Knudson: Midterms

By Mark Knudson, The Mtn. Insider
October 10, 2011
 
We’ve more or less reached the halfway point in the college football season. Some surprises so far, but nothing earthshaking. We knew Boise State would be a great addition to the Conference, and they’ve been just that. As for everyone else, it hasn’t all gone according to expectations, but close.

It’s time to pass out some midterm grades. Alphabetically speaking….
 
Air Force gets a C+ so far. In the summer, this was touted as Troy Calhoun’s best team yet. So far, the results are mixed. Kudos for the gutty win over Navy, but the Falcons haven’t beaten anyone else of note yet. The defense has not been very good and they aren’t helping things on that side of the ball by running the ridiculous no-huddle offense that leaves their defense on the field for two-thirds of the game.
 
Boise State. What can you say? Straight A’s across the board. Kellen Moore and Co. look even better than last season, and the Broncos defense is underrated. Fresno State and Nevada are good teams that didn’t stand a chance. The Broncos are BCS bound again.
 
Colorado State also gets a C so far. Good road wins at New Mexico and Utah State, but just when they had a shot at having a very good season, the Rams do a pratfall at home against ordinary San Jose State. A very bad loss at a critical time that could haunt them at the end of the season.
 
New Mexico can’t be anything but an F to this point. They’re winless and look almost hopeless. Still not sure why Mike Locksley could not get it going there; he had the credentials. Only thing we know is that there’s a big rebuilding job at hand.
 
San Diego State had a lot of high expectations at the start of the season. It’s been a C effort so far. They can still have a very good season, but the two games they wanted to win the most - at Michigan and at home against TCU - both ended up being losses. Still looking at a battle for third place with AFA. Big game is this Thursday in Colorado Springs.  
 
TCU hasn’t been the consistent TCU of the past few years. It’s been a C so far for them as well. The early loss to Baylor was understandable, given the turnover in personnel and all the new guys in key spots. They bounced back strong before the inexplicable loss to SMU. Perhaps the big win at San Diego State will get them back on track. The Frogs remain the only serious stumbling block left for Boise State.   
 
UNLV didn’t have sky-high expectations; everyone saw a rebuilding year this season. But they get a D so far because a great performance in a win over Hawaii is overshadowed by ugly losses in other games, including to FCS Southern Utah and rival Nevada.
 
Wyoming had a shot at something better, but will have to settle for a B so far. Three straight wins to start the season were badly needed. The loss to Nebraska was expected, but getting blown away by Utah State is hard to swallow and makes games like this week against UNLV must wins if the Pokes want to go bowling.
 
There’s other stuff that’s happened in the first half that is very relevant to the Conference:  
 
Biggest Win: Boise State’s big season opening win over SEC power Georgia. They keep making the Broncos travel across the country to play neutral site games near the other team’s campus. No matter. Boise State rolls anyway.
 
Other candidates would include Colorado State’s improbable win over Utah State and the Conference’s only other AQ victory, SDSU’s big home win over Washington State. Otherwise, pretty much every Conference win came in games they were expected to win.  
 
Most Disappointing Loss: We could label either of TCU’s losses as the most disappointing for the Conference, but we won’t. Keep in mind that the Frogs were a) rebuilding a bit this season and b) are leaving the MW after this year, making what happens to them a touch less important than say, San Diego State’s loss to Michigan.  We already know that the top of the conference is BCS worthy by anyone’s standards. What the MW needs most is improvement from the middle of the pack in order to make a stronger case to become an automatic qualifier for the BCS. The Aztecs had a chance to make a big statement in Ann Arbor, and with the whole Brady Hoke/revenge thing going, it looked like it could be a big moment for the program and the Conference. Alas, a 28-7 Michigan win ended all that.
 
Biggest Off the Field Win: No one in MW country wanted to see TCU leave the Conference, and the decision to move to the Big East next season had a lot of people scratching their heads. But now, TCU has changed course again, it appears, and will instead move to the Big 12. This actually makes perfect sense – even geography wins for a change – and it’s nearly impossible to be critical. In fact, the MW could actually get a big boost from the Frogs move to the Big 12. How, you ask? Because TCU not going to the Big East badly hurts that unstable Conference and could very well end up helping the MW land that BCS automatic qualifying bid at some point.
 
Worst Move That Has Not Yet Been Made: Rumors of Air Force being recruited by the Big East are, fortunately, still just rumors. You can only hope that the good people at the Academy realize the lunacy of a move like that. It would be crazy to put a team in this time zone in that conference, even if the Falcons would fare better in that weaker football league. Such a move would be absolutely horrific for the other sports at the Academy. Please, Dr. Mueh, just say no.  
 
Player of the Half Year: Boise’s Kellen Moore is a surgeon on the field. He should be on every Heisman ballot that gets turned in. He’s one of the best players in America, period. Very Honorable Mention for SDSU’s Ronnie Hillman, who looks like the second coming of Marshall Faulk.
See all of Mark Knudson's blog entries HERE.