Ashton Jeanty ran for three touchdowns and the Broncos (1-2) held a good North Dakota offense to 183 total yards in a 42-18 win on the blue turf. Boise State, which went 8-0 in MW play during the 2022 regular season, begins conference play on the road this week.
Today: At San Diego State at SnapDragon Stadium (4:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
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6. SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS (8)
The Aztecs (2-2) played well defensively but allowed quarterback Jalen Mayden to be sacked six times for losses totaling 50 yards in a 26-9 loss at No. 16 Oregon State. SDSU is 0-2 against Pac-12 teams this season after trying to leave the MW for the crumbling Power 5 conference this summer.
Today: Host Boise State at SnapDragon Stadium (4:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
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7. COLORADO STATE RAMS (10)
The Rams (0-2) played with an edge — which crossed the line at times — against Colorado before grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory in a 43-35 double-overtime loss to Coach Prime and Co. But CSU may have found a quarterback to build around in freshman Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, who completed 72.3% of his passes for 367 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.
Saturday: At Middle Tennessee State at Johnny “Red” Floyd Stadium (1 p.m., ESPN-plus)
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8. UTAH STATE AGGIES (5)
Former UW quarterback Levi Williams is now third on the Aggies’ (1-2, 0-1) depth chart with freshman McCae Hillstead taking over the duties from struggling Cooper Legas during the loss at Air Force.
Saturday: Host James Madison at Maverik Stadium (2 p.m., MW Network)
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9. SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS (6)
The disappointing Spartans (1-3) let a quality road win slip away with preseason MW offensive player of the year Chevan Cordeiro throwing a pick-six for the decisive touchdown in a 21-17 loss at Toledo.
Today: Host Air Force at CEFCU Stadium (4:30 p.m., FS1)
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10. HAWAII WARRIORS (9)
The Warriors’ (1-3) were not competitive in a 55-10 loss at No. 13 Oregon and have yet to beat an FBS team this season.
Saturday: Host New Mexico State at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex (5:59 p.m., Spectrum PPV)
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11. NEW MEXICO LOBOS (11)
Following the Lobos’ (1-2) 27-17 home loss to rival New Mexico State, Danny Gonzalez guaranteed New Mexico would still make a bowl game for the first time since 2016. Going 5-4 the rest of the season would be quite a feat for a head coach who is 3-20 in MW games the past three seasons.
Saturday: At UMass at McGuirk Alumni Stadium (9:30 a.m., ESPN-plus)
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12. NEVADA WOLF PACK (12)
The Wolf Pack (0-3) finally showed some signs of life during a 31-24 home loss to a solid Kansas State squad. However, Nevada’s losing skid is at 13 games and counting.
Saturday: At Texas State at Bobcat Stadium (1 p.m., ESPN-plus)
