Thursday August 29th: UNLV at Minnesota, TBD on Big Ten Network. Likely to be the earliest kick-off of the four MW games on opening night. The Rebels hope to get off to a good start in front of a big audience on BTN. Keep the remote handy so you can also keep an eye on Utah State at Utah, TBD. The Pac 12 Network is sure to be all over this rematch of last season's Aggie upset. Can Chuckie Keeton pull a repeat? Then there's Rutgers at Fresno State, TBD. The Bulldogs were conference tri-champs a season ago, and Derek Carr is back under center to continue his assault on the record books. No TV decided yet, but it's a virtual certainty that this will be the second of four kicks on a great opening night quadruple-header. The final kick off will feature USC at Hawai‘i, 9 p.m., CBS Sports Network. The game on the island will feature the improving Warriors of Norm Chow against his former protégé, Lane Kiffin and the Trojans. Expect fireworks.

Saturday August 31st: Boise State at Washington, TBD. Not to worry. The Pac 12 just has to figure out which of its network options will fit best with this dandy re-match from last season's MAACO Bowl Las Vegas. Boise State won, 28-26. Broncos D will have its hands full with an explosive Husky attack...but Bronco offense could have a BIG day. Another game that has yet to get a kick-off time, but will also be featured on the Pac 12 Networks is Nevada at UCLA. Life after Chris Ault begins for the Wolf Pack against a strong Bruins squad.

In the evening, it's Wyoming at Nebraska, 6 p.m. Big Ten Network. After hosting the Cornhuskers in 2011, the Cowboys make the first of two trips to Lincoln to face the Big Red. Head Coach Dave Christensen was a big winner in Lincoln in 2007 as the Offensive Coordinator for Missouri. Sunday, September 1st: Colorado vs. Colorado State in Denver, 4 p.m., CBS Sports Network. Former San Jose State Head Coach Mike MacIntrye makes his Colorado debut against a Rams team his Spartans handled easily last season. But the Rams will be looking to make it two in a row over CU, so there's that.

Saturday September 7th: San Diego State at Ohio State. TBD. Big Ten will figure this out shortly and decide which network will showcase the MW against the cream of the Big Ten in what will likely be an early kick-off, setting the stage for another exciting day. Utah State at Air Force, 1:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network will showcase some early season conference play, and San Jose State at Stanford, TBD but surely ticketed for the Pac 12 Networks, will give us a good indication on where the Spartans stand with their new coaching staff.

Friday September 13th, Air Force at Boise State, 6 p.m. ESPN. Conference action takes center stage. Who will be unlucky on this night?

Saturday September 14th Nevada at Florida State, TBD. The Wolf Pack venture across the country to face a perennial powerhouse on their home turf. Count on an early start on TV someplace. New Mexico at Pitt, TBD. The MW takes a shot at the ACC newbie.

Friday September 20th: Boise State at Fresno State, 7 p.m. ESPN. Last season, this game played a part in deciding the tri-championship. Bulldogs will be looking for revenge at home and a shot at an outright conference title.

Saturday September 21st: Colorado State at Alabama, TBD. Networks can't resist the defending national champs, so Ram fans can plan on eyeballing Coach Jim McElwain's return to Tuscaloosa. Later in the day it's Oregon State at San Diego State, 5:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network. Mike Riley takes his team back to play in the stadium he once coached in as the HC of the Chargers.

It's sure to be a September to remember...and watch closely...for the MW. It will be just the start of a season that promises great excitement and a climatic finish.

With Major League Baseball setting new attendance records every year, complaints about the game having a supposed dip in popularity ring hollow. Major League Baseball remains immensely popular. Imagine what it could be like if college baseball got the same kind of coverage and following as college football gets?

Alas, we know that's not the case. The only time any sizeable chunk of America pays attention to college baseball is mid June when the College World Series begins in Omaha. What fans (and network TV) miss prior to that is something that can be pretty darn entertaining. And if more guys like Stephen Strasburg were playing, it would be even better.

That's not the case of course, due to the fact that more than half of the best young talent never plays an inning of college ball. More prospects than not go directly from high school into the low levels of the professional ranks - many to be swallowed up and never to be seen nor heard from again. The ones that do successfully climb the ladder normally take five or six years to resurface.

Unlike football and basketball, baseball remains a sport beholden to its "farm" system, developed by Branch Rickey back in the 1940's. Unlike football and basketball, young, promising baseball players are actually discouraged from going to college, where they can grow as people AND athletes. Instead, professional baseball continues to draft high school kids and lure them from home (and often times from previously signed letters of intent) with hefty signing bonuses - figuring that money can more than make up for a lifetime without a college education. You know the argument: I can get the money now, or I can earn it over the course of my lifetime, later. Hmmm.

Too few have the foresight to look past the dollars and into the immediate AND distant future. In the immediate future, it's been well documented that going to college is actually the FASTER path to the Major Leagues. Players like Strasburg spend far LESS time in the minors, and reach the big league (where the real "life changing money" exists) before the high schoolers that are still struggling up that ladder, one arduous rung at a time. Ex-college players have a tendency to catch on sooner and establish themselves in the show longer as well. Last summer, I studied the box scores for all the games played over the first weekend in July. Of all the middle infielders who started games that weekend, only TWO American born players did NOT go to college. (One was named Jeter. The exception that proves the rule.) College players are more used to big crowds, pressure atmosphere, and everything that goes with being in the show, including the business side. In short, they are far more ready for all they are getting into.

As for the distant future, learning and growing in a college atmosphere, whether a player stays long enough to earn his degree or not, as immeasurable benefit to a young man. Where do you think Strasburg would learn more - spending three years of being tutored by Tony Gwynn, or six years with six different minor league managers, who if they put their heads together couldn't match Gwynn's expertise on the game?

If a family is facing financial hardship, then it's understandable why they would opt to take the immediate money that professional baseball offers. If not, then it's hard to fathom why any player would choose six years of beating the bushes over three or four years on campus.

On the other side of it, it remains baffling why professional baseball continues to thumb its collective nose at what could be a ready-made farm system. The pros spend millions every year on bloated farm systems that may or may not actually produce big league ready players - while they complain about the huge salaries they have to play players. It's sort of astounding that someone has not stood up, pointed at pro football, and said 'Hey, look at them. They're the most popular sport in the country and they do it by having the colleges operate as their farm system. And they don't spend a dime doing it!...Umm, why don't we do that?'

In order to become the owner of a team, you very likely had to be a great businessman first. Yet continuing to operate a large and often ineffective farm system like baseball does doesn't make good business sense.

We can only hope that someday that changes. In the meantime, we can continue to enjoy watching players like DJ Peterson at New Mexico and not be surprised when he bursts onto the national stage in a year or two. The Mountain West has produced a lot of high quality major league talent, from "Mr. Padre" himself, Tony Gwynn, to Bud Black, Matt Williams, Mark Grace, Ryan Ludwick and newcomers like Addison Reed and Jordan Pacheco. The list goes on, and it will continue to grow, despite the obstacles the college game faces.

Over the past few seasons, defending conference champion New Mexico has assumed the role of league favorite. Early in the season, it didn't appear to agree with them. The Lobos have righted the ship however - as has been the custom under head coach Ray Birmingham - and after the sluggish start that cost them their spot in the national rankings, preseason No. 21 by Baseball America, Birmingham's team has found its stride, both at the plate AND on the mound. After winning their sixth straight weekend series with a sweep of newcomer Nevada, New Mexico is back in the Top 25 at No. 24 with a record of 24-16, 14-4 in conference play. They now have a three-game lead in the league standings heading for the home stretch.

But this race is far from over. Second-place UNLV, sporting a glistening 27-12 overall record (11-7 in league play) and boasting the league's best NCAA RPI, comes to Lobo Field this weekend. The Rebels just finished off their first series victory over San Diego State since 2007, and still have a shot at catching New Mexico.

Rebels coach Tim Chambers has said he feels that a strong second-place finish in the conference should earn his team an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. But he knows that the experts out there who evaluate these things for a living will only give the league a second bid if it's truly warranted. In other words, the Rebels have to finish with a flourish in order to lock that up.

Ironically, the last time the MW failed to get at least two teams into the NCAA tournament was 2008 - the same year that current MW newcomer Fresno State won the College World Series. Every year since, the MW has landed at least two teams in the NCAA tourney. San Diego State, led by No. 1 MLB draft pick Stephen Strasburg, led the MW party of three to the NCAA tournament in 2009, joining regular season champion TCU and tourney champ Utah. New Mexico crashed the NCAA party in 2010 with an at-large bid and earned the league's automatic berth in 2011 and 2012 by winning the conference tournament, joining TCU in NCAA postseason.

This weekend's series between New Mexico and UNLV in Albuquerque will set the tone for the remainder of the regular season as teams vie for seeding in the MW Championship and potential at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. The Lobos (72), Rebels (67) and third-place San Diego State (74) currently hold the top three NCAA RPI ratings, one of the factors in determining an at-large berth, in the league thanks to some key non-conference wins early in the season. While those three teams may be the current favorites for the Conference's automatic spot in the NCAAs, don't count out fourth-place Fresno State, fifth-place Nevada or sixth-place Air Force. In two of the past four seasons the No. 6 seed in the MW tournament has earned the league's automatic bid (Utah - 2009; New Mexico - 2011) and don't think Bulldog fans have forgotten how quickly their 2008 squad turned into Cinderella wearing a pair of glass slippers all the way to the CWS in Omaha.

The final MW standings will not keep any team out of this year's conference tourney, but they will determine seeding and which two teams earn a first-round bye. Those final standings may also help determine if the MW can remain a two-bid league come NCAA tourney selection time.

And there's this one: Baseball Hall of Famers who've gone on to win more than 300 games as the Head Coach of their alma mater. That may be the shortest list of them all. In fact, Gwynn might be the ONLY member, after registering his 300th win as Aztecs skipper earlier this season. The late great Robin Roberts won 286 games as a Major League pitcher, and 262 games as the head coach at the University of South Florida, but you'll be hard pressed to find many - if any - other members of Baseball's most hallowed club who have even considered coaching in college.

Gwynn not only considered it, he lobbied for the opportunity before the ink was dry on his MLB retirement papers following the 2001 season. After serving his apprenticeship on Jim Dietz staff in 2002, he took the reins of the Aztecs program in 2003. Now in his 12th season on the mesa and still in recovery from a serious health scare, Gwynn says he remains committed to the program and is in this for the long haul. That fact alone makes "Mr. Padre" unusual.

"I've always thought of myself as being unusual," Gwynn said. "I did things at the big league level that were considered unusual, and then when I got this job, nobody thought I would be here this long. My passion for it has really grown. My admiration for it has really grown. I'm perfectly happy doing what I'm doing right now. You always have to weigh what opportunities are going to be out there in the future. I'm 52, and if I ever wanted to do something (in coaching) at the big league level, my clock is running out on that. As I sit here, that's perfectly fine. I'm perfectly happy doing what I'm doing."

This year's Aztecs are fueling Gwynn's desire to win even more at the college level. They finished last weekend's series at Air Force one game behind New Mexico in the Mountain West race after taking two of three in Colorado Springs. After playing a challenging non-conference schedule, they are squarely in the thick of the conference race...and will be a big factor come MW tournament time.

"We're still a young team," Gwynn said. "And sometimes we still have those young team moments that drive coaches crazy, but for the most part it's been good. This year more so than any other since I've been here, the juniors and seniors are really taking ownership of this club - and the other guys have followed. We really haven't had to remind them of things like, hey, we're going out on the road, this is a business trip.

"But the guys who play every day are mostly sophomores and freshman," he continued. "I keep harping on us being a young team because the guys who play the majority of the time are relatively young guys, and they follow the juniors and seniors lead. It's really been a good mix this year." The progress within the program is what keeps Gwynn motivated.

"I hate not getting to where I think we should be yet," he added. "You want to finish the job. I haven't finished the job yet, so as far as I'm concerned, this is where I want to be."

His health remains a concern. He missed a lot of time in the Aztecs dugout last season while he recovered from off-season surgery. He was diagnosed with cancer of a salivary gland and had both lymph nodes removed prior to the start of the 2012 season. He missed several road trips last season, but was strong enough to make the Mountain West championships in Las Vegas. That's changed this year.

"I'm feeling good," Gwynn smiled as we watched batting practice prior to game two of the series with the Falcons. "I've been able to make almost every trip. I didn't go to Arkansas...that's the only one I didn't go on because I was getting treatment, but so far so good. I've been here for every game. The team's progressing pretty good, they're maturing right in front of my eyes, and I'm happy. I kind of think we are where I thought we'd be."

One week earlier on the same field, New Mexico's Ray Birmingham picked up his 1,000th win as a collegiate head coach. Gwynn was asked if that could be a milestone that he'd someday shoot for.

"I hope so," he laughed. "I love doing what I'm doing. My love for the game hasn't changed. I like the college environment because we do a lot of teaching and that's what I really like." He paused. "Yeah, if I could stay around long enough, I'd love to win 1,000 games. The track record of the guys who have coached here before me, they all coached 30 years, so I got 18 more years to go. If I can last that long, then maybe I could win 1,000 games."

Overall, the MW has seven first round draft picks since the league's inception in 1999. Last year marked the second time in NFL Draft history in which multiple MW players were selected in the first round (2000). The MW has had at least 12 players selected in three of the last four NFL drafts and seven times since the league's inaugural season in 1999.

1. Jamar Taylor, CB, Boise State
An All-MW first team selection, Taylor last season finished with a team-high three interceptions, a mark that tied for fourth in the MW, and led the Broncos with nine pass break-ups. His 47 tackles (29 solo), which included 3.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks, ranked second among Bronco defensive backs and fourth on the squad. Early assessments by some draft analysts suggest Taylor could become the fifth Boise State player to be taken in the first round during coach Chris Petersen's tenure.

2. Gavin Escobar, TE, San Diego State
Escobar, who opted to enter the draft following his junior season last year, led the Aztecs in receptions (42), receiving yards (543) and touchdown catches (6) while recording 10 receptions of 20 or more yards. Considered one of the most sure-handed tight ends in the nation and boasting superior speed, Escobar was a three-time All-MW selection.

3. Phillip Thomas, S, Fresno State
Thomas, the MW Defensive Player of the Year last season, was selected to the 2012 Associated Press All-America first team after finishing the regular season as the national leader in interceptions with eight (a MW record). He returned three interceptions for touchdowns and led the Bulldogs with 82 tackles. His 12.0 tackles for a loss were the second-most in the MW.

4. Duke Williams, CB, Nevada
A second-team All-MW selection last season, Williams finished as the team's second-leading tackler (106) while tying for team-high honors with 68 solo stops. Highly valued for his leadership qualities, Williams also had 5.5 tackles for loss to go along with eight pass break-ups and an interception.

5. Leon McFadden, CB, San Diego State
McFadden last year became the fifth SDSU player in school history to earn first-team All-MW honors in three consecutive seasons. Having played in every game since arriving on campus as a true freshman in 2009, he set career highs last season for tackles (61), solo stops (46), interceptions (3), forced fumbles (1) and returned two interceptions for touchdowns.

6. John Lotulelei, LB, UNLV
Lotulelei turned heads at the NFL Combine in February, ranking second among 16 linebackers in the 3-cone drill with a time of 6.91 seconds and fourth out of 20 in the vertical jump at 35.5 inches. He also was sixth out of 26 in the bench press with 25 reps of 225 pounds. A first team All-MW selection last season, his 120 tackles ranked 10th-highest in UNLV single-season history.

7. Mike Edwards, CB, Hawai‘i
Edwards, who bypassed his senior season to enter the draft, was named the MW Special Teams Player of the Year last season after ranking sixth nationally with a 30.4 kickoff return average and tying for the national lead with three returns for touchdowns. He also ranked 11th nationally in passes defended (17) and recorded two interceptions.

8. Khalid Wooten, S, Nevada
Wooten finished second in the MW last season with 15 pass break-ups and 17 passes defended while collecting a team-high two interceptions, one of which was returned for a 78-yard touchdown. He led the league with an average of 15.1 yards per punt return and averaged 21.7 yards on three kickoff returns.

9. Stefphon Jefferson, RB, Nevada
A first-team All-MW selection, Jefferson chose to forgo his senior season after finishing as the second-leading rusher in the nation last year with a league record 1,883 yards and 24 touchdowns. Jefferson, who averaged 5.0 yards per carry, also eclipsed the MW single-season mark for rushing touchdowns in a season, previously held by Air Force's Chance Harridge (22 in 2002).

10. Lucas Reed, TE, New Mexico
Reed, whose size and speed consistently created match-up problems, concluded his career with the most receptions by a tight end in Lobo history (77). Reed, a first-team All-MW pick in 2010, started 34 of 48 career games in Albuquerque. Reed's older brother, Brooks, was a second-round pick of the Houston Texans two years ago.

Story, who shot nearly 48 percent (47.6) over the final two days of the event, hit 5-of-9 attempts from the floor on Saturday, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, in a 105-94 loss to Mike Duman Auto Sales. His performance came on the heels of a game on Friday in which he had 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists and a steal.

The Portsmouth Invitational, staged at Churchland High in Portsmouth, Va., is designed for college seniors to showcase their talents for NBA and European scouts. This year's event marked the tournament's 60th anniversary.

Story, one of four MW players invited to this year's event, finished the tournament averaging 10.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists while playing an average of 24 minutes in three games.

In Saturday's other games featuring MW players, former UNLV guard Anthony Marshall, playing for team Cherry Bekaert, had nine points, three rebounds, three assists and a steal in 18 minutes of action before fouling out of a 94-89 win over Portsmouth Partnership. Marshall, the only MW player last season to average more than five assists per game, averaged 8.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals while playing an average of 24 minutes in three tournament games in Portsmouth.

Former San Diego State guard Chase Tapley had his highest-scoring game of the tournament on Saturday. Playing for Roger Brown's Restaurant, he finished with nine points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal in just 17 minutes of an 87-78 loss to K&D Rounds Landscaping in the championship game. Tapley averaged 6.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals during the tournament while averaging 19 minutes in three games.

Colorado State forward/center Colton Iverson, an Associated Press honorable mention All-American who averaged a team-high 14.2 points and a league-best 9.8 rebounds for the Rams this past season, was invited to the event but elected not to take part.

The Portsmouth Invitational, whose alums include such players as Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and John Stockton, is the first of two NBA pre-draft camps, with the other being staged in Orlando, Fla., next month.

The Portsmouth Invitational, staged at Churchland High in Portsmouth, Va., is a four-day event consisting of eight teams and 12 games and is designed for college seniors to showcase their talents for NBA and European scouts. Now in its 60th year, it is the oldest amateur basketball tournament in the nation.

Story, one of three MW players participating in this year's event, was the fourth-leading scorer in the league last season, averaging 16.7 points per game. The MW's second-leading three-point shooter in 2012-13, Story connected on 5-of-12 attempts from the floor on Friday in 26 minutes of action.

In Friday's only other game featuring MW players, former UNLV guard Anthony Marshall, playing for team Cherry Bekaert, had seven points, four rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes in his team's 68-67 loss to Roger Brown's Restaurant.

Former San Diego State guard Chase Tapley, a member of the squad opposing Marshall's team, finished with two points, one rebound, three assists and a steal in 18 minutes. Tapley's team will play for the tournament championship on Saturday night.

The Portsmouth Invitational, whose alums include such players as Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and John Stockton, is the first of two NBA pre-draft camps, with the other being staged in Orlando, Fla., next month.

The Portsmouth Invitational is a four-day event consisting of eight teams and 12 games and is designed for college seniors to showcase their talents for NBA and European scouts. Now in its 60th year, it is the oldest amateur basketball tournament in the nation.

Marshall, the only MW player to average more than five assists this season (5.8), also contributed eight points and three rebounds while tying for game-high honors with three steals in 26 minutes.

Marshall was one of four former MW players invited to compete in the tournament, along with Colorado State forward/center Colton Iverson, Nevada guard Malik Story and San Diego State guard Chase Tapley.

Story, a member of the team that opposed Marshall's squad on Thursday night, finished with five points and three rebounds in 21 minutes.

Tapley, who averaged 13.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals in his final season at San Diego State, had seven points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal in 26 minutes while playing for the team of Roger Brown's Restaurant in a 91-64 win over Portsmouth Sports Club.

Meanwhile, a Colorado State spokesman confirmed Friday that Iverson, an Associated Press honorable mention All-American who averaged a team-high 14.2 points and a league-best 9.8 rebounds in 2012-13, opted not to take part in the event.

The Portsmouth Invitational is the first of two NBA pre-draft camps, with the other being staged in Orlando, Fla., next month.

CSU Assistant Named Head Coach at Furman
Colorado State men's basketball assistant coach Niko Medved was officially named the new head coach at Furman University on Friday.

Medved, who spent six seasons with the Rams, formerly served as an assistant at Furman. He spent the 2006 season as the Paladins' interim head coach.

While at CSU, Medved helped guide the Rams to four consecutive postseason appearances, including back-to-back trips to the NCAA tournament in 2012 and 2013. CSU set a school record for wins (26) last season while earning its first top 25 ranking in the Associated Press poll since 1954.

The four-day event, which consists of eight teams and 12 games and is staged at Churchland High School in Portsmouth, Va., is designed for college seniors to showcase their talents for NBA and European scouts.

The four former MW players invited to compete in the tournament include Colorado State forward/center Colton Iverson, UNLV guard Anthony Marshall, Nevada guard Malik Story and San Diego State guard Chase Tapley.

None of the four seniors, all of whom took the court for the first time today, is playing for the same team, though the squads represented by Marshall (Cherry Bekaert) and Story (Sales Systems, Ltd.) are scheduled to square off in the day's final contest.

The Portsmouth Invitational, whose alums include such players as Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and John Stockton, is the first of two NBA pre-draft camps, with the other being staged in Orlando, Fla., next month.

SDSU Looks to Fill Vacancy
San Diego State assistant coach Tony Bland has announced that he is leaving the program to become the associate head coach at USC under newly-appointed head coach Andy Enfield.

Bland, who played for the Aztecs in 2002 and 2003, was the first SDSU graduate to serve as a full-time assistant for the team since the 1977-78 season.

The Aztecs have had significant success filling the position in the past, with Bland, considered the team's lead recruiter, following in the footsteps of current New Mexico State head coach Marvin Menzies, Cal assistant Gregg Gottlieb and UNLV assistant Justin Hutson.

Imagine if college basketball held a tournament featuring All-Star teams made up of the best players from each conference. Imagine what kind of success a team of Mountain West all-stars could have in that kind of tourney!

We all know the Big Ten and the Big East have gotten all the accolades following strong performances in the NCAA tourney. That's fine. They deserve it. But a team of MW all-stars wouldn't take a back seat to any conference. So, for the sake of this exercise, let's imagine each conference putting together say, a 14-man roster as chosen by the coaches and league administrators to go out and represent the league in The (insert sponsor here) Tournament.

We'd start with the coaching staff, which would have included Steve Alford, but obviously won't now. That leaves the head job to the conference veteran, Steve Fisher from San Diego State. His assistant coaches would be Larry Eustachy from Colorado State and Dave Rice from UNLV. Very solid staff indeed.

Our guards: At the point we'd have Colorado State senior Dorian Green. Equal parts distributor and clutch scorer. Top 12 in the league in scoring with an excellent assist-to-turnover ratio. Even though he played out of position much of the season, UNLV's Anthony Marshall needs to be part of the squad, especially since he can play both guard spots and is a proven winner. He averaged double figures in scoring and led the league in assists. Then you bring in the sharpshooters in Boise State's Derrick Marks (16.3 points per game) and Deonte Burton and Malik Story of Nevada (16.3 and 16.7 ppg, respectively), along with reigning MW Player of the Year Kendall Williams (13.3 ppg) from Conference champ New Mexico. The tough part with this group would be dividing up playing time.

There's no shortage of talent at the forward positions, either. Start with 2011-12 MW Player of the Year Jamaal Franklin of San Diego State. All he did this season was lead the Aztecs in scoring (17.0 ppg) rebounding (9.5, 2nd in the league) and assists. More scoring punch can be supplied by Air Force sharpshooter Michael Lyons, who tied for the league lead in scoring at 17.7 ppg, NBA-bound UNLV freshman Anthony Bennett, and of course, the guy Lyons was tied with, Boise State's Anthony Drmic.

