The 2018 Mountain West Conference football season, part of that year's NCAA Division I FBS football season, will be the 20th season of college football for the Mountain West Conference (MW). Since the 2012 12 teams have competed in the MW-football conference. The season will begin on August 25 and will end on November 24. Mountain West is a "Group of Five" conference under the College Football Playoff format along with the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, and the Sun Belt Conference. The Mountain West Championship Game will be played on December 1. The entire schedule was released on March 1.
Preseason
Mountain West Media 2018 Mountain West media days took place on July 24 and 25 at the Cosmopolitan.
Preseason Polls
Place Mountain Division West Division 1 Boise State (22) 132 Fresno State (16) 126 2 Wyoming 95 San Diego State (6) 116 3 Colorado State 82 UNLV 78 4 Utah State 78 Nevada 72 5 Air Force 52 Hawaii 45 6 New Mexico 23 San Jose State 25 First place votes in parentheses
Preseason All–Mountain West team
+ Offense Position Player Class Team QB Brett Rypien** SR. Boise State WR KeeSean Johnson** SR. Fresno State WR McLane Mannix SO. Nevada RB Alexander Mattison JR. Boise State RB Lexington Thomas* SR. UNLV OL Ezra Cleveland SO. Boise State OL John Molchon JR. Boise State OL Aaron Jenkins SR. New Mexico OL Keith Ismael** SO. San Diego State OL Tyler Roemer** SO. San Diego State TE Dax Raymond JR. Utah State
+ Defense Position Player Class Team DL David Moa** SR. Boise State DL Curtis Weaver* SO. Boise State DL Youhanna Ghaifan* JR. Wyoming DL Carl Granderson* DL Wyoming LB Jeffrey Allison* JR. Fresno State LB Jahlani Tavai** SR. Hawaii LB Malik Reed SR. Nevada DB Tyler Horton* SR. Boise State DB Dameon Baber** SR. Nevada DB Tariq Thompson** SO. San Diego State DB Andrew Wingard* SR. Wyoming + Specialists Position Player Class Team P Ryan Stonehouse SO. Colorado State PK Dominik Eberle* JR. Utah State KR/PR Avery Williams** SO. Boise State
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Brett Rypien, SR., QB, Boise State Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Andrew Wingard, SR., DB, Wyoming Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year: Avery Williams, SO., KR/PR, Boise State
(* – member of the 2017 All–Mountain West first team)
(** – member of the 2017 All–Mountain West second team)
Coaches NOTE: Stats shown are before the beginning of the season Team Head coach Years at school Overall record Record at school MW record Air Force Troy Calhoun 12 82–60 82–60 49–39 Boise State Bryan Harsin 5 49–17 42–12 25–7 Colorado State Mike Bobo 4 21–18 21–18 15–9 Fresno State Jeff Tedford 2 92–61 10–4 7–1 Hawaii Nick Rolovich 3 10–16 10–16 5–12 Nevada Jay Norvell 2 3–9 3–9 3–5 New Mexico Bob Davie 7 65–70 30–45 16–32 San Diego State Rocky Long 8 129–98 64–29 42–13 San José State Brent Brennan 2 2–11 2–11 1–8 UNLV Tony Sanchez 4 12–24 12–24 9–15 Utah State Matt Wells 6 34–32 34–32 23–17 Wyoming Craig Bohl 5 126–61 22–29 15–17
Rankings
Listed are the Mountain West teams who were ranked or received votes at some point during the season. Air Force, Colorado State, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, and Wyoming were never ranked or received any votes.
+ Legend Improvement in ranking Drop in ranking Not ranked previous week RV Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll
Pre Wk1 Wk2 Wk3 Wk4 Wk5 Wk6 Wk7 Wk8 Wk9 Wk10 Wk11 Wk12 Wk13 Wk14 FinalBoise State Broncos AP 22 20 17 RV RV RV RV 23 21 19 23 C 22 19 17 24 25 24 RV RV RV 24 22 20 24 CFP Not released 25 23 22 25 Fresno State Bulldogs AP RV RV RV RV 20 16 RV RV 25 19 C RV RV RV RV RV RV RV 23 17 RV 23 23 21 CFP Not released 23 23 25 21 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors AP RV RV RV C RV RV RV RV CFP Not released San Diego State Aztecs AP RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV C RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV CFP Not released Utah State Aggies AP RV RV RV 18 14 14 14 RV RV C RV RV RV 20 16 13 15 24 23 CFP Not released 23 21
Schedule
Regular season Index to colors and formattingMountain West member wonMountain West member lostMountain West teams in bold
Week Zero
Week One
Players of the week:2018 MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK - SEPT. 3. themw.com (2018-09-03). Retrieved on 2018-09-05. Offensive Defensive Special teams Player Team Player Team Player Team Cole McDonald Hawaii Tyler Horton Boise State Jaron Bryant Fresno State
Boise State cornerback Tyler Horton was also named the Bronko Nagurski Trophy National Defensive Player of the Week.
