How entertaining was the Mountain West in both football and men’s college basketball?The football side saw a shocking rise from UNLV, a whole lot of excitement for 2024 with what was put in place in 2023, and with a crazy ending to come up with the Rebels vs Boise State in the Mountain West title game.Basketball? There wasn’t a more fun regular season by any conference, six schools made the NCAA Tournament, San Diego State went to the Sweet 16, and …The conference didn’t lose anyone in expansion.How good were all 12 schools in both of the major revenue producing sports, and where to Washington State and Oregon State fit in?The Cougars and Beavers are still technically in the Pac-12 – actually, they ARE the Pac-12 – and they’re really independents, but for 2024 they’re caucusing with the Mountain West. Those two aren’t in the Mountain West race, and don’t get their bowl or NCAA Tournament slots, but they’re combining forces.The rankings go like this. 1) Schools that went to a bowl game and the NCAA Tournament are first, 2) next are the schools that went bowling or the NCAA Tournament and were great in one side, 3) schools that didn’t have any fun in either sport when it comes to a winning record.Throw in Wazzu and Oregon State, and only one of the 14 on this list didn’t get a post-season game of some sort.
1 Boise State Broncos
Football: 8-6 Basketball: 22-11 (NCAA)2023 Ranking: 28, 2023 MW: 2It would’ve been nice if the basketball team didn’t get knocked out of the NCAA Tournament right away by Colorado, and it would’ve been nice to win a game in the Mountain West Tournament – it lost to New Mexico – and closing 1-3 wasn’t great. It was a winning season with a third straight trip to the NCAA. The program is doing just fine.The football team is supposed to be great, but it didn’t look that way in the middle of the season after a 4-5 start. A few changes, a cranked up running game, and a three-game winning streak got the Broncos into the Mountain West Championship – they rolled past UNLV for the first conference title since 2019.They lost the LA Bowl to UCLA, but winning a football title – and being one of two schools to go bowling and make the NCAA Tournament – got them to the top of the list.
2 Utah State Aggies
Football: 6-7 Basketball: 28-7 (NCAA)2023 Ranking: 35, 2023 MW: 3
3 UNLV Rebels
Football: 9-5 Basketball: 21-13 2023 Ranking: 94, 2023 MW: 7
4 San Diego State Aztecs
Football: 4-8 Basketball: 26-11 (NCAA)2023 Ranking: 8, 2023 MW: 1
5 New Mexico Lobos
Football: 4-8 Basketball: 26-10 (NCAA)2023 Ranking: 104, 2023 MW: 10
6 Wyoming Cowboys
Football: 9-4 Basketball: 15-17 2023 Ranking: 100, 2023 MW: 9
7 Washington State
Football: 5-7 Basketball: 25-10 2023 Ranking: 70, 2023 Pac-12: 7
8 Oregon State Beavers
Football: 8-5 Basketball: 13-20 2023 Ranking: 75, 2023 Pac-12: 8
9 Colorado State Rams
Football: 5-7 Basketball: 25-11 (NCAA)2023 Ranking: 120, 2023 MW: 12
10 Fresno State Bulldogs
Football: 9-4 Basketball: 12-21 2023 Ranking: 54, 2023 MW: 5
11 Air Force
Football: 9-4 Basketball: 9-22 2023 Ranking: 77, 2023 MW: 6
12 Nevada Wolf Pack
Football: 2-10 Basketball: 26-8 (NCAA)2023 Ranking: 96, 2023 MW: 8
13 San Jose State
Football: 7-6 Basketball: 9-23 2023 Ranking: 64, 2023 MW: 4
14 Hawaii
Football: 5-8 Basketball: 20-14 2023 Ranking: 105, 2023 MW: 11
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This story was originally published March 30, 2024, 2:11 PM.