Our Mountain West Dream Team also needs some low post grinders. The combo of Colorado State's relentless Pierce Hornung and Wyoming's bruising Leonard Washington will would be able to battle for rebounds with the stars of any other conference and not give any ground. The two seniors combined for more than 17 rebounds per game this past season.

In the middle, the MW can boast a couple of future pros in Colorado State's Colton Iverson and New Mexico's Alex Kirk. Iverson led the MW in rebounding at just under 10 per game and scored better than 14 points per game in 2012-13, while Kirk averaged better than 12 points and eight rebounds per game. It's a tandem that could hold up against anyone in the country.

Would a team of MW all-stars be able to win a national tournament? Maybe not on pure talent alone, but one thing this conference is long on that others don't have is experience. Iverson, Green, Hornung, Lyons, Marshall, Story and Washington are all seniors, while Franklin, Burton, Williams are juniors. Bennett has become one of the infamous "one and done" players who spent a single season in college before leaving for a shot at the NBA, but that doesn't happen very often in this conference. And teams like the MW Dream Team would be better because of it.

It's fun to dream, right?

The startling development that Alford was leaving New Mexico to take over at UCLA came just 10 days after the coach agreed to a 10-year contract extension to stay in Albuquerque, presumably until he retired. It looked like the perfect situation for everyone involved. Turned out it wasn't, at least from Alford's perspective. He got a moderate pay raise (around $600K/year) to move to Los Angeles - all or most of which could be eaten up by the significant rise in the cost of living in California - but the chance to coach at a place with a storied history and seemingly limitless potential was too much to turn down. A grateful Alford said he was surprised and flattered that UCLA called him; it was a dream job - and a compliment for New Mexico basketball - from his perspective, even if most of us don't see it as much of an upward step in the current college hoops landscape.

Whatever the case, Alford is now part of New Mexico's outstanding basketball history. Athletic director Paul Krebs and his staff must now look toward the future.

Opponents of the Lobos have been quick to jump on the "this will really weaken New Mexico" bandwagon. Make no mistake, Alford is a great coach who will be missed. Then again, a quick glance up Interstate 25 can offer a pretty good illustration of what could very well happen. All is certainly not lost in Lobo Nation.

About this time a year ago, head coach Tim Miles left Colorado State to take on the massive rebuilding job at Nebraska. CSU was coming off a terrific 20-win season and had a loaded roster returning for what promised to be an even better 2012-13. The timing of Miles' move puzzled many observers, given the shaky state of Nebraska basketball. Had the Rams and Huskers played this season for example, CSU would have likely boat-raced Miles' new team by a couple dozen points or more.

After Miles' departure, the CSU administration did not panic. They set about doing a thoughtful and complete coaching search, which finally led them to veteran Larry Eustachy at Southern Mississippi. The former National Coach of the Year accepted the CSU gig and relocated (again) to Fort Collins. You know the rest of the story: A school record for wins in a season, a second-place finish in the Mountain West, and a second-round NCAA tournament win over Missouri. Talk about your smooth transitions.

Coaching transitions are actually never easy. Even with a loaded roster, Eustachy had a difficult job in front of him, and he did it exceptionally well. The point here is, CSU found the right man to take its program to the next level without skipping a beat. Can there be any question that New Mexico is capable of doing the same thing?

The Lobos - like CSU last year - return a loaded roster for 2013-14, including Conference Player of the Year Kendall Williams (whom Alford recruited away from UCLA, ironically.)

"We return everybody," Alford said at the new conference announcing his departure, obviously still feeling connected to his former program. "We return the entire starting five of a 29-6 team. We've been one of the premier programs out west."

Of course, there could be more departures, via transfers or early exits for the pros, still to come. But the point is Alford, like Miles, does not leave a bare cupboard at UNM. Quite the opposite. He took over a decent program and elevated it to greater heights. He made serious upgrades on the academic side of things, and he won 155 games in six seasons, at least 22 per year every season. He won four Conference titles. UNM was in the postseason every single year. Whoever his replacement is comes into a situation even better than Eustachy inherited. There's no real reason for any sort of dropoff.

Alford has already endorsed his long-time assistant, Craig Neal, who was officially named the 20th head basketball coach at UNM. The Lobo players reportedly wanted Neal very much, and he should keep the Lobos moving upward.

On Saturday, the country watched a classic battle on the hard court between New Mexico and UNLV, as the Cherry and Silver captured or the Mountain West's automatic NCAA tournament berth. The win jumped New Mexico to No. 10 in the country and earned them a No. 3 seed. UNLV earned a No. 5 seed with a favorable draw and equal opportunity to make a deep run.

But this is Las Vegas. There's always something more. Much more.

Less than a mile from the Thomas and Mack Center, Ray Birmingham's Lobos were trading hard knocks with Tim Chambers' Rebels in the second game of what had already become a key MW three-game baseball series. New Mexico had taken the first game on Friday to put a halt to UNLV's 10-game winning streak and give the landslide preseason Conference favorite a leg up very early in the Conference race. New Mexico was ranked in the Top 25 to start the season for the first time in school history, but a sluggish start to the season had dropped UNM out of the polls and they lugged a sub- .500 record with them to Vegas.

Meanwhile, the Rebels were flying high. The 10-game win streak included an impressive three-game sweep at nationally-ranked power Stanford, which propelled UNLV into the national rankings at No. 21 and to the top of the MW leader board heading into Conference play.

The stage had been set. It was step up time for the visitors, and a chance to make a big time early season statement for the home team.

Predictably, there's no quit in any Ray Birmingham team. Twice UNM came from behind on Friday night, and eventually a Josh Melendez double put the Lobos ahead for the first time in the top of the 10th inning, and New Mexico captured Game One, 3-2. That shifted the burden back to UNLV to step up and show some bounce back in Game Two, especially after the Lobos took a 6-3 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning. The series - and an early jump on the conference race - appeared to be theirs.

Not quite. Mark Shannon's two-run homer, just UNLV's second long ball of the season, in the bottom on the eighth capped a five-run outburst and led the Rebels to a critical 8-7 win, knotting the series at a game apiece.

Then came Sunday. And DJ Peterson time.

The Lobos' All-America third basemen picked a good time to have yet another of what have become semi-routine days at the office for him, clubbing a pair of home runs to move his season total to 10 in just the first month of the season. His three-run shot in the third inning and a grand slam in the sixth helped Peterson rack up eight more RBI and sent UNM to a 12-7 win and that key MW opening series victory.

The win moved the Lobos to 2-1 in the Conference, and improved their overall record to 8-10. Not where they wanted to be at this point, but well within striking distance of the 30+ wins this program is expected to gain now. UNLV - which bounced back again on Monday night to defeat BYU at home behind a great pitching effort from the versatile Shannon - now sits at 16-5 and just that single game behind the Lobos, Nevada and San Diego State. Don't sleep on the Aztecs. They took two of three at Fresno State and share the Conference lead after the first week. UNLV travels to San Diego State this coming weekend. The best news? UNLV and New Mexico will meet again on the diamond in Albuquerque on April 26-28 in what will probably be an even bigger series by that point in the season.

A nationally relevant rivalry between New Mexico and UNLV already exists on the basketball court. These two powerful programs are led by big time coaches and have aspirations that stretch far beyond conference championships. It certainly appears that the baseball rivalry may be heading in that same direction. Chambers' team is very young - the same way Birmingham's Lobos were in 2011 when they stunned the country and won the MW tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament. New Mexico has already arrived on the national stage. There's nothing standing in the way of a UNLV baseball resurgence that could take them there as well and help push MW baseball into the national spotlight as well.

A sell-out crowd filled the Thomas & Mack on Saturday to watch the UNM-UNLV hard court match-up. Let's hope most of them took the time to watch a little baseball as well. It's a great time to be a Lobo ... AND a Rebel.

With less than 24 hours to go until the official 2013 NCAA Tournament bracket is announced, the Broncos are projected by ESPN's Joe Lunardi, SI.com's Andy Glockner and CBSSports.com's Jerry Palm to be in the field of 68.

If you take a look at the numbers, it's clear to see that the Broncos belong in the tournament.

Boise State currently holds a top 40 Ratings Percentage Index ranking (37), has won 21 games and finished MW play at 9-7 in the nation's top-rated RPI conference.

Before embarking on the Conference portion of this year's schedule, Boise State showed that it can play - and beat - some of the best teams in the nation. The Broncos lost by four points on the road to Michigan State (No. 8 RPI and Associated Press, No. 7 USA Today/Coaches) in late November. A week later, they took down Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament champion Creighton - also on the road - by 13 points, 83-70. The Blue Jays are currently ranked No. 23 by AP, No. 24 Coaches and No. 25 in the RPI.

With Conference victories over Colorado State (No. 15 RPI) - a win that ended the Rams' 27-game home win streak,- UNLV (No. 22), San Diego State (No. 32) and two close losses to MW regular-season and tournament champion New Mexico (No. 2 RPI, No. 15 AP, No. 14 Coaches), the Broncos have defeated four top-40 RPI teams.

Here's a look at other NCAA Tournament bubble teams and how they compare to Boise State:

Middle Tennessee State (28-5, No. 29 RPI)
The Blue Raiders do own a higher RPI than the Broncos (ranked No. 29), but do not own any wins against top 50 RPI opponents and played just four games against top 100 RPI opposition, compared to Boise State's 16 games and 8-8 record against comparable competition.

LaSalle (21-9, No. 41 RPI)
The Explorers are ranked No. 41 in RPI, but when compared with the Broncos, they have two fewer wins against RPI top 50 teams, and have played only seven games versus top 50 opponents - compared to 11 for Boise State. LaSalle has a .571 winning percentage against teams ranked No. 51-100 in RPI, while Boise State is 4-1 against similar opponents, good for an .800 winning percentage.

Kentucky (21-11, No. 50 RPI)
The 2012 national champion Wildcats are just 2-4 against RPI top 50 teams - two fewer than the Broncos - with both wins coming at home. They are 5-5 against RPI teams in the 51-100 range, contrasted to Boise State's 4-1 record.

Ole Miss (24-8, No. 56 RPI)
Like most teams on this list, Ole Miss has neither won as many games against top 50 opponents (two) or played in the number of contests (five) as Boise State. The Rebels are just 8-6 against teams in the RPI top 100.

Alabama (21-12, No. 62 RPI)
The Crimson Tide did not win a single game against a top 50 RPI opponent (0-4), while the Broncos defeated as many teams as the Crimson Tide played. Boise State played 11 games against top 50 RPI opponents. Alabama is 8-3 against RPI teams in the 51-100 range, but none of those wins came on the road; Boise State has two road wins against the RPI top 100.

Virginia (21-11, No. 66 RPI)
The Cavaliers defeated Duke (27-5), but have also lost to the likes of Boston College (16-17), Florida State (18-15), Delaware (19-14) and Old Dominion (5-25). Their No. 66 RPI ranks 29 spots lower than Boise State.

Maryland (22-11, No. 86 RPI)
The Terrapins did beat Duke twice, but 18 of its 22 wins came against teams with an RPI over 100. Conversely, Boise State won eight of its 21 games against teams ranked in the RPI top 100. Maryland owns a 3-9 record against teams in the RPI top 100, where the Broncos are 8-8 against similar opponents.

Funny how visions have a way of becoming reality.

Unless something way off the charts happens during several conference tournaments this week, the Mountain West - the top-rated RPI college basketball conference in the country - will be sending five of its nine teams to the NCAA tournament for the first time ever. Two others (Air Force and Wyoming) may also play in the postseason.

It's been another stellar season for Mountain West basketball. Remember, we're just two seasons removed from the year that saw San Diego State and Kawhi Leonard (who finished the season 34-3) battling for conference supremacy against Jimmer Fredette's BYU Cougars (32-5) with America glued to the TV. The two powerhouse programs squared off three times that season, with neither really being clearly established as the better team. While fans around the country were entertained, most were also certain that Leonard and Fredette's departures to the NBA would mean the MW might take a step back.

Didn't really happen like that.

Instead, the MW landed four teams in the Big Dance the following season- twice as many as the Pac 12- with Colorado State rising up to establish itself as a national player, alongside the Aztecs, UNLV and New Mexico. Media pundits would never have thought the Mountain West would have more than four teams in the NCAA tournament.

Don't look now, but that line of thinking is also about to go the way of the set shot. Remember the MW school best known for its blue football turf and nationally-relevant football program? That school is suddenly becoming a basketball power as well. With key wins over CSU and San Diego State in the final week of the season, to go with an early-season win at nationally-ranked Creighton, Boise State has now established itself as the fifth MW school worthy of hearing its name called on Selection Sunday.

So go ahead and mark it down: Five MW teams in the Big Dance.

If you spend any time looking at the RPI rankings and listening to the national pundits, you already know that New Mexico (RPI # 2), CSU (# 15), UNLV (# 22) and SDSU (# 32) are all virtual locks for at-large bids to the NCAA tournament (one MW team will gain an automatic bid after they win the conference tourney this weekend.). Now you can add the Broncos (# 37) to that list.

At-large bids are tricky. There are only 37 of those bids available nationally. If a conference regular season champ gets knocked off in the conference tournament and ends up with an at-large spot, it can end up bumping a team that was otherwise projected to get in. So anything can happen. Still, as things stand, the MW is poised to take four of those 37 at-large bids.

No matter how you stack it up, that's impressive.

Is the MW the best conference in the country? Just look at the numbers. You can obviously make a great case for the powerful Big Ten, with four teams ranked in the top 10.

For that reason alone, most would give them the nod as the best conference overall.

But the Big Ten (with 12 teams) is top-heavy. The teams at the bottom, Penn State, Nebraska and Northwestern are not as good as say, Wyoming or Nevada or Fresno State. Nevada vs. Northwestern on a neutral court? I'm picking the Wolf Pack.

Top to bottom, the MW doesn't take a back seat to anyone.

With that in mind (along with Gonzaga of the West Coast Conference rising to the top of the polls) it's about time someone in a high-up place put a stop to the ridiculous use of the term "Power Conference" to describe the six conferences that have a Bowl Championship Series affiliation in football. (By the way, this would be a good time to remind everyone that the term "BCS" has nothing to do with college hoops - it only pertains to college football.)

Sorry, but the Almighty Southeastern Conference may rule the gridiron, but in hoops, the SEC is far from being a "power" conference. The Big 12 and Pac-12 are also not close to as good, top-to-bottom, as the MW. It's been a down season overall for the Atlantic Coast Conference (outside of Duke) so only what's left of the current/temporary Big East and the truly powerful Big Ten rank with the MW in terms of overall conference strength. It's the Mountain West that has proven over the last several years that it is a "power" conference.

When Kawhi and Jimmer were at the top of their games, most of us thought MW basketball was as good as it would ever get. How cool is it to be able to look back and be so wrong? The really exciting part is what lies ahead for the future. With another historically powerful program in Utah State joining the conference starting next season, could we be talking about, dare I say it, six bids in future seasons? Another reason to stay tuned.

That first year in 2011 was dynamic. UNLV began with the best start in program history through 21 games, going 17-4. They ended up being nationally-ranked for the next three weeks. Led by All-Conference pitcher Tanner Peters, UNLV posted 33 wins, including victories over ninth-ranked TCU, 11th-ranked UC Irvine and 14th-ranked Arizona. The accolades rolled in, including Peters being named a third team All-American and freshman closer Zack Hartman picking up Freshman All-America honors.

The bar had been officially raised. But expectations are a funny thing. You welcome the recognition, but the weight can be cumbersome if you're trying to grow. Growing was exactly what Chambers and his coaching staff knew they still had to do.

So when the 2012 season rolled around, and everyone was expecting bigger and better things, UNLV tiptoed into the fray with the coaches knowing that an encore was going to be much more difficult to pull off than the opening act.

Peters had left for professional baseball, and in his place was a group of peach fuzz-faced recruits. Chambers' second UNLV team was an uncomfortable mixture of his new recruits - many with ties to CSN - and upperclassmen who remained from the previous staff. They didn't always mesh on the field. There were occasional flashes, but nothing that was sustainable. It became a very young team that was reliant on numerous first- and second-year players. Not the exact recipe for success.

They were eliminated early from the conference tournament they were hosting, finishing the season with a 26-31 mark and very little momentum going into 2013.

Fast forward to February 2013. The Mountain West preseason coaches' poll came out and the Rebels were picked to finish fifth in the six-team conference.

"We understand why," said Rebels assistant coach Kevin Higgins. "The coaches remember the last thing they saw, and they didn't see much from us by the end last season."

It wasn't just momentum that was missing at the beginning of the season. Key contributors like Academic All-America performer Trevor Kirk were gone, along with shortstop Danny Higa and outfielder Trent Cook. And their replacements were going to be very young. Again.

The rebuilding job would have to center on young guys like sophomore Erick Fedde, who had finished his rookie season with a 6-5 record, 3.59 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 90.1 innings pitched - earning Freshman All-America honors. And Chambers got a lift when slugger Brandon Bayardi turned down an offer from the Minnesota Twins, who had drafted him in the 36th round, to come back for his senior year, trying to match or even improve on his stellar performance of .361 batting average, 7 home runs and 53 RBI last season. Hartman is also back hoping to post numbers even better than his 3-1 record and seven saves from 2012.

While the changes in the 2013 UNLV team aren't as dramatic, they are significant, and less than a month into the new season, very successful. The Rebels opened the season taking three of four games from SEC member Tennessee. After rolling through the Rebel Classic last week and beating Hawai'i on Monday night, UNLV has now won six games in a row as they prepare for a trip to nationally-ranked Stanford, packing a 10-3 overall record and a good deal of confidence. The Rebels played five games in five nights through the Classic and extra game with the Rainbows, a challenge that would tax every pitching staff in America. These Rebels were up to the challenge.

Fedde is already 2-0 with a stellar 2.00 ERA. Freshman pitcher Kenny Oakley has already picked up his first win along with his first MW Pitcher of the Week award after hurling seven shut-out innings against Gonzaga. He's also 2-0, with a 1.17 ERA. And so it goes...so far.

Sophomore Joey Swanner leads a group of youngsters that have been sensational, hitting .340. The Rebels boast a team batting average of .323 during their hot start, while holding opponents to a .236 mark. That's a recipe for long term success.

"We're very young and that's exciting and scary at the same time," Higgins said. "They're going to make mistakes, but we like that they are aggressive mistakes, things you can learn from. We may boot a few balls, but then they'll make a great play and turn things around.

"We're going to go as far as our seniors take us," Higgins continued. "Just like most teams. So far, those guys have been tremendous."

While Bayardi has started the season predictably, hitting .377 through 13 games, fellow senior Mark Shannon is pulling double duty. After going 3-for-5 against Hawai'i on Monday night, Shannon is hitting .382. And oh, by the way, he also pitched seven innings against the Rainbow, yielding just one run on three hits. Has a player ever been named MW Pitcher AND Player of the Week in the same week?

And oh, what about those pre-season prognostications about now?

"We have used it as something of a rallying cry," Higgins acknowledged. "But in the end, it doesn't matter a bit, because it's all about what you do on the field and especially what you do in the conference tournament. That's how we will be judged, so that's what really matters."

When Williams finally made his way to where Alford was waiting, the coach ushered him to a spot under the Moby bleachers where the two shared a private moment, an embrace and ear to ear smiles that the public doesn't often see from the veteran coach. It was one of those moments that make coaching special, a time when a guy like Alford, who has been there, done that, gets to see the true fruits of his labor.

Williams' Jimmer-like performance had just propelled the Lobos well into the front of the pack in terms of the MW regular season title and top seed in the conference tourney. It could also have earned Alford the league's Coach of the Year award, assuming UNM is able to hold its lead over CSU (a full two games plus the tiebreaker with four games left to play) and capture the regular season title they were not favored to win. Make no mistake: Winning coach of the year in the powerful Mountain West is no small feat. Not with the stellar group of coaches that occupy the first chair in this league.

Former NBA head coach Stan Van Gundy watched the game from courtside while doing color for the NBC Sports Network. When I mentioned to him afterwards what good coaches there are in this league, the coaching veteran quickly shot back.

"No, no, no," Van Gundy corrected me. "Not good coaches...this league has GREAT coaches. Not good. GREAT. Good players, lots of talent. But GREAT coaches."

He wasn't just referring to Alford, of course. In the same conversation, he mentioned San Diego State's Steve Fisher, with more than 460 career wins and the only MW coach with a National title on his coaching resume, and CSU's Larry Eustachy, who has won more than 420 games as a head coach and taken a team to the Final Four. You can add Wyoming's Larry Shyatt to the list of veteran head men who make the MW a true power conference.

Van Gundy smiled as he lamented what Eustachy was going through in his locker room in the aftermath of the Rams second straight loss. "It's tough for Larry right now," Van Gundy said. "But he will watch the tape, and see that a guy (Williams) just had the greatest game of his life and see that his team didn't play that bad. He probably won't yell at them tomorrow as much as he might want to right now."

It was an epic game, only the second between ranked teams ever played at Moby (a Feb. 13, 2013 matchup between then-No. 22 San Diego State and the then 24th-ranked Rams was the first). A good measure of credit for that also has to go to Eustachy, who took a well-stocked cupboard from his predecessor, Tim Miles, and took things up a notch, making CSU a legit contender in one of the toughest conferences in the country. Eustachy will lose all five starters off his first team after this season, but there is no doubt that CSU's basketball program is in great hands moving forward.

Alford's program is now among the best in the country - New Mexico has won six games in a row against ranked teams - and Fisher's Aztecs, who will now remain in the MW to help keep the conference among the elite - will remain a force to reckon with for many years to come. Shyatt's Cowboy's started the season 13-0 and have the look of a title contender in the very near future.

On the horizon, the future appears to be just as bright for the young up-and-comers among the league coaches, headlined by UNLV's Dave Rice, now in just his second season as a head coach. Rice has already become the winningest coach over his first two seasons in UNLV history and with a very young team, that trend figures to continue over the next few seasons.

There was a point during the season when Air Force was smack dab in the middle of the league race, placing second-year head coach Dave Pilipovich right in the middle of Coach of the Year talk. Add in Boise State's third-year head man Leon Rice - whose team is still on the NCAA bubble and will make a postseason appearance this season, Fresno State's Rodney Terry (second year) and Nevada's David Carter (fourth year) and you have a group of head coaches that don't take a back seat to any group in any conference in America.

It's enough to make MW fans smile from ear to ear.

A coach of some repute who had spent time in both the Big Ten and Big 12, his defense that season ranked 100th or worse in virtually every statistical category in college football. Curious as to how one group could so thoroughly coat itself in such ignominy, I asked if things could get any worse over the final third of the season.

Arching an eyebrow and looking less than enamored about the prospect of broaching the topic, he offered this:

"If you're going to judge us on statistics alone, then, no, we're not a very good defense."

It was one of the most remarkable responses I'd ever received from any coach in any sport I'd ever covered, and that covers more than a few. If not statistics, what was I to judge his defense on? The color of their eyes? The height of the sky? Unrefined oil prices in Qatar?

Now, numbers may not tell the whole story, but neither do they mask ineptitude. Ultimately, they define a team for what it is or is not, paring back the layers to unveil its core strengths or its abundance of blemishes.

So if you'd care to utilize statistics in sizing up the defense being played in Mountain West men's basketball this season, the data is not only a good place start, it's one of the foremost factors in how a league once erroneously referred to as a "mid-major" has ascended the ranks of the royals.

Consider: As of this writing, five of the MW's nine teams rank among the top 50 nationally in either field-goal percentage defense or scoring defense. Finding an open shooter is like discovering a sapphire at the bottom of a soup bowl. Lanes are clogged like midtown Manhattan. And for those who do get to the rim, the resultant pile-up often makes it difficult to distinguish whether teams should be awarded first downs or free throws.

Heading into this week's games, eight of the league's nine teams are allowing 67.5 points or fewer on the season, meaning 143 (41 percent) of the nation's 345 Division I teams are allowing more. Of the 61 teams in the country currently limiting opponents to a shooting percentage to 40 percent or less, four of those teams --- UNLV, San Diego State, New Mexico and Colorado State --- reside in the MW.

UNLV boasts the league's top field-goal shooting defense (38.5) after limiting Wyoming to just 28.8 percent last Saturday, the lowest shooting performance by a Runnin' Rebel opponent in Conference play this season. Overall, the Rebels have held teams to 34.5 percent or less from the field nine times this year and to 23.8 percent or less from 3-point range nine times as well.