Week Two
Players of the week:2018 MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK - SEPT. 10. themw.com (2018-09-10). Retrieved on 2018-09-10. Offensive Defensive Special teams Player Team Player Team Player Team Brett Rypien Boise State Aaron Wade Utah State Dominik Eberle Utah State
Week Three
Players of the week:2018 MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK - SEPT. 17. themw.com (2018-09-17). Retrieved on 2018-09-17. Offensive Defensive Special teams Player Team Player Team Player Team Marcus McMaryion Fresno State Marcus Hayes New Mexico John Baron II San Diego State
Week Four
Players of the week:2018 MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK - SEPT. 24. themw.com (2018-09-24). Retrieved on 2018-09-25. Offensive Defensive Special teams Player Team Player Team Player Team Jordan Love Utah State Darren Hall San Diego State John Baron II San Diego State
Week Five
Players of the week:2018 MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK - OCT. 1. themw.com (2018-10-01). Retrieved on 2018-10-01. Offensive Defensive Special teams Player Team Player Team Player Team Marcus McMaryion Fresno State Mykal Walker Fresno State Ryan Meskell Hawaii
Week Six
Players of the week:2018 MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK - OCT. 8. themw.com (2018-10-08). Retrieved on 2018-10-08. Offensive Defensive Special teams Player Team Player Team Player Team Jordan Love Utah State Darren Hall San Diego State John Baron II San Diego State
Week Seven
Players of the week:2018 MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK - OCT. 15. themw.com (2018-10-15). Retrieved on 2018-10-15. Offensive Defensive Special teams Player Team Player Team Player Team Jordan Love Utah State Kyahva Tezino San Diego State Kaelin Himphill San Diego State
Week Eight
Players of the week:2018 MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK - OCT. 22. themw.com (2018-10-22). Retrieved on 2018-10-22. Offensive Defensive Special teams Player Team Player Team Player Team Isaiah Sanders Air Force Korey Rush Nevada John Baron II San Diego State
Week Nine
Players of the week:2018 MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK - OCT. 29. themw.com (2018-10-29). Retrieved on 2018-10-29. Offensive Defensive Special teams Player Team Player Team Player Team Jordan Love Utah State Dakari Monroe San Jose State Quinton Conaway Nevada
Week Ten
Players of the week:2018 MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK - NOV. 5. themw.com (2018-11-5). Retrieved on 2018-11-8. Offensive Defensive Special teams Player Team Player Team Player Team Darwin Thompson Utah State Kyahva Tezino San Diego State John Baron II San Diego State
Week Eleven
Players of the week:2018 MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK - NOV. 12. themw.com (2018-11-12). Retrieved on 2018-11-12. Offensive Defensive Special teams Player Team Player Team Player Team Jordan Love Utah State Jericho Flowers UNLV Tyson Dyer New Mexico
Week Twelve
Players of the week:2018 MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK - NOV. 19. themw.com (2018-11-19). Retrieved on 2018-11-25. Offensive Defensive Special teams Player Team Player Team Player Team Tyler Vander Waal Wyoming Andrew Wingard Wyoming Dominik Eberle Utah State
Week Thirteen
Players of the week:2018 MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK - NOV. 26. themw.com (2018-11-26). Retrieved on 2018-11-26. Offensive Defensive Special teams Player Team Player Team Player Team Alexander Mattison Boise State Javin White UNLV Cooper Rothe Wyoming
Mountain West Championship Game
Postseason
Bowl games
Legend Mountain West win Mountain West loss
Bowl gameDateSiteTelevisionTime (MST)MW teamOpponentScoreAttendanceNew Mexico BowlDecember 15Dreamstyle Stadium • Albuquerque, NMESPN12:00 p.m.Utah StateNorth Texas52–1325,387Las Vegas BowlDecember 15Sam Boyd Stadium • Whitney, NVESPN1:30 p.m.Fresno StateArizona State31–2037,146Frisco BowlDecember 19Toyota Stadium • Frisco, TXESPN6:00 p.m.San Diego StateOhio0–2711,029Hawaii BowlDecember 22Aloha Stadium • Honolulu, HIESPN8:30 p.m.HawaiiLouisiana Tech14–3130,911First Responder BowlDecember 26Cotton Bowl • Dallas, TXESPN11:30 a.m.Boise StateBoston CollegeNo contest†Arizona BowlDecember 29Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZCBSSN11:15 a.m.NevadaArkansas State16–13 OT32,368 †The First Responder bowl was delayed and ultimately canceled with 5:08 remaining in the 1st quarter with Boston College leading 7–0. The game was ruled a no contest.