San Diego State, which ranks second in the league in both field-goal percentage defense (38.7) and scoring defense (60.1 ppg), is threatening to erase school records in both categories. The record for field-goal percentage defense (39.6) and scoring defense (59.2) were both established during the team's NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 run in 2010-11.

New Mexico is limiting opponents to a shooting percentage of just 39.3 (39th nationally), a figure that would rank as the best in 46 years were it not for last season's effort of 38.4 percent. Providing the Lobos are able to hold opponents to under 40.0 percent the rest of the way, it would mark their first time accomplishing the feat in consecutive seasons since 1956-57 (38.6) and 1957-58 (37.2).

Colorado State, which entered last Saturday's meeting with the Lobos ranked ahead of them in field-goal percentage defense, saw that number dip slightly after UNM's Kendall Williams torched the nets for 46 points en route to a 52.9 team shooting percentage. The Rams are limiting opponents to 39.4 percent, a figure exceeded in the MW by only UNLV, New Mexico and San Diego State.

Despite allowing a season-high 79 points at San Diego State last Tuesday, Wyoming leads the MW and is 11th in the NCAA in scoring defense, yielding just 56.5 points per game. And while better days are ahead for Coach Rodney Terry's young Fresno State squad, which currently occupies last place in the league, no one has questioned the Bulldogs' defensive tenacity. Fresno State is ranked 59th nationally, allowing 61.3 points per contest.

Impressive numbers all. Assuming, of course, that statistics have anything to do with performance.

A different kind of MW baseball season has now begun. It's out with the old - in the form of the dynasty that was TCU baseball, and in with the new, in the form of the 2008 College World Series Champion Fresno State Bulldogs who arrive for the 2013 season. And while the Bulldogs bring some pedigree with them to their new conference, they don't show up and instantly become the new sheriff in town. The reigning King of this Hill remains Ray Birmingham's New Mexico Lobos. The question that will be answered this season is how comfortably these Lobos will wear the crown as opposed to fighting to capture it in the first place.

For the first time since 2006, TCU does not enter the season as the pre-season favorite in the Mountain West. Now that they've move to the Big 12, the team that unseated the Frogs last season - and likely would have been this year's pre-season favorite even if TCU was still around - is New Mexico, ranked in the Top 25 at the start of the year for the first time ever.

There's ample reason for excitement around Lobo baseball, even after they dropped two of three to Oklahoma State to start the season. Birmingham returns Co-MW Players of the Year in Mitchell Garver and DJ Peterson (who won the league's Triple Crown last season.) Both are on national Player of the Year watch lists for this season. The Lobos also return All-Conference performers Alex Allbritton (SS), Josh Melendez (OF) and Josh Walker (P). They appear loaded and ready to pick up where they left off last season.

So what will Birmingham, a master of motivation and preparation, do now that he can't play the underdog card anymore? Ever since he took the UNM job in 2008, he's been able to plaster "TCU Horned Frogs, MW Champs" on his locker room wall and point to it when he needed to grab his team's attention. Ray's Lobos have always had the evil empire in Fort Worth to take aim at, the team they both loathed and wanted to be like at the same time. Now that the plaque on the wall notes that UNM is the defending champs, Ray needed a new ploy.

He didn't take long to ID one. A slightly doctored photo made the rounds on Twitter a couple weeks ago, one that featured the Lobos midfield dog pile after they won the 2011 MW tournament, taking place with the huge TD Ameritrade Park shot as the background. The pic was tweaked to create the illusion that the celebration had - or more directly, WILL - take place in Omaha next time around.

Omaha - sight of the College World Series - is Birmingham's one and only goal for his team. Conference titles are great. UNM has now won two in a row. But trips to the CWS are what make a program elite, and elite is all that Birmingham will settle for.

Come conference time, the Lobos will have to contend with a talented San Diego State squad that will have Head Coach Tony Gwynn for the full season, and has 11 experience arms on the staff to make things tough on opponents. Michael Cederoth, who won his first start against nationally-ranked University of San Diego on Friday, has the makings of the next Aztec superstar pitcher. Nevada - last season's WAC champs - are also entering the conference. Fresno State will be tough again, and UNLV will be much improved. No one can sleep on Air Force, as several teams learned last season. The Falcons made a big leap and nearly snuck into the conference tourney. If opening weekend is a true indicator, the MW race could be a tight one. The Aztecs swept the three-game series from No. 25 USD, while UNLV took their opening series from SEC power Tennessee.

Non-conference scheduling - sometimes OVER scheduling - has always been a source of pride for Birmingham. He'd take his team anywhere at any time to play anyone. Two years ago, New Mexico played the toughest schedule in the country, and their regular-season record reflected the anticipated struggles. Then they up and took out TCU to win the conference tourney for the second of three straight trips to the NCAA tournament.

Playing good teams in the non-conference is helps good teams great, so it was no surprise when Birmingham began loading up the schedule. This season he set up a season opening series with Oklahoma State to test his team and his inexperienced pitching staff right out of the gate. A narrow 4-2 defeat (on two unearned runs late in the game) cost them on opening night, and the Pokes pulled out a gut-wrenching, 13-inning, 15-14 win in game two, when UNM blew a 14-6 lead. But the Lobos showed the fight we've come to expect from a Birmingham team in bouncing back to clobber the Cowboys 9-1 in the series finale to take some momentum into the second week's trip to south Texas to face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Iowa and Oklahoma. Still on the docket are match-ups with Nebraska, Arizona State, UC Riverside and Texas Tech. Anyone, anytime, anywhere.

It's gonna be a fun ride this season.

With less than a month remaining in the Mountain West men's basketball regular season, two teams --- New Mexico and Colorado State --- are separated by a half game atop the league standings.

The No. 19/18 Lobos and No. 24/24 Rams won't meet for a second time until Feb. 23, but given the myriad trapdoors existing in a league that has now had a record five of its nine teams ranked in the Top 25 this season, one false step can prove perilous.

Consider: Of the five teams currently sporting winning records in league play, four --- Air Force, CSU, San Diego State and UNLV --- will square off against each other this week. And while New Mexico may still hold at serve at week's end after facing Fresno State on the road and Boise State at home, no one need remind the Lobos that both the Bulldogs and Broncos have already beaten UNLV, a team that on Saturday led by as many as 16 points and never trailed in its 64-55 win over New Mexico.

Game of the week: No. 22 San Diego State at No. 24/24 Colorado State, Wednesday. These are heady times in Fort Collins, where the Rams this week cracked the Top 25 for the first time since the 1953-54 season. While the Rams have become virtually bulletproof at Moby Arena, boasting the nation's third-longest active home win streak at 26 games, they have also endured their share of struggles at home against the Aztecs. San Diego State, which needed overtime to beat CSU after building an 18-point lead in the teams' initial meeting of the season, has won six times in its last seven visits to Fort Collins. Though both teams possess ample firepower on the perimeter, the difference is in the paint, where Colorado State ranks No. 1 in the nation in rebounding with an average of 42.4 rebounds per game. Led by senior Pierce Hornung's game-high 14 boards, the Rams outrebounded SDSU, 54-38, in the teams' first meeting of the season.

Individual matchup to watch: Two of the league's elite guards take center stage Wednesday at Clune Arena when UNLV visits Air Force. Rebel senior Anthony Marshall, who has effectively silenced critics questioning his ability to transition to point guard this season, is averaging a league-high 6.0 assists per game. No other player in the MW is averaging more than five. Meanwhile, Falcon senior Michael Lyons, whose 37-point performance against Boise State on Jan. 19 ranks as the highest-scoring game by a MW player this season, is second in the league in points per game (17.6). Both rank among the top 10 in the MW in minutes played, with Marshall averaging 33.54 (third) and Lyons averaging 32.55 (eighth). Marshall had a career-high 12 assists in UNLV's 76-71 overtime victory over Air Force on Jan. 13, while Lyons recorded team-highs of 19 points and seven rebounds.

Must win: Air Force heads into its matchup with UNLV two games back in the league race and tied for fourth place with the Rebels. While all three teams ahead of Air Force in the league standings (along with UNLV) must take to the road this week, the Falcons will be at home both Wednesday and Saturday, when they face Colorado State. Not only would a win over the Rebels snap Air Force's current two-game skid, it would also provide a large measure of momentum heading into its meeting with a CSU team that is 3-3 in its last six visits to Colorado Springs. The Falcons have lost only once at home this season, that coming in a 72-69 decision against previously Top 25-ranked Wichita State.

Big week: San Diego State, the preseason favorite in the league's media poll, will either validate that vote or find itself in scramble mode following this week's road games at No. 24/24 Colorado State and UNLV. In addition to winning six of their last seven at Moby Arena, the No. 22 Aztecs have won five of their last eight at UNLV. SDSU desperately needs the presence of senior point guard Xavier Thames, who has missed four of the team's nine league games with a lower back strain. After missing two consecutive contests, Thames returned to action in Saturday's win over Fresno State, playing 13 minutes while finishing with five points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and no turnovers.

Stat of note: Colorado State is the only team in the nation with two players averaging more than nine rebounds this season. Colton Iverson leads the Rams with an average of 9.7 rebounds per contest, while Pierce Hornung is averaging 9.3.

We've just begun the "second half" of the conference season, and the standings aren't exactly what they were forecasted to be, but it's very close. New Mexico remains on top, a half game ahead of Colorado State, with San Diego State third and UNLV tied for fourth with an Air Force squad that has defied the preseason prognosticators who picked the Falcons to finish dead last. Four of those five teams most likely will be in the NCAA tourney, but that doesn't mean there isn't a lot at stake the rest of the way. There are conference titles - regular and postseason - to be won.

The Lobos have done the best job of holding serve to this point, capturing wins in all their home games (including victories over CSU and UNLV) while not losing any games they were favored to win. Their only losses are at SDSU and at UNLV Saturday night. No shame in those of course. Otherwise, the Lobos have done most everything right, with their Top 25 national ranking proof of that. For the Lobos to win it: UNM must win its three remaining home games, including the re-match with San Diego State, which whipped the Lobos in Cali. They need to win three of the four remaining road contests to finish a sparkling 13-3. The road games - at Fresno State, Nevada and Air Force - are all winnable, albeit not easily, as all three of those teams already boast a win at home against the top half of the league. A win in Fort Collins would probably seal the deal.

Colorado State also went through the first half of the regular season unbeaten at home while winning the road games they were favored to win. They also lost both road games they were picked to lose, at San Diego State and at New Mexico. So the Rams are exactly where most people thought they'd be at this moment, having held serve. Having beaten the Rebels in Fort Collins, what's left for CSU is a visit to UNLV and home games with the Aztecs and Lobos. If form holds true, and CSU wins its remaining home games and falls at UNLV, then the Rams' chances of winning the conference title come down to being able to win road games at Wyoming, Air Force and Boise State, which, again, won't be easy. It will take all of that to overtake the Lobos. For Colorado State to force the issue into at least a tiebreaker scenario, the Rams would have to break from the pattern and find a way to win at UNLV, and the Rebels looked outstanding at home in beating UNM. For the Rams to win it: CSU will have to beat SDSU and New Mexico (as well as Fresno State and Nevada) at home, and win three of the four remaining conference road games to also finish 13-3 in league play...and hope the tiebreaker tilts the Rams' way.

The Aztecs are in a decent place, but may look back at a home loss to UNLV and road losses at Air Force and Wyoming - three games they were favored to win - as key missteps in terms of the conference race. They get a shot at ending CSU's home winning streak on Wednesday, and have to also hope to get some help in the form of an unexpected loss or two from the teams ahead of them. For the Aztecs to win it: SDSU will have to win its three remaining home games of course, but to gain the top spot, the Aztecs would probably have to beat all three of the other contenders on the road...and win at Boise State. Winning all four of those road games would be miraculous.

At 5-4 in conference play, respectively, Air Force and UNLV have the most work to do. After last weekend's win over New Mexico, the Rebels might have the most preferred schedule down the stretch, with home games against Colorado State AND San Diego State...AND they already own a big road win at San Diego State. However, the Rebels have uncharacteristically already lost at Boise State AND Fresno State. The Falcons host both UNLV (who they took to overtime in Las Vegas) and Colorado State this week...AND they have a home win over San Diego State. BUT Air Force has to travel to Boise State and SDSU. It will take a clean run through the second half of the conference season for either team to claim the top seed in the conference tourney. For the Falcons or Rebels to win it: Air Force or UNLV will have to go 7-0 from here on out and hope that 12-4 is good enough.

The regular season title means a lot, but the conference tourney title means a little bit more, bringing that automatic NCAA bid and a higher seeding with it. Any of the four teams is capable of winning the tournament, but the team with that top seed does go in with a bit of an advantage.

Statistics are based on the first half of league play only.

Jamaal Franklin, Jr., G, San Diego State: Franklin, the reigning MW Player of the Year, ranks among the league's top 10 in 10 statistical categories, including scoring (1st, 18.3 ppg), rebounding (t-2nd, 8.5 rpg), steals (t-3rd,1.633) and assists (6th, 3.38). He is the only player in the nation leading his team in scoring average, rebounding average, steals average and assists average.

Anthony Marshall, Sr., G, UNLV: The league leader in minutes played (37.62) and assists per game (7.1), Marshall also leads the Runnin' Rebels in steals (1.0 per game) and three-point shooting percentage (.433). He is second on the team in shooting percentage (.527) and ranks fifth in rebounding with an average of 4.6 per contest. Despite averaging more minutes than any player in the league, Marshall's assist/turnover ratio of 2.28 ranks third in the MW.

Derrick Marks, So., G, Boise State: Marks, identified by Michigan State coach Tom Izzo as a player the Spartans had no answer for, ranks second in the league in scoring (17.3) and shooting percentage (.482). He is also fifth in free-throw percentage (.821), is tied for fifth in steals (1.57) and ranks seventh in assists (3.14).

Pierce Hornung, Sr., F, Colorado State: Hornung, who has gained national acclaim for his rebounding, is now becoming a factor at the offensive end, as well. Prior to missing the majority of Wednesday's win at Nevada due to illness, Hornung posted consecutive double-doubles for the second-place Rams by averaging 17.5 points and 12.0 rebounds in wins over Boise State and Wyoming. He ranks second in league play in offensive rebounds (3.63) and is tied for fifth overall with an average of 8.0 rebounds per contest.

Alex Kirk, So., C, New Mexico: In helping stake the first-place Lobos to a one-game lead through the league's first half, Kirk, who missed all of last season after undergoing back surgery in 2011, ranks first in the league in rebounds (7.1) and ninth in blocks (1.63). He also is second on the team in field-goal percentage (.478), third in scoring (10.9) and minutes played (29.0) and fourth in free-throw percentage (.690).

Lobos Look to Lengthen Lead

While some took exception to my observation last month that New Mexico had the muscle to ultimately reign supreme in this year's Mountain West race, I'm not backing away from that argument.

The Lobos, who play five of their final eight on the road, begin the second half on Saturday at UNLV against a team suddenly struggling to find its feet. New Mexico, which beat the Rebels in its last appearance at the Thomas & Mack Center, has posted a league road record of .500 or better in every season save one since coach Steve Alford's arrival in 2007. That, folks, is no small feat in a league where only two teams --- New Mexico and San Diego State --- had winning road records in league play a year ago and only nine have done so in the last five seasons.

Should the Lobos get past UNLV, they would likely be viewed as the favorite in each of their remaining contests, with the exception of a date with Colorado State in Fort Collins on Feb. 23. Both teams are undefeated at home in league play.

In the event New Mexico and Colorado State split their regular-season series and finish tied for the league title, their records will be compared against the team occupying the next highest spot in the standings, continuing down until one team gains the advantage and thus the higher seed in the MW Championships. If two teams remain tied after all tie breakers have been exhausted, the last tie breaker when determining seeds for the MW Championships is RPI, as determined by the most recent NCAA RPI available on March 9.

Disclaimer: The aforementioned scenario is based on my impression of the first half of the league season, which, this being the MW, will undoubtedly have no bearing whatsoever on what occurs over the course of the next month.

Stat of Note
Of the 36 games played during the first half of the MW season, exactly half were decided by single digits.

Head Coach: Joe Gibbs, SDSU/Washington Redskins. Three Super Bowl titles. 'Nuff said. A nod to two other former Aztecs - the bombastic NFL Hall of Famer John Madden and an honorable mention to John Fox, current coach of the Denver Broncos. He's been to one Super Bowl - so far. A cradle of coaches to be sure.

QB - Kaepernick's performance falls just short, since he didn't win the game. So the nod has to go to former Fresno State Bulldog Trent Dilfer, who won his Super Bowl, ironically, with the Baltimore Ravens in 2000.

RB (2) - Marshall Faulk, SDSU/St. Louis Rams. Headliner in "the Greatest Show on Turf" and maybe the best dual threat back ever; Jim Kiick, Wyoming/Miami Dolphins key part of unbeaten Super Bowl champs in 1972.

WR (3) - James Jones, San Jose State/Green Bay Packers. In Super Bowl XLV against Pittsburgh, Jones caught 5 passes for 50 yards in Green Bay's 31-25 triumph. Golden Richards, Hawai'i/Dallas Cowboys. Super Bowl champ known for his long blonde hair and acrobatic catches. Az-Zahir Hakim, a former SDSU Aztec, was also part of the Greatest Show on Turf for the St. Louis Rams Super Bowl champs. SDSU Alums Isaac Curtis and Haven Moses both had great careers, but were not on Super Bowl winning teams.

TE - Jay Novacek, Wyoming & Dallas Cowboy won three Super Bowl rings.

OL (5) - Jesse Sapolu, Hawai'i/SF 49'ers FOUR time Super Bowl champ; Mark Tuinei, Hawai'i/Dallas Cowboys. Two Super Bowl rings; Adrian Klemm, Hawai'i/New England Patriots. Three-time Super Bowl champ, Barry Sims, Utah State/Oakland played in the 2003 Super Bowl and Logan Mankins, Fresno State/New England. Five time Pro Bowler has played in a pair of Super Bowls, so far...

K - Jason Elam, Hawai'i/Denver Broncos. Two-time Super Bowl champ and record holder for longest FG in NFL history (tied with Tom Dempsey and Sebastian Janikowski at 63 yards.)

P - Mike Saxon, SDSU/Dallas Cowboys was part of the Cowboys dynasty in the early 1990's. He punted for the 1993 champs.

DE (3) - Fred Dwyer, San Diego State/Los Angeles Rams had a great football AND TV career, playing in the 1979 Super Bowl; Clark Haggans, CSU/Pittsburgh and Arizona. He and Rams alum Joey Porter teamed up again to win a Super Bowl in Pittsburgh, and he played in another with Cardinals. Don't forget Utah State product Lionel Aldridge, a Utah State grad and member of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. He played for two Super Bowl winning Packers teams.

DT (2) - Kimo von Oelhoffen, Boise State/Pittsburgh. He won a Super Bowl ring in 2005 in his final season as a member of the Steelers. A special nod to Chad Hennings, AFA/Dallas Cowboys. Not many Academy players are even allowed to play pro football, much less get the chance to play in THREE Super Bowl victories.

LB (3) - Brian Urlacher, New Mexico/Chicago Bears. Also a standout in SB XLI, but on the losing side; Robin Cole, New Mexico/Pittsburgh Steelers. Pro Bowler and twice Super Bowl champion with the Steel Curtain D. He was a stand up end/LB, and Joey Porter, Colorado State/Pittsburgh Steelers, went to multiple Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl title.

CB (2) - Cornell Green played basketball, not football at Utah State, but went on to play in a pair of Super Bowls for the Dallas Cowboys and was named to their 25th Anniversary team in 1985. Better known for coaching and TV work, SDSU's Herm Edwards was a great corner as well, playing in the 1981 Super Bowl for Philadelphia.

S (2) - Brock Marion, Nevada/Dallas Cowboys was a two-time Super Bowl champ; John Howell, Colorado State/Tampa Bay & Seattle. Super Bowl winner played in two.

Not a bad team to take into battle, huh? Kaepernick is likely to supplant Dilfer before his career is done, and you never know what the future could hold for guys like Ronnie Hillman, D.J. Harper, Ryan Clady or Kellen Moore. Still more reason to stay tuned.

When Bzdelik left for Colorado (and later Wake Forest) the Falcons' hoops fortunes sagged. In recent years it's been more of a struggle on the hard court, and this year's Falcons were not expected to change much of that. Head Coach Jeff Reynolds was let go late last season and AFA finished 13-16 overall, just 3-11 in MW play and tied for last place. Air Force was picked ninth out of nine teams in this year's preseason poll. Yet someone forgot to tell the players and new head Coach Dave Pilipovich they were supposed to be a non-factor in the conference race...because as we near the end of January, here they are.

The Falcons won AT Wyoming last Saturday (57-48) and defeated Fresno State last night (62-50). Air Force is now on a four-game win streak and tied for second with a 4-2 mark in Conference play. A break or two, and they might be tied at 5-1, considering AFA lost in overtime AT nationally-ranked UNLV on January 12th. The win in Laramie was their second straight road win over the Cowboys. True to form, they did it with a scrambling, hustling effort on defense.

"Sometimes we don't even know what we're playing," Pilipovich told the media afterwards. "How's the other team know?"

Air Force has already beaten Boise State as well as the Cowboys this season, meaning that the two teams most observers have pegged as having the best shot at giving the Mountain West a fifth team in this year's NCAA tournament have each already fallen to the Falcons.

Maybe the most impressive thing about AFA's current four-game win streak is that it began right after a 39-point beat-down at the hands of Colorado State in Fort Collins. It was after a similar loss at Moby Arena last season that Reynolds was let go, and the team did not respond immediately. This year, it's been a different story. As bounce-backs go, you'd be hard pressed to do better.

The best news for Air Force fans? They won at Wyoming while not playing their best game. Coming in as the 11th-best three-point shooting team in the nation, the Falcons hit only 5-of-15 from long range against the Pokes, but scored an uncharacteristic 24 points in the paint. They also held the Cowboys to just 33 percent shooting and a meager 18 percent from behind the arc. That's what contenders do.

Can Air Force stay in the race? We'll find out as the calendar turns to February. After Wednesday's visit from Fresno State to end this month, Air Force hosts preseason favorite San Diego State and then visits Conference leader New Mexico, both of whom are currently ranked, in a four-day span. Win one of those two, and Air Force could stay in the race right up until the finish line.

As we head into the final week of the first round of league play in the Mountain West, one loss separates first-place New Mexico from four others (San Diego State, Colorado State, UNLV and Air Force). Had the Lobos won at SDSU on Saturday, I was relatively convinced they had the muscle to go the distance, despite facing a daunting second half in which they play five of their final eight on the road.

Of course, that was before New Mexico was limited to 34 points, the second-lowest total in league history, and went 11-of-44 from the floor (25.0 percent) against the Aztecs, thus reducing to rubble my faulty, if not foolish forecast, forgetting that this is, after all, the Mountain West. The Lobos (17-3, 4-1) still hold a spot in both polls (No. 20 AP, No. 22 USA Today/Coaches), though there are likely easier ways to sharpen your shooting skills than facing Wyoming's dogged defense, which the Lobos must do Wednesday night in Laramie.

Game of the week: No. 22/20 San Diego State at Air Force, Saturday. Lest one forget (and rest assured the Aztecs have not), the Falcons, who sported a league record of 2-7 at the time, won 58-56 against a then-No. 13/15 SDSU squad that was without the services of its leading scorer/rebounder in Jamaal Franklin, who was nursing a sprained ankle. Air Force, which is 8-1 at home this season, has discovered that daring to be different can pay dividends. Contrary to customary form, the Falcons have turned up the tempo, pushing rather than patiently probing. Air Force has scored 90 or more points in two of its last three games and pulled off a rare double-double when it beat Wyoming in Laramie on Saturday for the second straight year. The Aztecs (16-4, 4-2) have had more than their share of struggles at Clune Arena in recent seasons, going 3-6 since 2004.

Individual matchup to watch: While Wyoming has battled shooting woes of late, 6-7 senior forward Leonard Washington is averaging team highs of 14.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks to rank among the top nine in the MW in each category. Washington, who is tied for second in the league this season with eight double-doubles, will square off against the current leader in that category on Saturday when the Cowboys face Colorado State in Fort Collins. Rams center Colton Iverson, who ranks 10th in the league in scoring (14.3 ppg) and second in rebounding (9.5 rpg), has posted nine double-doubles thus far. Washington ranks ninth in the MW in scoring and fourth in rebounding.

Must win: With three consecutive road games looming (Colorado State, Cal State Bakersfield, Boise State), Wyoming can ill afford a third straight loss when it hosts New Mexico on Wednesday. The Cowboys, who rank eighth in the MW in scoring offense (63.3 ppg), shot just 33 percent (17-of-51) from the field and 17 percent (5-of-28) beyond the arc in Saturday's loss to Air Force. This after shooting 41 percent (20-of-48) from the field and 3-of-18 (16.7 percent) from three-point range in a 62-50 loss at UNLV last Thursday. Wyoming has scored 50 or fewer points in three league games.

Big week: After suffering its second-worst loss of the season (75-59) at Nevada on Saturday, Boise State has the opportunity to show why it's one of just three teams in the nation (Kansas, Oregon) with multiple road wins over ranked opponents or face a serious uphill climb in the second half of the league schedule. It will be far from easy for the Broncos (14-5, 2-3), who must first deal with a Colorado State team on Wednesday that has won 24 straight home games before returning Taco Bell Arena on Saturday to face UNLV. Boise State split its season series with the Rams and Rebels last year, with both victories coming at home.

Stat of note: Six MW teams are undefeated this season when holding a halftime lead (San Diego State 16-0; UNLV 15-0; Colorado State 13-0; New Mexico 12-0; Wyoming 10-0; Air Force 8-0).

After two weeks, we have the expected threesome plus some party crashers bunched near the top of the standings. There's one unbeaten team in conference play (New Mexico at 3-0), one team with a single loss (Colorado State at 2-1) and SIX teams with a pair of losses. Only Fresno State at 1-3 appears in trouble.

The 15th-ranked Lobos have already picked up home wins over UNLV and Fresno State, plus a an overtime road win over upstart Boise State (no small accomplishment - just ask Creighton.) So Steve Alford's bunch is off to a great start, but has plenty of work left to do. Colorado State has a pair of home wins over Air Force and #25 UNLV, and a road loss at #15 San Diego State, so the Rams have basically held serve thus far.

Who has done BETTER than holding serve so far - that is, picked up a key road win AND protected their home court? New Mexico can stake that claim, as can UNLV, with an overtime home win over Air Force and road win at #15 SDSU. The Rebels have only played one conference home game so far.

That's about it for the moment. The Broncos have a key road win over Wyoming, but dropped one they needed to win against AFA...Wyoming has a big home win over the #15 Aztecs, but dropped a home game to Boise State. So who sits in the best position...and what will be the formula that teams need to follow to stay at the top?

The formula will be pretty cut and dry from here on out: Win all or most of your home games, and do better than .500 on the road. The conference regular season champ will have to go at least 6-2 at home and at least 5-3 on the road. Something like an 11-5 conference record in the third-ranked (RPI) league in the nation will be a major accomplishment - and could earn a team that regular season title and top MW tournament seed.

While a .500 overall conference record could conceivably still get a team like Colorado State or Wyoming an NCAA bid (coming on the heels of an impressive non-conference records) it might not be enough to get that team into the upper half of the final league standings. That's how good this conference is.

There are plenty of critical league games coming up before the end of January: CSU at New Mexico, Wyoming at UNLV, New Mexico at San Diego State and the Lobos' trip to Wyoming. If New Mexico wins two of those three, the Lobos will be sitting pretty at 5-1. There's a pretty good chance UNLV and CSU will both be 4-2 at that point. The UNM-SDSU game is the biggest contest of the rest of this month, but every single league game carries great significance the rest of the season.

In a league where successes are short-lived and shortcomings come with the territory, there is another slate of high-impact games ahead this week, where No. 15/17 New Mexico, unbeaten in league play, could ever so steadily begin to distance itself from its pursuers. While the Lobos are the only team in the league holding down a spot in both the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches polls this week (San Diego State remains ranked in the Coaches' poll), sitting upon one's laurels in the MW this season is akin to seeking shelter in a straw hut in a firestorm. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

Game of the week: Colorado State at New Mexico, Wednesday. The Lobos (16-2, 3-0), who are 9-1 at home this season, own a mark of 41-5 against CSU in games played at The Pit. The teams split the series last year, with UNM winning, 85-52, in Albuquerque and CSU prevailing, 71-63, in Fort Collins. The senior-laden Rams, who were a study in true grit in Saturday's home win over UNLV and are receiving votes in both polls, must now prove their mettle on the road. CSU (15-3, 2-1), which was 1-6 in league games away from Moby Arena last season, has never posted a winning road record in MW play.

Individual matchup to watch: The return of center Alex Kirk has bolstered the Lobos immensely. The 7-foot Kirk, who missed last season after undergoing back surgery in the summer of 2011, has already more than tripled the number of double-figure scoring games in his career. After posting four such games as a freshman, he has scored in double figures 14 times in 18 games this season. Considering the teams are relatively evenly matched on the perimeter --- the Lobos are shooting 32.7 percent beyond the arc in league play, while CSU is at 31.5 --- the matchup of Kirk and Ram 6-10, 260-pound center Colton Iverson should prove interesting. In MW games, Kirk is averaging 17.3 points and 10.0 rebounds, while Iverson enters the game with averages of 13.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per MW contest.

Must win: With New Mexico coming to town on Saturday, San Diego State, which is coming off consecutive losses to UNLV and Wyoming, can ill afford a third straight setback at Nevada on Wednesday. Yet this will be no small challenge for the Aztecs, who have sorely missed the presence of point guard Xavier Thames (back strain). Despite its 1-2 start in league play, Nevada offers one of the most potent backcourts in the MW in Deonte Burton, who ranks No. 1 in scoring in league games (22.0), and Malik Story. SDSU also must find a way to address its rebounding woes. In league play, the Aztecs rank seventh in rebounding margin at minus -5.0. Nevada, meanwhile, enters the contest with a margin of +4.0 on the glass. SDSU has lost three straight only once since 2008.

Big week: Wyoming, which has proven to be an absolute thorn defensively (see San Diego State's nine first-half points on Saturday), will be tested when it faces UNLV in Las Vegas on Thursday before playing again just two days later at home against Air Force. The Falcons, who scored 91 points in Saturday's win against Boise State, were one of just three teams to beat Wyoming in Laramie last season. The Cowboys, who rank No. 5 in the nation in scoring defense (53.8 ppg), are yielding a league-low 51.2 points in MW games.

Stat of note: Colorado State's average of 42.6 rebounds per game ranks No. 3 in the nation. The Rams enter the week leading the NCAA in rebounding margin with an average of +13.8 boards per game. CSU has not been outrebounded in a game this season.

The obvious winners in the decisions by Boise State and San Diego State to remain in the (1) Mountain West are the schools themselves. Yet the conference benefits as well from having the Broncos powerhouse football program remain in the league. The Aztecs football program is not yet where Boise State's is, but as defending conference tri-champs, they're certainly an important component to the quest for "elite" conference status. With these "non-subtractions" the league can now potentially hold a conference championship game.

This is a win for conference newcomer (3) Nevada - which can now continue its heated rivalry with the Broncos AND grow its annual battle with UNLV. Part of the reason (4) Fresno State, (5) Utah State and (6) Hawai‘i agreed to move to the MW was a chance to test themselves against the powerhouse program Boise State has become. Now they get to do just that.

There are big winners away from the football field as well. Start with (7) Steve Fisher and his SDSU basketball program - one of the best in the nation. It would have been a major step backward for Fisher's program to be left to compete in the not-all-that-Big West Conference. The path to March Madness is much smoother when you compete in a power conference like the MW. Add in (8) Dave Rice and UNLV and (9) Steve Alford and New Mexico. That threesome represents one of the very best groupings in college basketball. Thankfully, it won't be broken up.

Non-revenue sports also reap a benefit. For instance, SDSU with (10) Tony Gwynn at the helm is working to become one of the Conference's best baseball programs. It already plays a stout California-based non-conference schedule, so staying in a better league is a benefit to its postseason goals as well. And after having lost his nemesis in TCU to the Big 12, New Mexico baseball coach (11) Ray Birmingham certainly didn't want to see Gwynn's Aztecs leave the league too. Ray wants to play the best and SDSU represents that. Plus, no Lobo baseball season would be the same without that loooooong bus ride to The Mesa every spring.

Finally, (12) fans in the region will get to continue to see a geographically-based, super competitive conference that has nothing but upside moving forward. Better bowl game partnerships, the potential for a conference football title game, more and more teams in March Madness - and it won't be long until an MW school is back in the College World Series. It's all good.

Like I said a "win-win-win-win-win-win-win-win-win-win-win-win" situation for everyone.

In more ways than one.

Though the majority of MW teams are bolstered by waves of wings and girded by guard play, one offers an additional dimension. And the New Mexico Lobos won't be reluctant to use it to their advantage.

Heading into Wednesday night's contest at Boise State, the No. 19/21 Lobos not only possess accomplished perimeter players in the likes of Kendall Williams, Tony Snell, Hugh Greenwood, Chad Adams and Demetrius Walker, they also offer something others don't --- a pair of big men who pose a threat both inside and out.

Off to a 2-0 start in league play for just the second time in program history, New Mexico (15-2) has shown signs of profiting handsomely from the pairing of 7-foot, 250-pound sophomore center Alex Kirk and 6-9, 250-pound junior forward Cameron Bairstow. In Saturday's 72-45 win over Fresno State, Kirk and Bairstow combined for 35 points and 19 rebounds, with Kirk posting his fourth double-double of the season (19 points, career-high 14 rebounds) and Bairstow tying a career high with 16 points.

Kirk, who earned co-MW Player of the Week honors after also scoring a season-high 23 points in the Lobos' 65-60 win over UNLV in last week's league opener, has amassed 70 points and 38 rebounds (17.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg) over the course of his last four games.

Meanwhile, Bairstow, who started in place of Adams after the latter hyperextended his right knee against UNLV, scored 15 of his 16 points against Fresno State in just 16 minutes of the first half, connecting on 6-of-6 attempts from the field while making all three of his free-throw attempts.

"They're one of the (few) teams in this league that can go big and use it to their advantage," said UNLV coach Dave Rice. "The thing that makes them even more dangerous is that they can go big and yet Alex Kirk can step out and make three-point shots. He can play off of Bairstow in the post. So they become a tremendous mismatch for certain schemes just because of the versatility of Kirk. He can score in the post, but he can also score from the perimeter. What makes that so difficult is that it's hard to spend as much of your defensive effort as you need to because Williams and Snell are so dangerous from the perimeter."

What has made Kirk's performance all the more impressive is that he missed the entire 2011-12 season after undergoing back surgery for a herniated disc two years ago. Averaging 12.5 points and 7.9 rebounds, Kirk has already more than tripled the number of career games in which he's scored in double figures. After recording four such games as a freshman, he has scored in double figures in 13 of 17 games this season.

"(Alex) has obviously been tremendous," said Lobos coach Steve Alford. "You see him on tape and then you see him in person and he just continues to get better and better. Both he and Cam give us legitimate threats in that 4-5 position. Their development has been essential and it's a big part of the reason why we're 15-2."

And an even bigger part of the reason why New Mexico has the wherewithal to force MW opponents to pick their poison. Only one other team in the league --- Colorado State --- arguably offers a starting player (6-10, 260-pound center Colton Iverson) with the size to square off against Kirk, the league's lone 7-footer.

Yet Kirk and Bairstow provide far more than simply serving as pillars in the paint. Both also provide a threat on the perimeter, with Kirk having connected on four three-pointers in the Lobos' last three games. Bairstow's field-goal percentage of 44.9 ranks second-best on the squad.

"There are differences between them, but there are also a lot of similarities," Alford said. "They're both big and strong and they're both more athletic than what you might think. Cam has really good strength, Alex has really good length. Defensively, they complement each other very well. Cam can definitely go out on the floor and guard against teams that want to run four-guard lineups. Both of them have a very good post game and both of them can step out to the three-point line. They play well together and they play well when they're rotating as our centers."

Pick your poison. In a league almost exclusively populated by perimeter players, it's plainly double trouble.

"It can be an advantage, but it can also be an advantage for the team that's smaller and quicker and plays four guards," said Alford, whose team also has the ability to match up against any opponent in the league opting to play four guards. "That's the chess match; that's what makes this game so fun. You play your game, whether you go big-big up front or you play four guards. It's always fun to see which one of those styles is going to win out."

With league play set to tip-off Wednesday night, six of nine MW teams are ranked in the top 40 of the Jan. 7 NCAA RPI report, the highest percentage of teams among any of the nation's 32 conferences. New Mexico heads the list at No. 11 while Colorado State (20) is second, followed by UNLV (23), Wyoming (24), Boise State (33) and San Diego State (40).

In addition, the MW is one of three conferences (Big East, Big Ten) to have at least three teams ranked in both the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches' polls, marking the first time in the league's 14-year history that four teams have been ranked in at least one of the national Top 25 polls.

But now comes the hard part, where winning on the road in some of the country's most daunting venues will rudely separate fact from fiction, exposing vulnerabilities while steeling the strong for the postseason.

Here, then, is a quick look at the league season ahead, a season that could ultimately prove the best in MW history.

1. San Diego State Aztecs (12-2)

Coach: Steve Fisher (14th season)
2011-12 record: 26-8 overall, 10-4 MW (tied first)
Current ranking: No. 16 AP, No. 15 Coaches
Outlook: Defense has become a hallmark for the Aztecs, who have not allowed a team to shoot better than 48 percent from the field this season. In a league where the road is rife with ruin, SDSU has not had a losing record away from home in MW play since 2007-08. The Aztecs also go 11 deep, an enormous asset in a conference where nights off have become non-existent. Junior guard Jamaal Franklin, last season's MW Player of the Year, enters league play averaging 17.2 points and 9.9 rebounds. Senior guard Chase Tapley (15.7 ppg) and junior guard Xavier Thames (10.2 ppg) are also averaging double figures.

2. UNLV Runnin' Rebels (13-2)

Coach: Dave Rice (2nd season)
2011-12 record: 26-9, 9-5 (third)
Current ranking: No. 24 AP, No. 19 Coaches
Outlook: If there's a better freshman in the country than forward Anthony Bennett, the proof has yet to surface. Bennett heads into Wednesday night's showdown at New Mexico averaging 19.2 points (tops in MW overall and among all freshmen nationally) and 9.1 rebounds. Unlike the rest of the guard-heavy MW, the Runnin' Rebels have the option of loading up across the front line with the likes of Bennett (6-8), Pitt transfer Khem Birch (6-9) and the multi-talented Mike Moser (6-8), who despite suffering a dislocated elbow last month, is expected to play in the league opener. How UNLV performs away from the Thomas & Mack Center is a question not without merit. The Rebels were 2-5 in league road games last season, with both wins coming in overtime.

3. New Mexico Lobos (13-2)

Coach: Steve Alford (6th season)
2011-12 record: 28-7, 10-4 (tied first)
Current ranking: No. 25 AP
Outlook: Unlike last season when the Lobos boasted a rugged front court featuring Drew Gordon and A.J. Hardeman, New Mexico is largely guard-oriented, not a bad position to find oneself in when those guards include the likes of standout juniors Kendall Williams (14.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg) and Tony Snell (11.1 ppg). Yet the Lobos have also greatly benefitted from the return of center Alex Kirk, who missed the 2011-12 season after undergoing back surgery. One of the league's few true big men, Kirk is averaging 11.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. New Mexico was the only team in the league other than San Diego State to post a winning record on the road in league games last season (8-3).

4. Colorado State Rams (13-2)

Coach: Larry Eustachy (1st season)
2011-12 record: 20-12, 8-6 (fourth)
Outlook: There's no more experience in the league than in Fort Collins, where the Rams boast five senior starters following last year's NCAA tournament appearance. The key addition is center Colton Iverson (14.7 ppg, 8.9 rpg), a 6-10 transfer from Minnesota who gives CSU a sorely-needed presence inside. As for the importance of protecting one's home court in the MW? The Rams, who open Saturday at San Diego State, have won 22 straight at Moby Arena.

5. Boise State Broncos (12-2)

Coach: Leon Rice (3rd season)
2011-12 record: 13-17, 3-11 (tied seventh)
Outlook: The kids are coming of age in Boise, where a team that lists a combined 10 sophomores and freshmen has, thus far, played well beyond its years. Paced by the tandem of sophomore guard Derrick Marks (16.3 ppg), who finished with 35 in a win at then-No. 11 Creighton earlier this season, and sophomore wing Anthony Drmic (15.4 ppg), the Broncos are off to their best start in 25 years. The 12 nonconference wins are a school record for a team that came within an eyelash of ousting San Diego State in the first round of last season's MW tournament.

6. Wyoming Cowboys (13-0)

Coach: Larry Shyatt (2nd season)
2011-12 record: 21-12, 6-8 (sixth)
Current ranking: No. 25 Coaches
Outlook: The looming question concerning the Cowboys at the moment is how they'll fare without senior guard Luke Martinez, who is out indefinitely after suffering a broken finger on his shooting hand. Martinez, one of the league's top shooters, was averaging 14.5 points before being sidelined. Wyoming, which offers one of the strongest players in the league in senior forward Leonard Washington (15.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg), must also prove that its accomplishments in nonconference play were no fluke. The Cowboys went 13-2 during the nonconference portion of the schedule a year ago, only to drop seven of their first 11 MW games.

7. Nevada Wolf Pack (9-5)

Coach: David Carter (4th season)
2011-12 record: 28-7, 13-1 (first in WAC)
Outlook: After dropping four of its first seven, Nevada, as with many other MW teams, has opted to employ a four-guard offense. The results have proven beneficial for the Wolf Pack, who has won five of six. Nevada offers one of the top backcourt tandems in the league in senior Malik Story (16.8 ppg) and junior Deonte Burton (15.7 ppg), but has struggled on the boards. No player on the roster is currently averaging more than five rebounds per game.

8. Air Force Falcons (8-4)

Coach: Dave Pilipovich (1st season)
2011-12 record: 13-16, 3-11 (tied seventh)
Outlook: As is the case at Colorado State, Air Force has a wealth of senior experience in standout guard Michael Lyons (19.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg), center Taylor Broekhuis (10.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and guard Todd Fletcher (9.3 ppg, 4.1 apg). The key for the Falcons figures to be on the defensive end. In a league boasting some of the top offensive talent in the country, Air Force enters its MW opener against Nevada allowing an average of 66.4 points per outing, the second-highest total in the conference.

9. Fresno State Bulldogs (6-7)

Coach: Rodney Terry (2nd season)
2011-12 record: 13-20, 3-11 (7th in WAC)
Outlook: The Bulldogs are largely in a rebuilding phase, which may not be the optimal time to be climbing into the hornets' nest that has become the MW. Nonetheless, Terry, a former assistant at Texas, has his team defending, with Fresno State allowing just 59.2 points per game and losing four games by seven or fewer points. He has also successfully recruited building blocks for the future in 7-foot, 260-pound freshman center Robert Upshaw and freshman point guard Aaron Anderson. The question is whether the Bulldogs can score enough, with junior guard Tyler Johnson currently leading the team at 10.8 points per game.

While the veteran CSU roster had plenty of returning talent on hand for 2012-13, Eustachy had slightly different plans for how he would best use that talent during his first season in Fort Collins.

So far, so good.

After recording their 13th non-conference win (a new school record) with a blowout victory over 2012 NCAA tourney participant St. Bonaventure, Eustachy's Rams appear to be hitting their stride, just in time for the rugged conference schedule that awaits them...starting next Saturday when they travel to Mountain West preseason favorite San Diego State. Down the line of course, there are multiple encounters with not just the Aztecs, but nationally-ranked New Mexico, UNLV and Wyoming as well.

It's very rare these days to see a college basketball team in a power conference - and yes, with four teams in the Top 25 and six in the top 41 of the RPI rankings, the Mountain West is most certainly a "power" conference -- send out a starting lineup that consists of five seniors. Eustachy was asked about the advantage after his troops routed the Bonnies.

"Well, I think that freshman over at UNLV is pretty good," Eustachy replied, referring to Anthony Bennett of the Runnin' Rebels. "But yes, without a doubt. Having this much experience is a huge advantage. Huge."

But that doesn't mean there haven't been growing pains of sorts. Eustachy's style is very different from Miles, and he has asked his players to buy into a system that is unlike anything they've played before. Colorado State has been among the nation's best defensive teams this season, and has spent much of the non-conference season leading the country in rebounding margin. The defense-first mentality was the major "culture" change Eustachy brought with him to CSU.

"It's difficult," said senior guard Dorian Green. "It's a hard way to play but when we play it right, it's been proven to work."

"They totally believe in it now...it's just hard to do," Eustachy continued. "To move the ball around and cut hard and get the ball reversed and take good shots and then sprint back and defend every inch of the court is very difficult. But it's the way to play. It gives us the best chance to win."

CSU - along with upstarts Wyoming and Boise State - is trying to break through the three-team stranglehold that the Aztecs, Rebels and Lobos have had on the MW for the past few seasons. Sitting at 13-2 heading into conference play, the veteran Rams have now won a school-record-tying 22 straight games at Moby Arena. The last visiting coach to taste victory in Fort Collins? None other than Larry Eustachy, coaching Southern Miss last season.

It was the road that was the Rams' major pitfall during their run to the NCAA tournament last year. Now, with the addition of senior transfer Colton Iverson (who's already been the MW player of the week twice this season) in the middle, and the returning talents of four other seasoned seniors, these Rams have the look of a contender. Can they do better than two conference road wins this season, while continuing to protect their home floor?

Green believes they're ready for the test.

"We've been itching to get to conference play," he smiled. "Now is where we make our move."

Eustachy is eager to find out as well.

"Boys can win at home. Men win on the road."

Along with a not-as-good-as-normal 1-4 record for existing MW teams in the postseason, we need to factor in a pair of wins - and likely Top 25 BCS finishes - for Utah State and San Jose State as well. The Aggies and Spartans will be new members of the conference next fall, and their late-season performances have to be strongly considered when you look at next season's league race. Then again, both those schools - along with Nevada - will be breaking in brand new head coaches too, so there's that to consider.

First, now would be a great time for a tip of the cap to the Wolf Pack's Hall of Fame Coach Chris Ault, the inventor of the "pistol" offense and the school's all-time winningest head coach. All Ault did in Reno during his 40 years as the head coach was win 10 conference titles and go to 10 bowl games, while winning 233 games. Already in the College Football Hall of Fame, Ault is retiring, and turning over a loaded roster to his yet to be named successor.

At SJSU and USU, they'll also be replacing coaches. What none of those guys have to worry about is replacing standout quarterbacks. At the start of the season, the Spartans didn't know what they had in transfer David Fales, but by the end of the year, they had the nation's leader in completion percentage, a guy who threw for over 4,000 yards and was the MVP of the Military Bowl win over Bowling Green. That should make things a little smoother for new coach Ron Caragher.

Aggies new coach Matt Wells will hand the keys to dual threat standout Chuckie Keeton. All Keeton did this year was pass for 3,373 yards and rush for 619 while accounting for 35 touchdowns. Nevada's new head man will be able to count on junior Cody Fajardo, who threw for 2,786 yards and 20 touchdowns this season. He also rushed for 140 yards in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

And don't sleep on Brett Smith of Wyoming - if he can stay healthy. Smith and the Pokes had a snake-bit kind of season, but the conference's Freshman of the Year from 2011 did his fair share of damage when he was on the field this fall. Fair to expect a big year out of Smith in 2013.

And oh yes, the MW's Offensive Player of the Year will be back under center at Fresno State. Based on the talent (and head coach Tim DeRuyter) returning, you'd probably make the Bulldogs the pre-season MW favorite next season. Their star quarterback David Carr is slated to return to continue his assault on the Bulldogs (and conference) record book, and he'll have some talent receivers to throw to. Can Carr better his 4,104 passing yards and 37 TD's next fall?

If what we saw in 2012 is any indication, there's the potential to see some serious offensive explosions during Mountain West play in 2013.

Visit 2012 MW Bowl Central for full postseason coverage!