Records against FBS Conferences
Power Five conferences Power 5 ConferencesRecordACC0–0Big Ten0–3Big 120–1Pac-123–6SEC1–3Power 5 Total4–13
Group of Five conferences Group of 5 ConferencesRecordAmerican3–0C-USA2–1MAC2–1Sun Belt2–1Independents5–5Group of 5 Total14–8
FCS Subdivision FCS OpponentsRecordFootball Championship Subdivision8–2
Awards and honors
All-Conference teams
Offensive Player of the Year: Brett Rypien, Sr., QB, Boise State Defensive Player of the Year: Jeff Allison, Jr., LB, Fresno State Special Teams Player of the Year: Cooper Rothe, Jr., K, Wyoming Freshman of the Year: Toa Taua, RB, Nevada Coach of the Year: Matt Wells, Utah State
Offense: Pos.NameYr.SchoolPos.NameYr.School First Team Second TeamQBBrett RypienSr. Boise StateQBJordan LoveSo. Utah StateWRJohn UrsuaJr. HawaiiWRKeeSean JohnsonSr. Fresno StateWRPreston WilliamsJr. Colorado StateWRSean ModsterSr. Boise StateRBNico EvansSr. WyomingRBLexington ThomasSr. UNLVRBAlexander MattisonJr. Boise StateRBDarwin ThompsonJr. Utah StateTEJosh OliverSr. San José StateTEJared RiceJr. Fresno StateOLEzra ClevelandSo. Boise StateOLMicah St. AndrewSr. Fresno StateOLKeith IsmaelSo. San Diego StateOLAaron JenkinsSr. New MexicoOLQuin FicklinSr. Utah StateOLRyan PopeSr. San Diego StateOLChristian CronkSr. Fresno StateOLRoman AndrusSr. Utah StateOLJohn MolchonJr. Boise StateOLGriffin LandrumSr. Air ForcePKCooper RotheJr. WyomingPKJohn Baron IISr. San Diego StatePR/KRSavon ScarverSo. Utah StatePR/KRMarcus HayesFr. New Mexico
Defense:
Pos.NameYr.SchoolPos.NameYr.School First Team Second TeamDLCurtis WeaverSo. Boise StateDLCarl GrandersonSr. WyomingDLMykal WalkerJr. Fresno StateDLJordan JacksonSo. Air ForceDLJabril FrazierSr. Boise StateDLKaimana PadelloJr. HawaiiDLKorey RushSr. NevadaDLBryson BridgesSr. San Jose StateLBKyahva TezinoJr. San Diego StateLBDavid WoodwardSo Utah StateLBJeff AllisonJr. Fresno StateLBJosh WatsonJr. Colorado StateLBMalik ReedSr. NevadaLBTipa GaleaiJr. Utah StateDBTyler HortonSr. Boise StateDBJuJu HughesJr. Fresno StateDBTank KellySr. Fresno StateDBMike BellJr. Fresno StateDBDakari MonroeSr. San José StateDBTariq ThompsonSo. San Diego StateDBAndrew WingardSr. WyomingDBJontrell RocquemoreSr. Utah StatePRyan StonehouseSo. Colorado StatePBlake CusickJr. Fresno State
Honorable Mentions: Air Force: Jeremy Fejedelem, Jr., DB. Boise State: Durrant Miles, Sr., DL; Kekoa Nawahine, Jr., DB; Avery Williams, So, RS/DB. Colorado State: None Fresno State: Jaron Bryant, Jr., DB; Jasad Haynes, Jr, DL; George Helmuth, Sr., LB; Marcus McMaryion, Sr., QB. Hawai'i: Zeno Choi, Sr., DL; Rojesterman Farris II, Jr.; DB; Cole McDonald, So., QB; Jahlani Tavai, Sr., LB; Solo Vaipulu, Fr., OL. Nevada: Dameon Baber, Sr., DB; Daniel Brown, Jr., DB; Quinton Conaway, Jr., P; Sean Krepsz, Sr., OL; McLane Mannix, So., WR; Jake Nelson, Jr., OL Asauni Rufus, Sr., DB. New Mexico: Aaron Blackwell, Jr., DL; Tyson Dyer, So., P; Marcus Hayes, Fr., DB.