Editor's Note: For the sixth consecutive year, the Mountain West will send five teams into postseason bowl games. The league has earned 56 bowl bids since 1999 and holds a 31-20 (.608) all-time record in those contests. Over the last eight seasons, the MW has captured the Bowl Challenge Cup four times and owns the best win percentage in bowl games among the 11 FBS conferences with a 24-12 mark (.667). The MW is the only conference to win the trophy four times since the award's inception in 2002-03. This is the last in a series of five previews analyzing the matchups between this year's MW bowl participants and their respective opponents.

Overview: Air Force, which finished fourth this season in the MW, earned a bowl bid for a school-record sixth straight year under coach Troy Calhoun. The Falcons are 10-11-1 all-time in the postseason, having posted a mark of 1-2 in three previous appearances in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. Air Force and Rice are meeting for the seventh time overall. The Falcons lead the series 5-1, with the most recent meeting culminating in a 22-16 win by the Falcons in 1998. Rice, meanwhile, which won five of its final six games to finish in a tie for second place in the West Division of Conference USA, earned its 10th bowl bid in school history and third in the past seven years. The Owls, whose most recent postseason appearance came in a 38-14 win over Western Michigan in the 2008 Texas Bowl, have an all-time mark of 5-4 in bowl games.

When Air Force Has the Ball: Sixth-year senior quarterback Connor Dietz has completed 67-of-108 passes for 1,127 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. He was one of just three players (Alabama's A.J. McCarron, Louisiana Tech's Colby Cameron) to avoid throwing an interception until the ninth game of the season. Dietz's completion percentage of 62.0 percent ranks as the third-best single season mark in school history. He is second on the team in rushing with 658 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Senior running back Cody Getz ranks ninth in school history in single-season rushing yards with 1,213. Ranked No. 20 nationally with an average of 110.3 yards per game, Getz opened the season with five straight 100-yard games. He has topped the 200-yard mark a school-record three times this season and has six 100-yard games, tying the single-season school record. Junior receiver Ty MacArthur, who is averaging 17.1 yards per catch, leads the team with 24 receptions for 411 yards. MacArthur is also fifth on the team in rushing with 419 yards and two touchdowns while averaging a team-best 8.7 yards per carry. Defensively, Rice is paced by first-team All-Conference USA selection Phillip Gaines, a junior cornerback who is tied for the national lead with 18 pass breakups. Defensive tackles Hosam Shahin and Christian Covington have combined for nine sacks this season. Shahin's career-best 5.0 sacks are the most by a Rice interior lineman in 15 years. Shahin and Covington have combined with defensive ends Cody Bauer (5.5) and Jared Williams (5.5) for 20 sacks this season.

When Rice Has the Ball: Junior quarterback Taylor McHargue has had a hand in 22 of the Owls' 46 touchdowns this season. McHargue, who has completed 188-of-317 pass attempts (59.3 percent) with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions, also leads the team in both rushing yards (809) and rushing touchdowns (11). Junior running back Charles Ross (763 yards, 4 TDs) averaged 5.7 yards per carry during the regular season. Senior tight end Vance MacDonald, a first-team All-Conference USA selection who has been invited to participate in next month's Senior Bowl, has caught 35 passes for 433 yards and a pair of touchdowns despite missing three games due to injury. He had a combined 16 receptions for 184 yards and a touchdown in the team's final two games, finishing with a career-high nine catches in the season finale against UTEP. Air Force senior inside linebacker Austin Niklas and senior outside linebacker Alex Means pace the Air Force defense. Niklas is second in the MW and 28th nationally with an average of 9.5 tackles per game. He has recorded 10 or more tackles five times this season. Means, who ranks second on the team with an average of 7.4 tackles per contest, leads the team and ranks fourth in the league with 11.0 tackles for loss. He also has two interceptions, nine pass breakups and has blocked four kicks in his career.

Special Teams: Rice junior placekicker Chris Boswell leads the nation with six field goals of 50 or more yards this season and tied an NCAA record by kicking three from that distance against SMU on Nov. 17. He is 6-of-7 from 50 or more yards this year and has made his last four from that distance. He has connected on a school-record 21 field goals in 2012 while establishing a Rice scoring record for kickers with 105 points. Air Force senior placekicker Parker Herrington has made 4-of-10 field-goal attempts this season, while the do-everything MacArthur is averaging 19.7 yards on kickoff returns and 7.6 yards per punt return. MacArthur's 965 all-purpose yards rank second on the team. Rice junior Jeremy Eddington preserved the team's spot in the postseason when he returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown with just over six minutes remaining in the season finale at UTEP. Eddington finished with 210 yards on four kick returns, the second-best total in school history.

Analysis: Only one team in the nation --- Army --- averaged more yards rushing per game than Air Force (328.75), which is matched against a Rice squad that ranked tied for 91st in the country against the run (192.75 ypg). Conversely, the Owls, who boasted the second-best ground game in Conference USA (201.25 ypg), will test a Falcons rush defense that endured its own share of struggles, allowing an average of 198.0 yards per contest. In a game where the numbers are relatively even, much could be determined by special teams and Air Force's ability to protect the ball. The Falcons turned it over 26 times during the regular season, seven more than Rice.

Visit 2012 MW Bowl Central for full postseason coverage!

Editor's Note: For the sixth consecutive year, the Mountain West will send five teams into postseason bowl games. The league has earned 56 bowl bids since 1999 and holds a 31-20 (.608) all-time record in those contests. Over the last eight seasons, the MW has captured the Bowl Challenge Cup four times and owns the best win percentage in bowl games among the 11 FBS conferences with a 24-12 mark (.667). The MW is the only conference to win the trophy four times since the award's inception in 2002-03. This is the fourth in a series of five previews analyzing the matchups between this year's MW bowl participants and their respective opponents.

Overview: Mountain West tri-champion Fresno State enters the game riding a five-game win streak while pocketing its first league championship since 1999. This will be Fresno State's 24th bowl game in program history. The Bulldogs, who are 12-11 all-time in the postseason, are making their 12th bowl appearance in the last 14 seasons. Fresno State's most recent postseason appearance came in a 40-17 loss to Northern Illinois in the 2010 Humanitarian Bowl. SMU, under the direction of former Hawai‘i head coach June Jones, has dropped five of its six meetings against Fresno State, the last coming in a 42-0 loss on Oct. 30, 2004. The Mustangs won four of their final six games of the season, capped off by an upset of Conference USA West Division champion Tulsa, to become bowl eligible for the 14th time in program history. SMU, which topped Pittsburgh in last year's BBVA Compass Bowl, is 6-7-1 all-time in the postseason.

When Fresno State Has the Ball: The Bulldogs positively exploded in their first season utilizing offensive coordinator Dave Schramm's spread offense. Fresno State, which ranks first in the MW and 12th nationally in scoring offense (40.2 ppg), scored 40 or more points seven times. During the course of their current five-game win streak, the Bulldogs have scored 40 or more in every game. Paced by junior quarterback David Carr, the MW Offensive Player of the Year, Fresno State ranks first in the league and 12th nationally in passing offense (322.58 ypg) while ranking 14th in the country in total offense (488.50). Carr, the only quarterback in the league to average more than 300 yards passing per game (311.8), has completed 68.1 percent of his passes (311-of-457) this season while throwing just five interceptions. His 36 touchdown passes are nine more than any quarterback in the MW. Senior running back Robbie Rouse, the nation's third-leading active rusher and Fresno State's all-time leader with 4,625 career yards, tied the MW record this season with nine 100-yard games. He ranked third in the league and 13th nationally with an average of 122.3 yards per game. Wide receiver Davante Adams, the MW Freshman of the Year and a unanimous all-league first-team selection, led the conference in every receiving category. His 89 catches are 26 more than any other MW receiver this fall. His 1,168 receiving yards are 314 more and his 13 touchdowns are seven more than any player in the league. None of which bodes terribly well for SMU, which has allowed an average of 271.71 yards passing per game and ranks 103rd nationally in pass defense. The Mustangs, who finished second in the West Division of Conference USA, also ranked last in the league in sacks while allowing opposing quarterbacks to throw 26 touchdown passes.

When SMU Has the Ball: Whereas running the ball was largely considered a gadget play during Jones' run-'n'-shoot tenure at Hawai‘i, such is not the case at SMU where senior Zach Line rushed for 1,207 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. The Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year, Line is the only running back in SMU history with three 1,200-yard seasons. His 4,114 career rushing yards and 46 rushing touchdowns rank sixth and third, respectively, among active players, while his 4,715 career all-purpose yards are second all-time at SMU and his 276 career points are third. Quarterback Garrett Gilbert, who transferred from Texas last season, has thrown for 2,720 yards and 14 TDs against 13 interceptions. As good as Fresno State's offense has been this season its defense has been no less sparkling. Led by senior strong safety Phillip Thomas, the MW Defensive Player of the Year and finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, the Bulldogs ranked first in the MW in pass efficiency defense (100.0), pass defense (163.42 ypg; tied 4th nationally), sacks (35) and tackles for loss (85). Fresno State tied for first in the MW in takeaways (33) and was second in the league in total defense (335.33 ypg) and scoring defense (22.25 ppg). Thomas (82) and junior free safety Derron Smith (72) ranked first and second, respectively, in total tackles while combining for 14 interceptions. Thomas led the nation with eight INTs and took three of those thefts to the end zone. He also accumulated 12.5 tackles for loss on the year.

Special Teams: Fresno State senior Quentin Breshears, who made 11-of-14 field-goal attempts (78.6 percent) during the regular season, led all MW kickers with 89 points. Senior Andrew Shapiro ranked fifth in the league in punting with an average of 42.4 yards. SMU junior placekicker Chase Hover has endured his share of struggles, connecting on just 61.5 percent (16-of-26) of his field-goal attempts. Sophomore Der'Rikk Thompson (25.69 ypr) ranked fifth among kickoff returners in Conference USA this season for the Mustangs, who blocked six kicks during the regular season.

Analysis: It's been a magical ride for first-year coach Tim DeRuyter and Fresno State, whose three losses came against opponents (Oregon, Tulsa and Boise State) with a combined record of 31-6. The Bulldogs head to the islands playing at an extremely high level on both sides of the ball, and there's little reason to believe that an SMU team that allowed an average of 433.2 yards (286.2 passing) in its six losses will be able to slow one of the most efficient offenses in the country.

First, I want an automatic bowl tie in for the champion of the Mountain West Conference with the Fiesta Bowl, starting with the 2014 season. This just makes sense. The game is being left out of the tie-ins with the soon-to-be-former BCS conferences. The Fiesta will get two "at-large" teams. So I ask: Will a Northern Illinois be a better draw than the MW champ? Of course not. Let the MW champ face an at-large team and watch the conference profile grow.

Before that could happen, I want more "BCS" level schools to come play MW teams on OUR turf. More games like Nebraska at Wyoming (the 2011 game was a great event), Texas at New Mexico (Lobos played both UT and Texas Tech on the road this season), Kansas State at Colorado State, Notre Dame at Air Force (coming fall of 2013!), USC at UNLV (LA vs. Vegas...awesome) and maybe Oregon AT Fresno State. We get games like this way too seldom. The MW teams have to travel 80% of the time, often times for long distances. Make it a 50-50 sort of arrangement and the MW schools would come out on top a lot more often. And the profile will grow.

I want a shiny new on-campus football stadium for Colorado State and a bowl game for Denver's Sports Authority Field. They play lots of bowl games in places with weather worse than Denver, and there's plenty to do in the football crazed Mile High City.

Staying with that theme, I want a holiday college basketball tournament to return to Pepsi Center in Denver. The return of "The Mile High Classic" circa 1989, could feature Colorado, Colorado State (for a possible second meeting each season, the first being their annual on-campus game in early December), Nebraska (now coached by former CSU head man Tim Miles) and say, Oklahoma State. If the atmosphere at the CSU - CU game in Boulder is an indicator, there is an appetite for more quality college hoops along the front range. Add in the fan fervor from Nebraska and the basketball history of Okie State, you'd have a smash hit.

I want pre-season college baseball tournaments in places like Fresno, Las Vegas and Albuquerque that bring some of the nation's best programs west. Entice some of the powerful teams from Florida and the east coast to come to MW territory for some early season tests. If the SEC and ACC schools won't venture out to play MW teams, the conference RPI will never get to where it should be.

I want a trip to Omaha for the College World Series - via bus ride of course - for Ray Birmingham and the New Mexico Lobos baseball team. Come to think of it, I want to see Tony Gwynn take the San Diego State Aztecs to Omaha, too. (My guess is they would fly...) I also want to see Mike Kazlausky and the Air Force Falcons play in the MW tournament. They deserve it.

I want baseball programs brought back at Colorado State and Wyoming. I know, it's about money and weather....but hey, we made it work when I was in school. It could work now, too. It's working at Air Force, by the way.

Finally, I want a period of quiet calm on the realignment front for Commissioner Thompson and everyone in the MW offices. They deserve it, too.

Is this asking for too much????

Visit 2012 MW Bowl Central for full postseason coverage!

Editor's Note: For the sixth consecutive year, the Mountain West will send five teams into postseason bowl games. The league has earned 56 bowl bids since 1999 and holds a 31-20 (.608) all-time record in those contests. Over the last eight seasons, the MW has captured the Bowl Challenge Cup four times and owns the best win percentage in bowl games among the 11 FBS conferences with a 24-12 mark (.667). The MW is the only conference to win the trophy four times since the award's inception in 2002-03. This is the third in a series of five previews analyzing the matchups between this year's MW bowl participants and their respective opponents.

Overview: Mountain West tri-champion Boise State is making its third straight appearance in the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl. The Broncos topped Utah 26-3 in the 2010 game before blitzing Arizona 56-24 in last year's contest. One of just 10 teams nationally to play in 10 or more consecutive bowl games, the Broncos, who are 8-4 in FBS bowl games, will be making their 11th straight postseason appearance and 12th in the past 13 years. The game marks the third consecutive postseason appearance for Washington following last season's 67-56 loss to Baylor in the Alamo Bowl. The Huskies, who finished fourth in the Pac-12 North, have an all-time bowl mark of 16-15-1.

When Boise State Has the Ball: While the loss of four-year starting quarterback Kellen Moore was destined to have a significant impact, the Broncos nonetheless averaged 30.4 points and 390.0 yards per game. Junior Joe Southwick, who assumed Moore's spot behind center, concluded the regular season completing 66.7 percent of his pass attempts (222-of-333) with 17 touchdowns. In his last two games, Southwick has completed 36-of-46 passes for 415 yards. Senior running back D.J. Harper, a second-team All-MW selection, eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in the team's regular-season finale at Nevada and has accounted for 15 of BSU's 42 touchdowns in 2012. The Broncos will be facing a Washington team that ranks 16th nationally in pass efficiency defense (2nd in Pac-12) and 30th in total defense (3rd in Pac-12). Only three teams in the Pac-12 allowed fewer points per game (23.83) than the Huskies during the regular season.

When Washington Has the Ball: Led by dual-threat quarterback Keith Price, the Huskies have endured their share of offensive struggles in 2012, ranking 10th in the Pac-12 and 99th nationally in total offense (347.58 ypg). Washington, which will be facing the nation's No. 9-ranked defense, has been limited to 21 or fewer points seven times this season. Now the Huskies are presented with the challenge of finding the end zone against a Boise State defense that is yielding an average of just 14.92 points (No. 6 nationally) and has not allowed more than 21 points in a game since Week 4. Four BSU players --- DL Mike Atkinson, DE Demarcus Lawrence, LB J.C. Percy and CB Jamar Taylor --- earned first-team All-MW honors, with Percy becoming the program's first player to record more than 100 tackles in a season (101) since 2006. Lawrence's 9.5 sacks led the MW. Washington's Austin Seferian-Jenkins, a finalist for the John Mackey Award, presented annually to the nation's top tight end, holds school records for receptions, yards and touchdowns by a tight end. His 63 receptions this season ranks second nationally among tight ends and also represent a single-season school record.

Special Teams: Broncos senior placekicker Michael Frisina has already connected on 12 field goals in 2012, quadrupling his total from all of 2011 (three). The Broncos' average of 25.77 yards per kickoff return ranks 9th nationally, while senior Chris Potter ranks 18th in the country with an average of 11.83 yards per punt return. Washington placekicker/punter Travis Coons has converted 7-of-11 field-goal attempts this season and is averaging 39.5 yards per punt.

Analysis: While Washington does possess its share of weapons in Price, Seferian-Jenkins and sophomore running back Bishop Sankey (102.83 ypg), this is a tall order for the Huskies, who must deal with a team that ranks fourth in the nation in turnovers gained (33) and is tied for fourth in pass defense (163.42 ypg). The Broncos are also sixth in scoring defense, seventh in pass efficiency defense (101.42) and ninth in total defense. Nationally, Washington ranks no higher than 86th (passing offense) in any offensive category.

Football had dictated every single move in this ongoing saga - until last week. Finally, a group of schools who don't play football and had grown tired of having their athletic futures decided by what was best for other school's football programs, decided to stand up for hoops.

Because DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John's and Villanova carve out much of their athletic identity from their basketball programs, the recent football-fueled expansion moves by their conference, the Big East, left them feeling left out. As a result, a conference that was originally formed to be a basketball power and grew into the best hoops conference in the country - which had over the course of the last couple of years over-extended itself in order to try to keep up with the madness created by football - appears to be mortally wounded. At the very least, the Big East Conference has completely lost its identity, if not much much more.

Considering how popular NCAA basketball and "March Madness" have become, it's always been puzzling why what was best for basketball programs has never really been considered during all the crazy conference shuffling. It's not like the basketball programs are irrelevant and won't be affected, right? There are numerous schools that have changed or will be changing conferences whose basketball teams are better than their football teams. Often times, those powerful basketball teams aren't getting to take a step up in conference, but a good-sized step back. How does this make any sense?

It was their unhappiness with having their conference watered down in hoops that led those seven prominent Big East schools to announce they were breaking away. Who knows if they will be the last to do so.

Meanwhile, the Mountain West is one of those handful of conferences that has had great balance between football and basketball. Over the past eight seasons, MW football teams have posted the best win percentage in bowl games of any conference - better than the Almighty SEC. Yet collectively, hoops might be even better, with the MW's conference RPI ranking in the top five each of the last three seasons. Boise State, Fresno State, and Nevada - the schools that have joined the MW in the past three years (with the exception of Hawaii, a football-only member) have all enjoyed a step up in conference affiliation in ALL their sports, not just football. The same will be true for San Jose State and Utah State starting next season.

Realignment isn't finished - not by a long shot. But you have to wonder, now that the soon-to-be former Big East members have seemingly struck the first blow for what's best for basketball, how many other schools might be thinking and rethinking decisions that have been made, to this point, without much thought about the well being of their other sports programs.

Visit 2012 MW Bowl Central for full postseason coverage!

Editor's Note: For the sixth consecutive year, the Mountain West will send five teams into postseason bowl games. The league has earned 56 bowl bids since 1999 and holds a 31-20 (.608) all-time record in those contests. Over the last eight seasons, the MW has captured the Bowl Challenge Cup four times and owns the best win percentage in bowl games among the 11 FBS conferences with a 24-12 mark (.667). The MW is the only conference to win the trophy four times since the award's inception in 2002-03. This is the second in a series of five previews analyzing the matchups between this year's MW bowl participants and their respective opponents.

Overview: San Diego State, which captured its first league title since 1998 by finishing in a three-way tie atop the Mountain West with Boise State and Fresno State, won the Poinsettia Bowl two years ago with a 35-14 victory over Navy. The game matches a pair of former MW foes, with the teams' last meeting culminating in a 24-21 win by BYU on Oct. 9, 2010. SDSU, which is 2-5 in bowl games, is making its third straight postseason appearance after dropping a 32-30 decision to Louisiana in last year's New Orleans Bowl. BYU, which earlier signed a three-year agreement to play in the Poinsettia Bowl has appeared in seven straight postseason contests, its latest coming in a 24-21 win over Tulsa in the 2011 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. The Cougars, who are 12-17-1 in bowl games, lead the all-time series against SDSU 27-7-1.

When San Diego State Has the Ball: Since losing starting quarterback Ryan Katz to a season-ending ankle injury against Nevada in Week 8, the Aztecs have largely leaned on the running back tandem of sophomore Adam Muema (112.9 ypg) and senior Walter Kazee (68.5). The duo has enabled SDSU to rise to 16th in the nation in rushing offense with an average of 229.17 yards per game. Muema, who has six 100-yard games this season, rushed for a career-high 255 yards in the regular-season finale at Wyoming to post his second career 200-yard game. The 255 yards were the ninth-most in a game in program history and most since Larry Ned had 285 in 2001. Junior Gavin Escobar, a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award, annually presented to the nation's top tight end, has six touchdown receptions this season and has multiple receptions in 10 of the team's 12 games. SDSU has outscored opponents by an average of 15 points during its current seven-game win streak. The challenge for the Aztecs will be finding room to run against a BYU defense that ranks second in the nation in rush defense (84.25 ypg).

When BYU Has the Ball: Though seniors Riley Nelson and James Lark will likely split time at quarterback against the Aztecs, Lark made the most of his first start of the season in the regular-season finale at New Mexico State, completing 34-of-50 passes for 384 yards and six touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Cody Hoffman was on the receiving end of five of Lark's TD passes, establishing a BYU single-game record. Hoffman, who ranks 20th nationally with an average of 94.50 receiving yards per game, has seven 100-yard games in 2012. He has caught at least one pass in 31 consecutive contests. Meanwhile, running back Jamaal Williams enters the contest with 744 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns on the ground. His rushing total is the highest ever by a BYU true freshman and his 11 scoring runs equal the school record for a true freshman. San Diego State leads the MW in rushing defense, limiting opponents to just 140.25 yards per game. The Aztecs ranked third in the MW in sacks during the regular season, with sophomore linebacker Jake Fely (86 tackles, 11 for loss) registering a team-high seven quarterback sacks.

Special Teams: After enduring some early-season struggles, Aztecs senior placekicker Chance Marden has connected on eight of his last nine field goal attempts. SDSU junior Colin Lockett has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns this season. BYU, meanwhile, which blocked five kicks during the regular season, possesses a legitimate weapon in senior punter Riley Stephenson, whose average of 47.31 yards ranks No. 2 in the nation.

Analysis: SDSU sophomore quarterback Adam Dingwell has performed admirably in place of injured starter Ryan Katz, setting career highs in completions (19) and completion percentage (79.17 percent) in the regular-season finale at Wyoming. But this figures to be no small test for Dingwell, who will be facing a team that ranks third in the country in total defense (266.33 ypg) and has allowed more than 24 points only once this season (42 vs. Oregon State). Meanwhile, BYU is facing the task of not only winning what is essentially a home game for the Aztecs, but trying to snap the momentum of a team that has won seven straight, its longest streak since winning seven consecutive contests from Nov. 15, 1980-Oct. 10, 1981.

Visit 2012 MW Bowl Central for full postseason coverage!

Editor's Note: For the sixth consecutive year, the Mountain West will send five teams into postseason bowl games in 2012. The league has earned 56 bowl bids since 1999 and holds a 31-20 (.608) all-time record in those contests. Over the last eight seasons, the MW has captured the Bowl Challenge Cup four times and owns the best win percentage in bowl games among the 11 FBS conferences with a 24-12 mark (.667). The MW is the only conference to win the trophy four times since the award's inception in 2002-03. This is the first in a series of five previews analyzing the matchups between this year's MW bowl participants and their respective opponents.

Overview: The all-time series is tied 1-1-1, but the teams have not met in 72 years, with Arizona claiming a 26-7 decision in the schools' last meeting on Oct. 11, 1941. Nevada has an all-time mark of 4-8 in bowl games after dropping a 24-17 decision to Southern Miss in last year's Sheraton Hawai‘i Bowl. Arizona is bowl-eligible for the fourth time in the last five seasons. The Wildcats' last bowl appearance came in a 36-10 loss to Oklahoma State in the 2010 Alamo Bowl. Overall, Arizona, which finished fourth in the Pac-12 South in 2012, is 6-9-1 in the postseason.

When Nevada Has the Ball: Nevada sophomore quarterback Cody Fajardo, who ranked first in the Mountain West and 11th nationally in total offense during the regular season (319.2 ypg), will take aim at a Wildcat pass defense that has endured more than its share of struggles in 2012, ranking last in the Pac-12 and 116th nationally (295.92 ypg). Meanwhile, senior tailback Stefphon Jefferson, the nation's second-leading rusher (141.92 ypg) and third-leading scorer (23 total TDs), will attempt to exploit an Arizona rush defense that ranked second-to-last this season in the Pac-12 (189.75 ypg).

When Arizona Has the Ball: The only running back in the nation to average more yards per game than Nevada's Jefferson during the regular season was Arizona sophomore Ka'Deem Carey (146.42). Carey, who has 20 rushing touchdowns, will be matched against a Nevada defense that allowed 213.17 rushing yards per game during the regular season. Wildcat senior quarterback Matt Scott (338.45 ypg) ranks seventh nationally and first in the Pac-12 in total offense. Sophomore Austin Hill (99.08 ypg) was the third-leading receiver in the Pac-12 during the regular season. Wolfpack senior linebacker Albert Rosette enters the game as the leading tackler in the MW (10.7 tackles per game). Senior Duke Williams led all MW cornerbacks in tackles during the regular season (100), while sophomore defensive end Brock Hekking ranked second in the league in sacks with eight.

Special Teams: Nevada senior Khalid Wooten averaged 16.4 yards to rank first in the MW in punt return average during the regular season. Wolfpack senior placekicker enters the contest having connected on 7-of-8 field goals (87.5 percent) and 50-of-51 extra-point attempts. Arizona senior kicker John Bonano was 51-of-52 on PATs during the regular season, but missed six of his 20 field goal attempts, including three from a distance of 20-29 yards.

Analysis: If you're a fan of offense, this has the potential to be one of the most entertaining games of the bowl season. While Nevada ranks first in the MW and 20th nationally in scoring offense with an average of 37.0 points per game, only 20 teams in the nation have allowed more points per game than Arizona (34.25), which has yielded more than 40 four times. Conversely, Arizona's offense averaged 37.25 points (second in the Pac-12) during the regular season, while Nevada allowed 32.5. Might defense prove paramount? Just a hunch.

Sure, in basketball, it's more semantics that economics, because in the end, it doesn't matter to teams like Butler, Creighton or Wichita State if they're in a conference labeled a "mid-major." So it doesn't REALLY matter if the national media still wants to refer to the Mountain West as a "mid-major" conference. Those who know the game know better. There's nothing "mid" about Mountain West hoops.

Just for the sake of argument, wouldn't it be nice to know what constitutes a "power" conference in college basketball, and how that designation is earned? I mean, the MW put half of its conference teams in the NCAA tournament a year ago, and could do even better this season. Two years after the "once in a lifetime" season of Jimmer and Kwahi, and one year after having a conference RPI that was better than the ACC, the Mountain West is back again, and possibly better than ever. Three teams are nationally ranked, two more are inside the Top 40 of the RPI, and another, Boise State, which was projected in the lower half of the conference, has already gone on the road and knocked off 11th-ranked Creighton 83-70. It's the Blue Jays only loss of the season so far.

From top to bottom, could the MW be the best it's ever been?

Right now, the MW is the No. 5 rated conference in terms of RPI, ahead of two "power" conferences in the Big 12 AND the SEC. This isn't the first time the MW has been ranked among the top five, either. It concluded both the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons as the fifth-ranked RPI conference. So, the MW is ranked among the top five leagues for the third straight year and yet still "some" pundits continue to dwell on the "mid-major" label.

Through the end of November, the MW had the nation's best collective winning percentage, and in addition to New Mexico, San Diego State and UNLV being nationally ranked, Wyoming, Boise State and Colorado State all had received votes. All nine teams in the conference had a winning record.

What about all this says "mid-major?"

It was a power conference atmosphere in Boulder last week when Colorado State visited Colorado and the two played before the biggest crowd to ever watch a game at CU. The Buffaloes held off a spirited second-half charge by the Rams to win at home, just days after Wyoming had whipped the defending Pac-12 tournament champion Buffs in Laramie. Meanwhile, the Rams had already traveled to Washington and pasted the Huskies. These games illustrated the small difference between the best of the "power conference" Pac-12 and a couple of teams that finished in the middle of the Mountain West last season. (As for the top of the MW, San Diego State has already beaten UCLA, and New Mexico has whipped USC, just for good measure...)

So we ask again, what makes a college basketball league a "power conference" and what makes it a mid-major? Is it just the random opinions of the biased media? Do facts and results have anything to do with it? Do these labels even matter?

No...and yes. They matter only come tournament selection time. They matter if the NCAA selection committee can't look past conference affiliation when awarding bids to deserving teams outside of the "power" conferences. This HAS happened in the recent past. There were some in the media advocating for five MW teams to get NCAA bids a year ago. "Only" four did, which tied a conference record for the second time in three years. You could have made a strong case for more.

That record could be short-lived. Along with New Mexico, Wyoming has started the season 10-0 and the Cowboys appear ready to join the upper echelon. There really is no reason why the veteran group from Colorado State doesn't earn a repeat trip...and the threesome of the Lobos, Aztecs and Rebels appear to be locks. So if five out of the nine MW teams get to go dancing this coming March, I say we get some sort of official proclamation from the state governors that puts an official end to this "mid-major" nonsense, once and for all.

Or we could just enjoy the postseason and remember then that labels don't matter. Much.

But what about the other half? What are the prospects for the MW teams whose 2012 seasons are finished? This is important, because when it comes to measuring the over-all strength of a football conference, it's not just what happens at the top that matters. Conference strength can also be measured from the bottom up. There were numerous positive developments for each of these five teams during the 2012 season, and each has reason to look forward to being in bowl contention next season.

In Norm Chow's first year as a head coach, Hawai‘i revamped their offense and started making the shift from the days of the run and shoot to Chow's more traditional offensive approach. The win-loss total wasn't what Chow is aiming for, but the foundation for the future appears to be in place. Chow opted to red shirt many of his best recruits this season, and big things are expected down the road from the likes of quarterbacks Taylor Graham and Ikaika Woolsey.

Chow also came into this season stressing the need for the Warriors to play better defense, signaling an attitude shift: less pure entertainment and more focus on a championship.

Things didn't go exactly has planned for UNLV this season, the Rebels third straight two-win campaign. But Rebels coach Bobby Hauck believes he also has a foundation in place for next season, and getting to a bowl game in his fifth year is his only priority. This season featured four losses by a total of 16 points - an indication that the Rebels are getting much closer to challenging the best teams in the conference.

New Mexico looked like they might make a run at a bowl game in Bob Davie's first season. They jumped out of the gate with a 66-point outburst in a win over Southern, and after dropping a pair to Big 12 opponents, won three of their next four to reach the .500 mark. They faded down the stretch, but Davie's move to the option offense provided a taste of success for a program that had managed only a single win the past two seasons.

"I appreciate these kids effort, I really do," Davie said following the season ending, last second loss at Colorado State. "I love how hard they fight. At the end, they were still standing there swinging. I guess if you look it like that, you can call it a success. They put themselves in a position to win.

"We start our off-season program tomorrow."

The season ending win over New Mexico allowed Colorado State to avoid another 3-9 finish, which would have been their fourth in a row. Instead, they won three of their final five games - all in front of the home fans - and served notice that better days are ahead.

"There's a lot we can build on," said first year CSU Head Coach Jim McElwain after the New Mexico win. "We had some young guys step up and make some plays.

"Three wins at home here at the buzzer, I think this is something that can really help our program moving forward." McElwain added. "There's some good positive things we can take here from this back half of the season. I'm disappointed in our win loss record, but I am not disappointed at all in what we are building, the direction this program is heading. It's not okay not to give your best every day, and that's where this organization is headed."

Wyoming was the one team in this group that expected to challenge for not just a bowl game, but possibly even the 2012 conference title. Among these non-bowl MW teams, the Cowboys have the best prospects for 2013 due mainly to the return of star quarterback Brett Smith. Smith missed significant playing time this season battling concussions, but when he was healthy, he showed the same flashes that earned him Freshman of the Year honors in 2011. If Smith can stay on the field next season, Wyoming should be a factor in the league title race.

2013 should prove to be an equally challenging and exciting year for all the conference teams. Western Athletic Conference champs Utah State and San Jose State replace Boise State and SDSU, but don't expect any drop off. Both the Aggies and Spartans finished the regular season ranked in the BCS Top 25, a sign that the battle for bowl slots will be just as intense next season.

And if Wednesday night's results were a harbinger of things to come, those nights don't figure to include a great deal of sleep, either, particularly in 2012-13.

Know this: Teams simply do not wander onto Creighton's home floor and win by 13, as Boise State did. Teams simply do not stroll into UC Santa Barbara's Thunderdome and win by 28, as Wyoming did.

At the outset of the season, many were of the belief that the league was capable of potentially earning five bids to this year's NCAA Tournament. Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State and UNLV, along with newcomer Nevada, were viewed as having the means to muscle their way through the MW maelstrom.

So what happens four weeks into the season? Boise State, which finished tied for last in the MW a year ago, merely knocks off the No. 11 team in the nation. Creighton, which was coming off a 14-point win over Arizona State after posting a 10-point win over Wisconsin, had won 93 straight home games when scoring 70 or more points. The Bluejays entered the contest having won 42 consecutive home games in November and 41 straight against unranked opponents.

Boise State had recorded one road win in program history against a ranked opponent, that coming when the Broncos prevailed at No. 24 Nevada in 2005.

Meanwhile, Wyoming, which is 7-0 for the first time since 1987-88, breezed to a 68-40 win against a UC Santa Barbara squad that in the last five-plus years had gone 54-16 at home. Keep in mind, this is the same Gauchos' team that has advanced to three straight Big West Conference Tournament title games, made three NCAA Tournament appearances in the past decade and whose three home losses last season came against San Diego State (overtime), UNLV (double overtime) and Long Beach State. All three earned bids to the NCAA Tournament.

Said Boise State coach Leon Rice, whose team nearly won at No. 15 Michigan State before falling 74-70 on Nov. 20: "We don't want to be defined by the win in November. Hey, it was a great win against the 11th-ranked team in the country and a tough place to play, and they played their tails off and I'm so proud of them. But we have to get a lot better to compete in our league."

Seven games remain on the Broncos' non-conference schedule, including a December 14 meeting at home against LSU, before opening a grueling Mountain West schedule January 9 at Wyoming.

While that may seem preposterous enough --- none of the last five winners of the award has ranked higher than 11th nationally in interceptions and two didn't rank among the top 96 --- I'm certain the arguments against Fresno State's Philip Thomas taking home the honor in 2012 will be only slightly more inane.

To wit:

• Thomas, a semifinalist for the award, finished the regular season as the national leader in interceptions with eight, two more than any Thorpe Award winner over the past five seasons. His interception total was the most by a Fresno State player in 27 years and set a new Mountain West single-season record.

• Thomas, who on Wednesday was named to the 2012 AFCA FBS Coaches' All-America Team, selected by American Football Coaches Association, returned three interceptions for touchdowns. His nine total takeaways (eight interceptions, one fumble recovery) are both tied for the FBS lead. His three interceptions for touchdowns set a school record, tied the Mountain West single-season record and rank one shy of the NCAA record.

• Thomas' four forced fumbles are tied for the seventh-most in the nation. He led the Bulldogs this year with 82 tackles and his 12.0 tackles for a loss were the second-most in the MW.

• In 2011 without Thomas, who suffered a broken leg and dislocated ankle during the offseason, Fresno State went 4-9 and tied for last nationally in turnovers gained (nine). This season, the Bulldogs went 9-3, claimed a share of their first conference title since 1999 and are currently tied for third nationally with 33 takeaways. Fresno State has registered the biggest turnover turnaround in the FBS this century in becoming the first team to record fewer than 10 takeaways the previous season before amassing more than 30 the following year.

While most consider Mississippi State's Johnthan Banks and Alabama's Dee Milliner to be Thomas' chief competition for the award, this race --- assuming the award is not limited to SEC membership --- is less of a leaning at the tape than a landslide.

Banks has enjoyed a standout career at Mississippi State, but his totals in 2012 include four interceptions (second on the team), 59 tackles (fifth), two tackles for loss and one fumble recovery. He was also part of a team whose defense surrendered an average of 38.5 points in the Bulldogs' four SEC losses.

Milliner, meanwhile, who will undoubtedly sway voters in that he toils for the top-ranked defense in the country (lest we conveniently forget this is an individual award), doesn't even measure up to Banks. Heading into this weekend's SEC title game against Georgia, Milliner's defensive totals include two interceptions (tied for third on team), 47 tackles (fifth), one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Of the past five Thorpe Award winners --- LSU's Morris Claiborne, LSU's Patrick Peterson, Tennessee's Eric Berry, Ohio State's Malcolm Jenkins and Arizona's Antoine Cason --- Thomas returned as many interceptions for touchdowns in 2012 as those five players combined during the seasons in which they won the award. He also averaged four more interceptions, 21.2 more tackles and 3.3 more tackles for loss.

Dispense with the discussion. The polls are closed. Phillip Thomas is in a league of his own --- even if the so-called "Big Five" refuse to acknowledge the existence of other leagues.

A Sign of Things to Come
The Mountain West will be adding two of this season's most successful teams to its football lineup in 2013.

Utah State, currently ranked No. 20 in the Associated Press poll, No. 22 in the USA Today/Coaches' rankings and Harris Interactive poll and No. 24 in the latest BCS Standings, posted its first 10-win season in school history last week with a 45-9 win over Idaho its regular-season finale. The victory gave the WAC champion Aggies (10-2), who have accepted an invitation to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, their first outright league title since 1936.

"These kids have come so far," said fourth-year head coach Gary Andersen. "They put high expectations on themselves at the beginning of the year, starting January 7th. I'll never forget the day when they broke out of this room right here saying WAC champs. They've said it hundreds and hundreds of times since then and now it's true."

Meanwhile, San Jose State, under the direction of coach third-year head coach Mike MacIntyre, posted its first 10-win season since 1987 with a win over Louisiana Tech in the Spartans' regular-season finale. Ranked No. 25 in the latest BCS Standings, San Jose State (10-2) finished WAC play at 5-1, its lone loss coming against Utah State.

Both teams feature dynamic young quarterbacks in Utah State sophomore Chuckie Keaton and San Jose State junior David Fales. Keaton currently ranks 31st among FBS passers, while Fales is 13th.

"We are back on our way up," said MacIntyre, who inherited a team that finished 2-10 in 2009. "We have a lot to do and you can either get better or worse, so we will keep pushing along and keep going. We lose some great seniors this season but we have a good junior class and some redshirts coming in. Our footing is going the right way. We just have to keep going the same direction."

Quick Hitters
• Should Boise State top Nevada in the regular-season finale for both teams on Saturday, it would mark just the second time in league history that tri-champions were crowned in the Mountain West. In the league's inaugural season of 1999, BYU, Colorado State and Utah shared the league crown with identical 5-2 records in MW play. Fresno State and San Diego State each claimed a share of the title last week, marking only the second time in the Conference's 14 years that multiple teams earned the MW championship.

• For the first time in league history, six Mountain West running backs have eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark, including Nevada's Stefphon Jefferson (1,564), New Mexico's Kasey Carrier (1,469), Fresno State's Robbie Rouse (1,468), San Diego State's Adam Muema (1,355), UNLV's Tim Cornett (1,232) and Air Force's Cody Getz (1,213). The six 1,000-yard rushers breaks the previous MW single-season record of five set in 2001 (BYU's Luke Staley, San Diego State's Larry Ned, Utah's Dameon Hunter, Air Force's Keith Boyea and UNLV's Joe Haro). The league could have two more reach the 1,000-yard mark before the end of the season, as Boise State RB D.J. Harper currently has 935 rushing yards and Nevada QB Cody Fajardo has 900.

• Five Mountain West teams, including Boise State (9-2), Fresno State (9-3), San Diego State (9-3), Nevada (7-4) and Air Force (6-6) have earned bowl eligibility. The MW has boasted five bowl-eligible teams in each of the past eight seasons and nine times overall. Since its inception in 1999, the MW has earned 51 bowl bids and holds a 31-20 (.608) all-time record.

• Over the last eight seasons, the Mountain West has captured the Bowl Challenge Cup four times and owns the best win percentage in bowl games among the 11 FBS conferences with a mark of 24-12 (.667). The MW is the only conference to win the trophy four times since the award's inception in 2002-03.

Boise State, Fresno State and San Diego State can each claim a share of the conference crown by winning their final game of the season. The Bulldogs have to take down bowl bound Air Force at home this week, while the rejuvenated Aztecs have a tough one at surging Wyoming. The Broncos will face Nevada on December 1st in one of those "what might have been" kind of games.

As far as co-champs and being able to stake a claim to the top spot via head-to-head results, Fresno State - which beat SDSU and lost to Boise State - needs help in the form of a Nevada win over the Broncos. A two-way tie with SDSU would give the Bulldogs the top spot. The Aztecs need a win in Laramie (no sure thing) and an Air Force win in Fresno to create a two-way tie with Boise State. SDSU holds the head-to-head edge in that one.

A co-championship would be welcomed in both San Diego and Fresno. Both were picked to finish in the upper half of the conference, but neither was thought to have the guns to win the title. For the Bulldogs, it would be quite a statement moving forward, coming in their first year in the league. For the Aztecs, a feather in their cap on the way out the door.

For Boise State, a win over Nevada would give them a 10-2 record - the best in the Conference overall - and a loss by the Aztecs in Laramie would create a two-way tie with a Fresno State team they defeated. But oh, what might have been for these Broncos.

It turns out that a season-opening loss at Michigan State would not have prevented the Broncos from going to a BCS bowl game after all. Even with that defeat, if Boise State had been able to roll through the conference unscathed, they would have been rated in the Top 16 (probably Top 12) of the BCS standings, been the highest rated non-BCS conference champion and gained an automatic BCS berth. Instead, SDSU's shocking win on the blue turf in Boise tossed the Broncos out of the rankings and into a three-way battle for a spot in the Maaco Bowl Las Vegas.

Boise State will still likely get that bid if they beat Nevada, based on overall record. But they were this close to something even better.

So now, when we look forward to the postseason, who will be going where?

We know Air Force is going to the Armed Forces Bowl, regardless of what happens in Fresno. That invite has been accepted already. It's also likely that Nevada will end up in the New Mexico Bowl, regardless of what happens against Boise State. The conference has five eligible teams for five bowl slots.

The three destinations in question are Las Vegas, San Diego's Poinsettia and the Sheraton Hawai‘i Bowl. No losers in that deal. Best bets right now? Boise State makes its last trip to Vegas, the Aztecs stay home in the Poinsettia, and Fresno State gets a nice trip to the Islands. A fitting way to cap off a crazy season - before welcoming in WAC champ Utah State and bowl-bound San Jose State for next season. Stay tuned.

They play every year for the Bronze Boot, a traveling trophy with significance measured far beyond won-loss record. For the record, Wyoming won this year's game 45-31. Now both teams have two wins on the season. And Cowboy fans can exhale.

There were a lot of people - present company included - who thought Wyoming would be in the thick of the Mountain West championship race in 2012. Coming off a bowl season in 2011, and featuring outstanding young quarterback Brett Smith, the Cowboys were a trendy pick to give Boise State and newcomers Nevada and Fresno State a run for their money.

It hasn't turned out that way. A pair of concussions suffered by Smith - who was the MW Freshman of the Year last season and seemed poised to have an even bigger year this time around - effectively squelched the Cowboys hopes of having a really big year. As far as 2012, it became apparent very early that as Brett Smith goes, so go the Wyoming Cowboys.

After playing well in a loss at Texas in the opener, and locked in a tough battle with Toledo in week two, the Pokes saw the trigger man of their high powered spread offense leave the game with his first concussion mid-way through the fourth quarter. Smith had thrown for 339 yards and two scores before he was helped off the field, and the Pokes fell 34-31. Without Smith at all in game three, Wyoming dropped one to Cal Poly to fall to 0-3.

After beating Idaho and then resting up during a bye week, Smith returned for a highly anticipated match up at Nevada. He suffered a second concussion in what became an overtime loss to the Wolf Pack. After throwing three touchdown passes, the star QB's night ended early and the Pokes hopes of an upset fell short 35-28. Wyo fell to 1-4.

Smith was sidelined for the stomach-churning loss to Air Force. Then came a pair of blowout losses to a very good Fresno State team and even better Boise State squad, and suddenly, Wyoming was sitting there with a 1-7 record.

So the Border War game and all that came with it could not have come at a better time for the Pokes. Smith had returned against the Broncos but wasn't back to his pre-injury form quite yet. He showed early against CSU that he WAS finally 100% healthy, and having Smith at this best was plenty to help Christensen earn his fourth straight Bronze Boot. Wyoming was remarkable on third down, converting their first nine tries, including four "3rd-and-double digits." For the game they produced numbers most people expected them to produce all season: 228 yards rushing, 240 yards passing, 32 first downs, including an amazing 15-for-20 on third down. Smith threw for four scores and ran for another. It was a sparkling performance.

The bad news: It's too late to get bowl eligible again, and the Pokes have discovered the hard way that they probably didn't have a solid enough contingency plan going into the season in the case of an injury to their star quarterback. Consider it a lesson learned. They've begun playing talented back up Jason Thompson a series or two even in games that Smith is healthy, just to keep him ready. An experienced Thompson could be the remedy for what ails the Pokes offense when Smith (who has gotten more than one sideline lecture about the virtues of sliding or ducking out of bounds) misses time.

The good news: Smith will be back next season as a well healed and seasoned junior, when he and everyone in brown and gold will get a fresh start. Expect the Cowboys to be in the thick of the 2013 MW title chase.

Offensive Player of the Year: Fresno State junior quarterback Derek Carr has been nothing short of masterful in directing the Bulldogs' newly-installed spread offense, ranking No. 2 (tied with West Virginia's Geno Smith) nationally in the category of touchdown passes (26), No. 5 in passing yards (2,766) and No. 7 in completions per game (27.9). Carr, who has completed 68.4 percent of his passes against just five interceptions (367 attempts), has posted two 400-yard games thus far, tying the MW record for most 400-yard games in a season. He has five games in which he has thrown three or more touchdown passes and has two of the four longest completions in the NCAA this season. His 97-yard scoring pass against Colorado on Sept. 15 is the longest in the FBS in 2012, while his 89-yard touchdown pass against New Mexico last week ranks fourth-longest.

Also considered: Nevada RB Stefphon Jefferson; New Mexico RB Kasey Carrier; AF RB Cody Getz

Defensive Player of the Year: One of 15 semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, presented annually to the nation's top defensive player, Fresno State senior safety Phillip Thomas leads the FBS in interceptions (seven) and total takeaways (eight). Thomas, who missed the 2011 season after suffering a severe leg injury, has returned three of his seven interceptions for touchdowns. His interception total, which ties the MW single-season record, is two more than any player in the FBS and the most by a Fresno State player in 27 years. He has also recovered a fumble, forced three fumbles, recorded seven tackles for loss and posted three sacks. His 56 tackles rank third among the Thorpe Award's 15 semifinalists and he is first in the categories of tackles for loss and sacks.

Also considered: Colorado State DE Lanston Tanyi; San Diego State CB Leon McFadden; Wyoming LB Ghaali Muhammad

Freshman of the Year: Fresno State wide receiver Davante Adams, who leads the MW in receptions per game (7.2) and receiving yards per game (90.4), is on the verge of becoming the first freshman in Bulldog history to amass 1,000 receiving yards in a season. With 814 yards heading into Week 10, Adams has already set a Fresno State freshman record with nine total touchdowns and has caught a touchdown pass in four straight games. He needs one touchdown to become just the seventh receiver in school history to catch 10 or more scoring passes in a season.

Also considered: Colorado State LB Cory James; UNLV DE Lenny Jones and QB Nick Sherry

Special Teams Player of the Year: Colorado State punter Pete Kontodiakos, a candidate for the Ray Guy Award, presented annually to the nation's top punter, ranks first in the MW and fourth in the nation with an average of 47.4 yards. In the Rams' win over Hawai'i last week, Kontodiakos eclipsed the MW single-game record by averaging 61.8 yards per punt on four attempts, tops in the nation this season by a punter with at least three attempts in a game. He recorded punts of 72, 60, 59 and 56 yards, breaking the previous MW single-game record of 58.0, set by BYU's Matt Payne against San Diego State in 2002. Kontodiakos is on pace to break Colorado State's all-time single-season record of 46.1, established by Mike Deutsch in 1976. His 73-yard punt at Air Force earlier this season is tied for fourth-longest in the nation in 2012 and he has produced four of the five longest punts in the league this season (73, 72, 72 and 69 yards).

Also considered: KR Mike Edwards, Hawai‘i; PK Nolan Kohorst, UNLV

Coach of the Year: First-year New Mexico coach Bob Davie, who inherited a team that had won just three of its previous 40 games, has led the Lobos to a mark of 4-5 heading into their Week 10 meeting with UNLV. Despite being presented with a roster that featured fewer than 60 scholarship players in spring drills, Davie's accomplishments to date include ending the Lobos' 24-game road losing streak (18 of them coming against MW opponents); guiding the team to multiple home wins for the first time since 2008; leading the Lobos to their first winning streak since 2008 and first road winning streak since 2007; and surpassing former UNM coaches Rocky Long (San Diego State) and Dennis Franchione (Texas State) for wins by a Lobo coach in his first season.

Also considered: Tim DeRuyter, Fresno State.

2007 was also the season that saw the Hawai'i Warriors upset Boise State to win the conference title and advance to a BCS bowl game. Yes, Hawai'i went to a BCS game just five years ago. Led by record-setting quarterback Colt Brennan, the Warriors under head coach June Jones posted a perfect 12-0 regular season, the first undefeated regular season in school history. It was the school's first (and so far, only) outright conference title. Losing to Georgia in the Sugar Bowl did little to dampen the enthusiasm around Jones and the Hawai'i program.

Exactly how long ago does that seem today? "Like an eternity," said a Hawai'i staffer. It's a place the Warrior program longs to return to.

In 2007, Norm Chow, the renowned offensive coordinator who was part of national title teams at BYU and USC, was in his final season as the offensive coordinator of the NFL's Tennessee Titans. The Titans went 10-6 and made the AFC playoffs that season, but it was largely due to an excellent defense, with the offense ranking 21st overall. Chow left the NFL after that season and joined Rick Neuheisel's staff at UCLA before he eventually returned home - to his alma mater, Utah - to coach on Kyle Whittingham's staff as the Utes entered the Pac 12 in 2011.

Meanwhile, Jones left Hawai'i to take over at SMU after the 2008 season. At the time, one of the leading candidates to replace him was supposed to be Norm Chow. Except that Chow - who had interviewed for other head jobs and had already turned down the head job at the University of Kentucky - reportedly did not pursue the Hawai'i gig at the time. Instead, he opted to stay at UCLA for another season before moving back to the mountains. Along with playing his college ball at Utah, Chow first made a name for himself as an assistant coach at BYU. But the fact remained that Chow was a Hawaii native, and many people felt it was meant to be that the first head coaching gig for the venerable long time assistant would be back on the island. Those people were right.

It finally happened just before Christmas 2011. After nearly 40 years as an assistant coach, Chow accepted the opportunity to replace Greg McMackin and become the first Asian-American head coach of a major college football program - in a move that coincided with Hawai'i's move to the Mountain West Conference.

The good Chow inherited: A program that had been to seven bowl games the previous 10 seasons and posted three double-digit win seasons. The bad: A program that had losing seasons in two of the past three years. The difficult: Un-installing the Warriors well known and deeply rooted "run and shoot" offense and inserting Chow's tried and true pro-style system. It was a more dramatic change than most people would think.

"Ya, it was tough. We didn't have any tight ends or fullbacks on the roster. The receivers were all smaller, quicker guys, not pro set guys. We had to move some players over from linebacker and things like that," said former Warrior defensive lineman and current Hawai'i linebackers coach Tony Tuioti, who was the only holdover from McMakin's staff. "But it's going to be fine. Just need some time."

The warm and fuzzy feeling around the time of Chow's hiring is something that remains in place for these Warriors, whose fan base seems willing to give their native son a pass for this season, even after Hawai'i fell for the fifth straight time, losing to Colorado State 42-27 on Saturday. Confidence that Chow can return Hawai'i to the upper echelon of college football seems genuine. Aside from the normal grumbling about who's starting at QB - and every team that struggles hears that from the outside - the Warrior fan base remains firmly in behind their new coach.

We remember where Hawai'i was five seasons ago. The question now is where can the program be five years from now?

Make no mistake, that second place spot could be quite valuable by the time the final BCS standings are announced on December 2nd. As mentioned last week, Boise State's chances of gaining an automatic BCS bid remain strong, even if the talking heads on the four-letter network don't think so. The Broncos moved up just one spot to #21 in the most recent BCS Standings (even after three teams - including Big East member Cincinnati - ranked just ahead of them lost...go figure) but the prospects for eight more of the teams that stand between the Broncos and the coveted #12 spot in the final standings falling (several more than once) remain very good. And if the less than imposing Big East leaders, Rutgers and Louisville both stumble, all the Broncos have to do is reach #16 to get an automatic bid.

So if Boise State wins out, they have a great shot at getting into the BCS.

If that happens, then the league's second place team would get that nice trip to Las Vegas to serve as host for the Maaco Bowl Las Vegas. Not too shabby.

Who will it be? Everyone's smart money was on Nevada - then the Wolf Pack blew a 10-point fourth quarter lead and got ambushed by San Diego State in OT at home on Saturday night. Now Nevada has a conference loss (3-1 in MW play) and still has to play Boise State when they host the Broncos on December 1st. Meanwhile, the Aztecs at 3-1 in conference play also must play at Boise State as well as traveling to Air Force.

What about the Falcons? They found some way to overcome a record-setting 338 rushing yards from New Mexico's Kasey Carrier to hold off Bob Davie's Lobos and also move to 3-1 in conference play. Air Force hosts Nevada this week and still has trips to San Diego State and Fresno State on their flight plan, but they don't play Boise State this season.

Which brings us to Fresno State. The Bulldogs looked powerful in routing Wyoming on Saturday to join the group at 3-1 in the MW, and they've already beaten the Aztecs. Derek Carr and company can't look past New Mexico this weekend in Albuquerque, and they still have Air Force at home as well. That number two spot in the final standings could very well come down to the Fresno State at Nevada game on November 10th.

Including Las Vegas, the Mountain West has some excellent bowl destinations - like San Diego and Honolulu. There will be no "losers" when it comes time to go bowling. If Boise State is able to crack the BCS and give the MW an addition bowl spot, then six MW teams could get a post-season shot. Soon we could be trying to identify which conference teams are most likely to join the five we've already mentioned as a post-season participant. Keep this in mind: At 4-4, New Mexico - as downtrodden as a program could be the past few years - needs three wins in its final five games to get bowl eligible (the Lobos play 13 games this season so they need to win seven games.) Those final five games include dates at Colorado State and UNLV, as well as a home game with Wyoming.

Like we said last week, stay tuned. It's only going to get better.

A season ago, a Boise State team ranked #7 in the country was bypassed in favor of teams ranked in the mid teens. The Broncos were just one of four top 10 teams to get passed over. (In fairness to the cartel, one of those teams was SEC member Arkansas, who was not eligible because two other SEC teams - Alabama and LSU - were playing in the title game.) This season, following a narrow, season-opening loss at Michigan State, the Broncos were written off for dead in terms of being this year's BCS buster. But is that still the case after the first week of October?

Maybe not. The first BCS standings have the Broncos at #22 - a full 10 spots below where they need to end up to qualify for a big bowl game. But they currently meet the criteria of being the highest ranked non-automatic-qualifying BCS team in the poll, and with half the season left to play, the chance to inch their way up the poll those 10 precious spots over the next month and a half seems to be reasonable.

The Broncos' convincing win over Fresno State - done the old fashioned way with a powerful running game and a stout defense - has placed Boise State back in the picture. The Bulldogs appeared to be a serious road block, but instead, the Broncos defense, led by Demarcus Lawrence , manhandled FS. It was the fourth straight game an opponent has failed to score a point in the first half against the Broncos defense.

Meanwhile, running backs D.J. Harper and Jay Ajayi were powering through what had previously been one of the tougher defenses around. Fresno State entered the game leading the country in turnover margin but walked off the blue turf holding nothing but regret.

So now Boise State's goal of winning their first Mountain West championship appears well within reach. There's still a big game with Nevada on December 1st - a game that will close the regular season, as well as five other league games with a least limited upset potential (remember the trip to New Mexico a couple of weeks ago?) If BSU does win the MW title, and finishes #12 or higher in the final BCS poll, they will automatically qualify for a BCS game. No bias or poll politics could keep them out.

According to the published BCS selection criteria: "The champion of Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, or the Western Athletic Conference will earn an automatic berth in a BCS bowl game if ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS Standings, or, if ranked in the top 16 of the final BCS Standings and its ranking in the final BCS Standings is higher than that of a champion of a conference that has an annual automatic berth in one of the BCS bowls."

The criteria also states: "No more than one such team from Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, and the Western Athletic Conference shall earn an automatic berth in any year."

With WAC member Louisiana Tech's loss to Texas A&M, no other potential non-AQ BCS conference champ-to-be (outside of maybe Ohio) appears to have a legit shot at the BCS. What about the teams ranked ahead of 5-1 Boise State? It stands to reason that three Big East teams (Rutgers, Louisville and Cincinnati) will not all win the rest of their games, since they have to play each other. At least two of them will lose at some point, and probably all three (meaning the MW champ could finish ranked ahead of the Big East champ yet again. In that case, the Broncos would only need to reach #16 in the final BCS poll...)

It also stands to reason that 5-1 Texas A&M will not stay ranked ahead of the Broncos after they're finished going through the SEC gauntlet, and Texas Tech from the Big 12 still has several tough games in front of them. Stanford has two losses and still has to face Oregon and Oregon State. Mississippi State will drop at least three games before the season ends for the same reason as A&M.

So that's seven slots you can project the Broncos climbing without any real upsets occurring...again, assuming Boise State wins out and claims the MW title. (That remains a big assumption.) The chances of other surprises happening - in the form of Top 25 upsets - are about the same as the chances of snow falling in Laramie in October.

So ironically, in what is the second-to-last season of the BCS cartel, the conference they've worked so hard to keep out could be holding a defacto conference title game on December 1st in Reno with an automatic BCS bid on the line. Will the two teams play another epic as they did in 2010, when the Broncos chances at going to the BCS - even the BCS TITLE game - went wide right...and then wide left...in a heart wrenching overtime loss to Colin Kapernick and the Wolf Pack? It could be the kind of high quality drama that leagues with those automatic bids only wish they could have.

Literally. Repeatedly. Unceasingly.

Instead, Jackson, as with any football coach worth the weight of the whistle around his neck, opted to rely on a scouting report. It came from his former defensive coordinator, who while overseeing a P.E. class at Madison High in San Diego took note of a newly-arrived freshman who appeared to loom slightly larger than a lawn gnome and bore roughly the bulk of his backpack.

"Robbie didn't play with us as a freshman, because that was a time when freshmen were still allowed to play Pop Warner," said Jackson, who also serves as the school's athletic director. "But after hearing what my defensive coordinator had told me about him, I just randomly called Robbie into my office one day to talk to him.

"I knew he had been a dynamo in youth football, but I'm sure there had also been people throughout his life who told him he couldn't do certain things because of his size. That only served to fuel the fire. He's probably the most competitive kid I've ever coached."

If Rouse's measurables redefined the meaning of meager, his athletic ability underscored the resolve of the underdog. Despite being 5-3 and weighing 130 pounds, he was fast, he was fiery and elusive as a whisper on the wind. He would play anything, and he played it to beat you, be it on a football field, a baseball diamond, a tartan track or a tennis court.

Although relegated to Madison's junior varsity team as a sophomore, Rouse proceeded to run roughshod through the school's record books in his final two seasons. After rushing for 2,055 yards and 18 touchdowns as a junior, he finished ninth in California as a senior with 2,390 yards while scoring 39 touchdowns. Rarely playing in the second half of games, he averaged a staggering 12.92 yards per carry, the best per carry average of any of California's top 50 backs. He ranked eighth in the state with an average of 199.2 yards per game and topped the 200-yard mark in eight of his final 10 games.

With the second-guessers sufficiently silenced, Rouse drew the interest of former Fresno State coach Pat Hill, who knew well enough not to tarry over the "small" stuff. With a scholarship in hand and having acquired the moniker "Mighty Mouse," Rouse was on his way to play big-time college football. And at Fresno State, the mouse was about to bully his way into Bulldog lore.

"When I first got on campus, we had some great running backs like Ryan Mathews (a first-round pick of the San Diego Chargers) and Anthony Harding (a free-agent signee later released by Green Bay), and I was just hoping to come in and get some playing time and help the team win games," Rouse said. "I was fortunate enough to get a chance to play. I always worked hard during the offseason, and here we are today."

"Here" being 3,868 yards and 33 rushing touchdowns later. "Here" being Rouse's final run at Fresno State, where six games into his senior season he ranks 14th in the nation in rushing (118.5 yards per game) and will exit as the Bulldogs' all-time leading rusher, having eclipsed the school record in a 69-14 rout of Colorado in Week 3. Rouse, who erased the mark of 3,473 yards held by Ron Rivers (1991-93), did so in high style, scoring on school record-tying 94-yard run in a game in which he scored four touchdowns --- in the first half.

"Coming into the season, everybody kept asking me, "When are you going to break it? When are you going to break the record?" said Rouse, who entered the team's inaugural season in the Mountain West 317 yards shy of breaking Rivers' record. "I just had to stay focused on helping the team win. It was tough at times, but once I finished that (94-yard touchdown run) and broke the record, it was kind of a relief. At the same time, it was really a great feeling."

And further confirmation that being diminutive need not be linked to being discouraged.

"When I'm out on the field, I feel like I'm 6-2 until I look at the film and see the size difference," said Rouse, who is listed at 5-7, 190. "But when I'm out there, I feel bigger than anybody. I just love the game and I play with a lot of passion. I've always been a competitor and I like to compete at the highest level. I know (breaking the record) is looked at as a big accomplishment, but I'm always going to keep moving forward and give my team everything I've got."

That approach was particularly evident during the offseason, when after 15 seasons Fresno State parted ways with Hill and hired Tim DeRuyter, leaving Rouse to spend his final season under the direction of a new staff. Rather than grumble, however, Rouse encouraged teammates to embrace the transition, throwing his support squarely behind DeRuyter even though the former Air Force and Texas A&M defensive coordinator had never been a head coach.

"When I first met with the team back in December, I thought Robbie was an extremely high-character young man," DeRuyter said. "I just got a great sense from him that even though Coach Hill and his staff had recruited him he was willing to go all-in with this new era of Bulldog football. I really appreciated that. He's got such respect from our entire team, our coaching staff and our administration just because of the way he conducts himself. For someone like him to step up and say, "Guys, this is the new direction we're going," was huge in our transition.

"He's a guy that has an unbelievable heart. He's probably as hard of a worker as anyone we have on our team. He's got tremendous vision, balance and strength and it just happens to be packaged in a 5-foot-6 frame. He's a guy who doesn't mind mixing it up. He doesn't mind running between the tackles and he can make guys miss in space. It's amazing to see what someone with those kind of measurables can do.

"He runs like he's got a chip on his shoulder, like people have been telling him his whole life that he's too small. He's set out to prove everybody wrong and he's done a great job of doing it."

But time grows short, and Rouse, who posted his fifth 100-yard rushing game this season and the 17th of his career with 124 yards in Saturday's 28-7 win at Colorado State (he also caught a career-high nine passes), is acutely aware of the ticking of the clock. With the final season of his college career having reached the midway point, he'd like nothing more than to turn back time, to stave off that day when he'll ultimately bid farewell to Fresno State.

"Every season means a lot, but this one is special because I know these are going to be my last games as a Bulldog," he said. "You're always going to remember your first three years, but it's always your senior year that you look back on. I'll always remember walking on campus as a freshman, and now I'm already going into my (seventh) game as a senior.

"I've played football since the age of 6, so it was always a dream of mine to do what I've done and to be able to play as long as I could. There have always adjustments along the way, going from flag football to Mighty Mites, from Pop Warner to high school and from high school to college. I've just always found a way to adapt to that next level and adjust my game.

"But all I really wanted was the chance to play Division I football. Being smaller, who knows if any other Division I schools are going to be interested in you? But Coach Hill and his staff gave me that opportunity. All I've done is tried to make the most of it and help my team win."

Or maybe they'd already seen what they needed to see? A week earlier in the much more comfortable surroundings of Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, Carr and his Fresno State teammates lit up the scoreboard and stamped themselves MW title contenders when they outgunned San Diego State 52-40 behind Carr's 536 yards and five touchdown passes. After throwing four more TD passes in a workman-like 28-7 win over Colorado State, Carr now has 18 scoring strikes on the year. Midway through his junior year, the pre-season MW Offensive Player of the Year is walking the walk: He's averaging more than 300 yards passing per game, has completed 68.5% of his throws and has a QB efficiency rating of 157.3.

Is the NFL taking notice? They've seen this before. Derek's older brother David caught their attention back in 2001 when he was the best quarterback in the country. As a senior, David became just the sixth QB in NCAA history to throw for more than 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns in a single season on his way to winning the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. That production and immense physical skill helped David become the first pick in the 2002 NFL Draft. Fresno State has retired his jersey.

Tough cleats to fill, to be sure. So far, Derek has looked up to the task. He has impressed his coaches, that's for sure.

"I'm biased," said Fresno State secondary coach Tim McDonald, a former six-time NFL All-Pro safety for the San Francisco 49ers. "But I think Derek is better than David. He's not as big - as thick - but he's got better feet and that's really important in the game now."

Coming out of high school in Bakersfield, Derek was recruited by heavyweights like LSU, Texas Tech, USC, Arizona, Utah, Alabama, Notre Dame and Cal. He chose Fresno State because of his connection with David, whom he lists as his favorite athlete. He's also followed his brother's footsteps and gotten married while still in school - and has continued to produce in the classroom, where he's earned Academic All-Conference honors.

So far, the NFL is apparently lukewarm on Derek. The two brothers are different physically. David was more powerfully built - he excelled in the weight room as well as the field. Derek, generously listed at 6"3" (same height as David) is the more elusive runner (he's 20 pounds or so lighter) who can stand and deliver in the pocket but who will also run the zone-read option on occasion. While David is now serving as Eli Manning's back-up with the New York Giants, Derek is not listed in the top ten of anyone's list of top NFL draft prospects. At this point, it seems like almost everyone is expecting him to return to FSU for his senior season, which should greatly improve his NFL draft stock. (You wonder if Derek has ever had the chance to ask Eli what advice he would give a guy about trying to follow in the footsteps of a famous older brother...?)

There is no question that Derek has an NFL arm. He's got a short, quick, "flick of the wrist" release and the arm strength to throw the long out pattern. He's already mastered the new spread offense brought in by new Bulldogs coach Tim DeRuyter. If he continues at his current pace - and he and his teammates face perhaps their toughest test of the season when the Bulldogs confront a salty Boise State defense this Saturday - he could approach that hallowed "40 TD/4,000 yards" ground by season's end. Wonder if the NFL will decide to take notice his year, or wait until he is a senior. If they wait, Carr his junior season may just be a warm-up for a Heisman campaign in 2013 that could lead to being a top pick in the 2014 NFL draft.

Five games into his tenure, there's no way to know how this second go 'round running a program will turn out for Davie, but the early returns are very promising. At 2-3, New Mexico has already equaled the last two season's combined win total. UNM also ended a 24-game road losing streak when it beat rival New Mexico State, and followed that up with a near miss against powerful Boise State, a game that was not decided until the Lobo's final play.

Entering his first season in Albuquerque, Davie decided the best way to move his program forward was to look backwards and dust off an old playbook. He brought back the old fashioned triple option offense. Not exactly the new fangled "spread" version where they actually pass the ball a lot. No, this is much more like the old Oklahoma version (other than running out of the shotgun much of the time) where passing the ball is for cowards. Against Boise State, New Mexico completed seven passes in the first half for a paltry 44 yards. They trailed 25-0 at intermission. In the second half, they stuck exclusively to the ground game and outscored the Broncos 29-7. They didn't attempt a single forward pass in the second half until their final play, and it was knocked away, incomplete. Somewhere, Woody Hayes was smiling. Yes, Davie wants his team to throw it better and be more balanced. All coaches SAY they do. Then again, you know what Woody said: "When you pass the ball, three things can happen, and two of them are bad..."

Speaking of bad things that can happen, Broncos head coach Chris Petersen watched his team snag three New Mexico fumbles in the first half, before giving back a pair in the second.

"We slowed them down in the first half but we also had those turnovers," Petersen said. "We capitalized with offensive football and that was little nerve wracking because if they get you out of the gap and if you don't capitalize well, you're going to have issues and that's what happened."

Running the triple option offense has been just what the doctor ordered for numerous programs in situations similar to New Mexico's over the years. After taking over a floundering Colorado program from Chuck Fairbanks in 1982 and enduring three miserable seasons, Coach Bill McCartney shifted to the wishbone in 1985 and rode it all the way to a share of the national championship in 1990. Other programs that rarely compete for the very best recruits, like the service academies, have used it for decades, with the express intention of monopolizing the ball, resting their defense, shortening the game, and giving their team a chance to win games late. This formula very nearly resulted in one of the biggest upsets in New Mexico football history. It's already resulted in rebuilt sprits in Albuquerque.

"The second half shows you what this can be," Davie told reporters after the Boise State game. "The atmosphere in the stadium, to be quite honest, was electric. You could feel it. And when that atmosphere is electric and we play decent to good football, you can see the results of that. It looked like a different team."

While it might (or might not) be a stretch for Davie's team to reach six wins and go bowling this season, it won't be a shock if they pick up a couple more W's before his "rookie" year - Part II - is complete. As for the future, who knows? But for now, welcome Bob Davie.

Umm ... maybe not. Time to get familiar with the Utah State Aggies.

These Aggies will be one of two newcomers to the MW next year, along with the San Jose State Spartans. (The Spartans announced their intentions to be a MW title contender this past week by knocking off a team they'll be replacing, San Diego State.)

Meanwhile, in Fort Collins, the Aggies were also serving notice on their new conference, beating Colorado State 31-19. Known nationally for being team "near miss" over the past couple of seasons, these Aggies have learned how to close games - a last second missed field goal against two-time defending Big Ten champion Wisconsin that cost them a win in week three notwithstanding. The week after the Rams toppled their in-state rival from the Pac 12, Colorado, the Aggies did the same to their in-state Pac 12 rival, beating Utah in overtime. (FYI: Colorado is 1-0 in Pac 12 play and 0-2 against the MW ... ). After the 16-14 defeat in Madison the following week, it would have been understandable if there was a hangover when USU traveled to Fort Collins. That it didn't turn out that way is a sign of growth for the program. They've now won four of their last five road games.

The loss in Madison was the second time in two seasons that a perennial power walked off its home field totally relieved to have escaped Utah State. In 2011, defending national champion Auburn was nearly knocked off in their season opener before pulling out a 42-38 nail biter. Those Aggies didn't respond as well as this year's version. Before last season was over, USU had played in 10 games decided by one score, going 5-5 (including dropping their first four games) before losing by a single point to Ohio in their bowl game.

The 2012 Aggies have designs on a conference title in the final year of football for that league. Their chances look good. They've proven to be fast starters, not allowing a first half touchdown through the first four games and outscoring their opponents 51-0 in the first quarter this season. Dual threat quarterback Chuckie Keeton has led the way, and standout tailback Kerwynn Williams - who dashed for a game high 205 yards and a pair of touchdowns against CSU - can produce a big play every time he touches the ball.

So the question is, can these Aggies fill the sizeable cleats of Boise State when the Broncos depart the conference? After watching USU play three times early this season, and noting the amount of young talent on their roster, it's tough to say they can't. Of course we'll find out more soon enough. A meeting with rejuvenated UNLV comes up this week in what will be their second and final MW preview. USU also tangles with rival BYU the first week of October. The Broncos and Cougars fought it out in a tight defensive struggle that Boise State captured by a single point this past week.

"This is a big, big victory," USU head coach Gary Andersen said after the CSU game. "I don't know how many times I've come here, but I know I'm not .500 when I've come here."

Looking ahead to his future days in the MW, Andersen smiled.

"We're very excited about the opportunity to play in the Mountain West," he said. "This is a hard place to play. It's always a tough-minded, physical football team. The kids executed and made some big plays when they had to make big plays, especially when Colorado State answered there and we were able to answer right back."

No one questions the fact that all the teams in the new-look MW will have to collectively step up to keep the conference among the nation's best. This year's newcomers, Fresno State, Nevada and Hawai'i look like they will do their part. Colorado State, New Mexico, Wyoming and UNLV all seem to be on the uptick, and Air Force remains Air Force. Add in San Jose State and Utah State in 2013, and tangling with a team from MW isn't going to be any easier than it's been in recent years.

Two or three games do not tell the entire story of a team or what kind of season they'll have. There will be teams that improve and teams that regress. Still, after three weeks of games, it's fair to evaluate to some degree. The verdict after week three: This league might not turn out exactly like we thought.

The national media handed Boise State the Mountain West title back in June, despite heavy losses to graduation. These pundits paid no attention to the newcomers in the conference, nor the teams that would be bringing back more seasoned and experienced squads. Guess what? When the league title chase kicks off this week, the championship IS up for grabs. This is not a one horse race.

Make no mistake - Boise State remains the team to beat, even after the NFL gobbled up much of their premier talent. The Broncos' season-opening loss at Michigan State was certainly not one-sided, and a bounce-back win over Miami of Ohio has put BSU on a collision course with BYU in a battle of almost-ranked teams this week. Can Boise State keep it up? Can BYU get up off the emotional mat?

No MW teams are unbeaten at this point, but that does not mean they haven't been impressive. The list of strong starts begins not in Boise, but in Fresno, where the Bulldogs played powerful Oregon tough, before ransacking another Pac 12 member, Colorado 69-14 (and it could have been a lot worse.) Tailback Robbie Rouse will only play one season in the MW, but the Fresno State senior could still etch his name in the MW record book somehow some way before this season is over. He became the school's all-time rushing leader against CU on just nine carries. And while it's too early to name an all-MW quarterback for the season, Derek Carr's name will be on the ballot. He carved up the Buffs for five TD throws ... in the first half. The Fresno defense under new head coach Tim DeRuyter looks like a fast and aggressive ball-hawking unit. The Bulldogs begin league play in two weeks with San Diego State before a trip to Fort Collins ... and THEN ... THE trip to Boise State on October 13.

Nevada whipped a Cal team in week one that almost knocked off Ohio State in week three, so the Wolf Pack cannot be overlooked, either. It will be mid-November before Nevada and Fresno State face off, and the much anticipated rematch of the Broncos and Wolf Pack happens on December 1. And while no one thought Air Force would be in any title conversations this season, the Falcons will have a say in this thing, if you believe what you saw in Ann Arbor two Saturday's ago. Due to the scheduling rotation in the MW, AFA does not play Boise State this season, but hosts Nevada on October 26th and meets Fresno State the last Saturday in November.

Who doesn't have things going their way so far? It's easily Wyoming, who many of us thought would be a contender in the league race (and could still be of course.) The Pokes have lost a couple of winnable home games after playing pretty well in an opening loss at Texas. If QB Brett Smith is out for any length of time, Wyoming could be digging out of a hole when league play starts. But don't bury Dave Christensen's troops just yet.

The Mountain West doesn't have an official Championship game. Instead, there are about six of them sprinkled throughout the schedule.

This is supposed to be a rebuilding year for Calhoun's Air Force Falcons. They have a scant eight returning starters, have to replace all their top playmakers, and on paper at least, figure to finish in the lower half of the Mountain West standings. Yet no team personifies the "the games aren't played on paper" saying better than Air Force.

Even after blowing out Idaho State in their opener, the pundits thought these fresh faced Falcons were supposed to go to Ann Arbor, Michigan and get blown out by the powerful Wolverines in week two. On paper (and in pre-season magazines) Michigan would appear to have a great shot to win the Legends Division of the Big Ten and make it to a second straight BCS game. Yet there they were in week two, locked in a heated battle with rebuilding Air Force that went right down to the wire in the Big House.

However you look at these things, Air Force defies categorization. "Rebuilding" for a team that does not give athletic scholarships is hard to define. Air Force lost a quarterback that had started for four years, their second all-time leading rusher and three of the top four tacklers from last season. Yet fans know very little ahead of time about the players in line to step up as replacements, so there can be equal parts concern and excitement in these kinds of years. It appears after the first two weeks of the season that there is plenty of reason for excitement about this set of newbies.

Calhoun is the constant, and therefore the primary reason for consistency in the face of roster turnover. He's won almost two-thirds of his games as AFA's head coach, counting his "rebuilding" seasons. He's done it without bending or worrying about what's on paper.

An example: I'll be honest. I personally am not in favor of Calhoun's move to the "no huddle" offense. It makes no sense to me. I love option football, and by definition, the triple option offense is designed for ball (and clock) control. It's an equalizer. Three and four yards at a time. Keep the clock moving. Shorten the game. Keep the more talented team's offense on the sidelines. Keep your own under-talented defense well rested. The no-huddle offense creates just the opposite situation, forcing your defense to play a lot more snaps.

So why would a coach whose teams run the option better than anyone in America, and who personify the underdog role, turn his nose up at option tradition? I was befuddled by the move when Calhoun went to it last season. It didn't always work - like against Navy when the Middies' kept the ball for more than 40 minutes and ran an astounding 105 offensive plays. The worn out Air Force defense crumbled in the fourth quarter and gave back an 18-point lead. Yet it DID work. Somehow, the Falcon's won in overtime and captured the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy again. And there they were in their fifth straight bowl game at the end of the season.

This year in Ann Arbor, Calhoun continued against the grain again and stayed with the no-huddle against the bigger, more talented Wolverines. And it worked. Even running plays "at a dizzying pace," Air Force actually held the ball almost 12 minutes longer than Michigan, and trailed by just four at halftime despite Denard Robinson's heroics. (UM's magical signal caller racked up more than 420 yards of total offense and his team needed every one of them.) The Falcons remained in the game until a fourth down pass was batted down with under a minute and a half left to play.

On paper, this game should have been lopsided, and on paper, Calhoun's move to the no-huddle makes no sense. Yet his unconventional approach continues to pay dividends. Coming off the near miss at Michigan, Air Force now has to be considered a contender for the MW title once again, and will certainly NOT be a push-over at any point during this "rebuilding" season.

"Coach Mac" (and the irony here is that former Colorado coach Bill McCartney, who was in the press box for the game, has always been 'Coach Mac' in these parts...) was plucked off the Alabama coaching staff to bring back the school's glory days of former head coach Sonny Lubick. The two men are friends from their days in Montana. They share many of the same experiences and values. Lubick has whole heartedly endorsed McElwain and acts as a confidant. It's all in place. It's now up to Coach Mac to deliver.

He seems to be well aware of the task in front of him. McElwain tweeted (something I don't think Sonny would have ever considered doing) the day before the game that it was "time to change how people see us." It worked exactly that way in the eyes of at least one prominent observer.

"I don't want to disrespect (former) Coach (Steve) Fairchild," said CU coach Jon Embree, "but it just seems like they believe more this year."

That post-game quote should be the single biggest take away from this game. The Rams seemed to play harder. They were more cohesive. With a lead late in the game, they didn't passively sit on the ball and try to run out the clock as they've done in past games against the Buffs. They were the aggressors all the way through the second half. That was a change.

This is not a great CSU team by any stretch. They do have a shot at a six-win season and a bowl game, which would make this rebuilding year a tremendous success. They are not yet close to the level of Lubick's teams of the late 1990's. But it appears that McElwain has those blueprints and is working off them.

Lubick's teams had two things: A strong sense of "family" within the program, and an ability to capture the underdog mentality and ride it for all it was worth. Lubick always deflected the credit to his players, which players appreciate. He took the blame for things that went wrong, which players appreciate even more. McElwain seems to be doing the same. After the big first win, he was quick to credit players.

"I'm excited for our kids. They deserved it. Our guys deserved to know what it is to be successful because of the effort they put in."

Don't underestimate the importance of creating a bond with your college-aged players. Fairchild, who knows as much about football as any coach anywhere, was never able to do that. There always seemed to be a certain amount of disconnect. And unlike his predecessor, McElwain seems to be at least comfortable dealing with the media (and obviously the social media as well.) Part of Lubick's enduring legacy is due to his folksy handling of the media. It's part of the job - and does not have to be a difficult part.

There is plenty of difficult stuff still ahead. As McElwain said after the game, "this is just one win. It means we could go 12-0 or 1-11. We still have a lot of work to do."

2. Contrary to popular opinion, the name of the MW Preseason Offensive Player of the Year is Derek Carr. His brother, David, also played quarterback at Fresno State and was a No. 1 draft pick of the Houston Texans --- 10 years ago. Derek lists David as his favorite athlete, but would likely prefer his brother alter his name to Otis.

3. The next time New Mexico coach Bob Davie sugar-coats anything will be the same time Nick Saban admits he suffers from emotional insecurity. Unlike a majority of his brethren, who paint in pastels to mask a program's shortcomings, Davie doesn't dabble in deception. He acknowledges the problems at hand, lays them open for all to see and refuses to recant remarks that some might perceive as an affront to the program. Honesty will get you everywhere.

4. The Mountain West and Conference USA discussed an alliance, as did the Big Ten and Pac-12. As of July 25, both are off the table.

5. I now know why Colorado State's Chris Nwoke rushed for 1,130 yards despite starting just five games last season. Having seen him up close, you would have a better chance of getting your arms around an upright freezer.

6. San Diego State cornerback Leon McFadden may have been named the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, but his coach, Rocky Long, wasted little time putting things into perspective: "Leon is a good player, but he's not as good as he can be. The better he gets the more money he'll make."

7. The same people who concluded that the addition of Fresno State, Hawai‘i and Nevada would reduce the Mountain West were the same people who voted the Wolf Pack and Bulldogs No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, in the preseason media poll.

8. I've never met Nevada tight end Zach Sudfeld, but he's already the Comeback Player of the Year. Sudfeld, who has been besieged by injuries throughout his career, was granted a sixth year of eligibility after breaking his leg in last year's season opener at Oregon. Despite being told by coach Chris Ault that he had nothing to prove by returning this season, the 6-foot-7, 255-pound Sudfeld merely redoubled his resolve and had an outstanding spring. He has two career catches for 11 yards. "He will be a force in our offense," Ault said. "Fans of this program and fans throughout the community are really pulling for Zach Sudfeld."

9. Air Force senior Parker Herrington, a preseason all-conference pick, became just the second kicker to ever represent a Mountain West institution at media days. Said Falcons coach Troy Calhoun: "When I told him he was coming along, he said, 'Are you sure you want to send a kicker out there?' "

10. The talk is over, the cameras are packed and 2012 MW Football Media Day is done. Pass the pigskin. ASAP.

OFFENSE

Quarterback: Derek Carr, Jr., Fresno State
Carr, named to the 2012 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award Watch List, ranked 15th in the nation in passing yards (3,544) last season, the most ever by a Fresno State sophomore.

Running back: Robbie Rouse, Sr., Fresno State; D.J. Harper, Sr., Boise State
Rouse, a Maxwell Award candidate, ranked seventh in the nation in rushing yards (1,549) last season, while Harper, who will be operating behind the best offensive line in the league, averaged nearly five yards per carry.

Wide receiver: Matt Miller, So., Boise State; Colin Lockett, Jr., San Diego State
As a freshman last season, Miller, a candidate for the Biletnikoff Award, averaged 4.77 receptions per game, the second-highest total in the league. Lockett, a former cornerback who was pressed into action on offense last season due to a rash of injuries at wide receiver, led the Aztecs in receptions (58), receiving yards (970) and touchdown catches (eight).

Tight end: Gavin Escobar, Jr., San Diego State
There are some quality tight ends in the MW, but Escobar gets the nod. A first-team All-MW selection as a sophomore, he had 51 catches for 781 yards and seven TDs in 2011.

Offensive line: Joe Kellogg, Sr., Boise State; Nick Carlson, Sr., Wyoming; Alec Johnson, Sr., San Diego State; Chris Barker, Sr., Nevada; Weston Richburg, Jr., Colorado State
Kellogg is a three-year starter on an offense that has ranked in the top five nationally in scoring each of the last three seasons. Carlson, Johnson and Richburg have all been named to the 2012 Rimington Trophy Watch List, while Barker is an Outland Trophy candidate.

DEFENSE

Defensive line: Mike Atkinson, Sr., Boise State; Paipai Falemalu, Sr., Hawai‘i; Reggie Ellis, Sr., New Mexico; Mike Purcell, Sr., Wyoming
Atkinson was a major contributor to a Bronco defense that ranked 12th-nationally in scoring defense (18.69) last season, while Falemalu (50 tackles) tied for second on the team with 4.5 sacks. Twenty-five percent of Ellis' total tackles in 2011 were made in the backfield. Purcell is coming off a junior season in which he finished with 48 tackles, two sacks, two blocked kicks and a safety.

Linebacker: Shaquil Barrett, Jr., Colorado State; Jake Fely, So., San Diego State; Travis Brown, Sr., Fresno State
Barrett could be positioned for MW Defensive Player of the Year honors following a sophomore season in which he led the Rams with 99 tackles and scored a pair of defensive touchdowns. Fely forced a team-high three fumbles in starting all 13 games at middle linebacker last season as a redshirt freshman, while Brown enters his senior season as a Butkus Award candidate and two-time All-WAC selection.

Defensive back: Leon McFadden, Sr., San Diego State; Luke Ruff, Sr., Wyoming; Duke Williams, Sr., Nevada; Jamar Taylor, Sr., Boise State
A two-time All-MW selection named to the 2012 Jim Thorpe Award Watch List, McFadden led the league and ranked 12th nationally last season with 17 passes defended. Named to the 2012 Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List, Ruff ranked sixth in the MW in tackles last season. Williams, a second-team All-WAC selection in 2011, ranked third on the team with 83 tackles. Taylor's six pass break-ups last season tied for the team high.

Placekicker: Parker Herrington, Jr., Air Force
Ranked first in the MW last season in field-goal percentage (83.3. percent, 15-of-18) and finished second among kickers with 90 points.

Punter: Pete Kontodiakos, Sr., Colorado State
A candidate for the 2012 Ray Guy Award, Kontodiakos ranked second in the MW and 20th nationally in 2011 with an average of 43.6 yards. He had 20 punts of at least 50 yards.

Return specialist: Mitch Burroughs, Sr., Boise State
Ranked eighth nationally and first in the MW as a junior with a punt return average of 13.3 yards.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Robbie Rouse, Fresno State

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Leon McFadden, San Diego State

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Mitch Burroughs, Boise State

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
1. Boise State
2. Nevada
3. San Diego State
4. Fresno State
5. Wyoming
6. Air Force
7. Colorado State
8. Hawai‘i
9. UNLV
10. New Mexico

Stephanie North, a 2012 Boise State graduate, posted the Broncos' best finish of the meet by winning her heat and placing 29th in a time of 25.82.

North, who earlier placed 32nd in the 100-meter freestyle, was joined in the event by former BSU teammate Amber Boucher, UNLV junior Rachel Dixon and 2012 Wyoming graduate Kelsey Conci.

Dixon finished 60th (26.21), while Conci placed 86th in a time of 26.43. Conci was the lone MW competitor at the meet to qualify for a semifinal event when she finished 11th in the 100-meter backstroke last Tuesday, becoming first Wyoming swimmer to move past the prelims since Scott Usher earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team in 2004.

Boucher, the MW Swimmer of the Year, finished 126th in the event a time of 26.73.

Simpson, the reigning world champion in the event and a 2008 Olympian in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase, posted a time of 4:05.17. A mere 0.18 seconds separated Simpson and the top two finishers, as Morgan Uceny (adidas) turned in a time of 4:04.59 to edge Nike's Shannon Rowberry (4:05.11) for the top spot in the race.

Meanwhile, 2006 Air Force graduate and two-time NCAA champion Dana Pounds-Lyon concluded competition with a sixth-place finish in the finals of the women's javelin. Pounds-Lyon's effort of 180'11" was nearly 11 feet farther than her mark in Friday's qualifying round. Brittany Borman (Nike) won the event with a mark of 201'-9."

As with Pounds-Lyon, former UNLV student-athlete Christine Spence also saw her Olympic bid fall short when she placed seventh in the women's 400-meter hurdles, posting a time of 55.72. Lashinda Demus (Nike) finished first in the event with a time of 53.98.

UNLV 2012 grad Amanda Bingson and Rebels assistant coach Khadevis Robinson previously qualified in the women's hammer throw and men's 800 meters, respectively. The Olympic Games open in London on Friday, July 27.

Roberts, the MW record holder in the men's 100-meter butterfly, placed 21st among 122 swimmers in the prelims of the event with a time of 54:01.

Roberts' teammate, senior David Seiler, was close behind, posting a time of 54.33 to finish 35th.

Meanwhile, UNLV senior Dannica Brennan placed 102nd in the prelims of the women's 200-meter backstroke, finishing in 2:18.52.

The swimmers with the top 16 times in the preliminary heats advance to the semifinals. From there, the top eight finishers in the semis move on to the finals, with the first- and second-place finishers qualifying for the 2012 Olympics in London (July 22-August 12).

Boise State's Amber Boucher and Stephanie North will be joined in the prelims of the women's 50-meter freestyle today by UNLV junior Rachel Dixon and former Wyoming standout Kelsey Conci. The trials conclude on Monday with finals in the women's 50-meter freestyle and men's 1500-meter freestyle.

Reaser, who totaled a first-day personal-best 3,437 points after four events on Friday, wrapped up the two-day event with 5,612 points. Hyleas Fountain (Nike) posted the top score in the event with 6,419 points to advance to the London Olympics. Sharon Day (Asics) and Chantae McMillan (unattached) will join Fountain in London after finishing second and third, respectively.

Sitting in 12th place following the opening day of competition, Reaser, who finished sixth in the NCAA Championships in June, placed 18th in the long jump (18'-0.25") on Saturday before finishing 11th in the javelin (120'-10.00") and 11th in the 800 meters, where she established a personal best with a time of 2:16.54.

"Overall, she did a praiseworthy job of representing SDSU athletics," said head coach Sheila Burrell. "The future is bright."

The Olympic Trials conclude today, with two-time NCAA champion and former Air Force student-athlete Dana Pounds-Lyon competing in the finals of the women's javelin and Falcons volunteer coach Jenny Simpson taking part in the finals of the women's 1,500-meter run.

Also vying for a spot in London is former UNLV student-athlete Christine Spence, who will compete in the finals of the women's 400-meter hurdles. Should Spence finish among the top three today, she would to join 2012 UNLV grad Amanda Bingson and Rebels assistant coach Khadevis Robinson, who qualified earlier in the women's hammer throw and men's 800 meters, respectively.

Hawai'i, Fresno State and Nevada officially become the newest members of the Mountain West on Sunday, but introductions are largely inessential. The Warriors (football only), Bulldogs and Wolf Pack are not only familiar with the MW landscape, they are, in many instances, tethered by well-rooted rivalries and long-standing coaching connections.

To wit:

First-year Fresno State football coach Tim DeRuyter, an Air Force graduate, not only played for the Falcons but spent a total of seven years at the Academy during two separate stints as a position coach and defensive coordinator.

New Hawai'i football coach Norm Chow spent 27 seasons as an assistant at BYU before the former MW member opted to join the independent ranks last season.

Nevada's Chris Ault, the only active FBS coach in the College Football Hall of Fame, has faced every team represented in the 2011-12 configuration of the MW at least three times since joining the Wolf Pack staff in 1976.

"Today we officially welcome Fresno State, Hawai'i and Nevada as members, ushering in a new era for the Mountain West," said Commissioner Craig Thompson. "The addition of these fine institutions helps position the Conference for a bright future, and we look forward to the contributions that Bulldog, Warrior and Wolf Pack student-athletes, coaches, fans and administrators will make to the success of the Mountain West."

Here's a look at each of the three institutions and a sampling of their athletic successes:

Fresno State

Football: The Bulldogs have failed to garner a bowl bid only twice since 2000. Fresno State went to four straight bowl games from 2007-10, with two of the contests coming against MW members Colorado State and Wyoming. Prior to DeRuyter's hire, the Bulldogs' two previous coaches --- Jim Sweeney and Pat Hill --- posted a combined winning percentage of .607 and won three conference titles.

"We're really excited about our first year in the Mountain West," said DeRuyter, a linebacker at Air Force from 1982-84. "Having some personal history in this conference, I know about the excellent programs and the excellent coaches in this league. We know this is going to be a tremendous challenge, but we're excited about it and we're looking forward to it."

Men's Basketball: The Bulldogs have won two conference titles, participated in one NCAA Tournament and two National Invitational Tournaments since 2000. Many believe second-year coach Rodney Terry has put together one of the program's top recruiting classes in years, a group led by 7-foot, 265-pound incoming freshman center Robert Upshaw, ranked No. 55 nationally in the 2012 ESPNU Top 100.

Women's Basketball: Fresno State is coming off a 2011-12 season in which it won a conference title, earned its fifth straight NCAA Tournament bid and won 28 games for the first time in program history. The Bulldogs started four underclassmen last season, including guard Ki-Ki Moore, the WAC Player of the Year.

Baseball: Fresno State, the 2008 national champion, won its seventh straight WAC title this past year while qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in the past seven seasons.

Softball: The Bulldogs have participated in 30 of the last 31 NCAA Tournaments and won the 1998 national title. The Bulldogs have played in more NCAA Championships than any other Division I program and rank third all-time in tournament victories with 89.

Men's Tennis: The Bulldogs enter the Mountain West having won two consecutive league titles while earning three straight NCAA Tournament bids.

Hawai'i

Football: Hawai'i became just the third non-automatic-qualifying conference team to play in a BCS bowl in 2008 when it faced Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. The Warriors were the only FBS team in the nation that year to finish the regular season undefeated. Hawai'i has appeared in a bowl game seven times since 2002, posting six winning seasons and four campaigns with double-digit victories.

"I think (the transition to the MW) is going to be extremely tough and that is what I am trying to impress upon our players, that this is a step up," Chow told the Maui News. "The schedule is extremely challenging, the non-conference games are as tough as the conference games, but if you are in this profession, you get in this profession, you enjoy challenges, and you enjoy the week-by-week work that goes with those challenges, so we are all very excited about it."

Nevada

Football: The Wolf Pack, who finished the 2010 season ranked No. 11 in the nation, have appeared in seven consecutive bowl games. The program's history includes 14 conference titles and since 2005, Nevada has had one losing season and six campaigns of seven or more wins.

"We're excited to be jumping into the Mountain West and to be part of such an elite group," said football head coach Chris Ault. Ault enters his 28th season with a win percentage of 68.5 percent (226-103-1).

Men's Basketball: The Wolf Pack won the WAC regular-season championship with a mark of 13-1 last season en route to making their fifth appearance in the National Invitation Tournament. Nevada has posted eight 20-win seasons since 2003-04, while earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament four times.

Women's Basketball: Nevada has won at least 17 games five of the last seven seasons, twice advancing to the National Invitation Tournament.

Baseball: The Wolf Pack, who won a share of the regular-season conference title in 2012, have won 30 or more games six times since 2000, while winning two league titles and making two NCAA postseason appearances.

North, who clocked a 56.16 to place third in her heat, turned in the highest finish by a Boise State swimmer at the Olympic Trials. She missed qualifying for the semifinals by eight-tenths of a second.

MW Swimmer of the Year Amber Boucher, who along with North exhausted her eligibility at Boise State during the 2011-12 season, tied her personal best in the event with a 56.99 to finish 68th.

Four MW swimmers took part In the prelims of the women's 200-meter breaststroke competition, with San Diego State's Katelyn Weddle finishing 50th in a time of 2:35.17. Former UNLV swimmer Marley Prothero was 61st in the event (2:36.40), while Boise State junior Chelsea Miller placed 66th in a time of 2:36.79. Freshman Kim Davis, the first female swimmer from the Air Force Academy to compete at the Olympic Trials, finished 100th (2:40.26).

On the men's side, former Wyoming standout Brandon Fischer, making his second appearance at the Olympic Trials, finished 79th in the 200 medley (2:06.53) while Cowboys sophomore Jordan Turner (2:09.38) placed 108th in the event.

Wyoming junior Jaycee Calhoon (2:07.66) placed 95th in the prelims of the men's 200-meter backstroke.

The swimmers with the top 16 times in the preliminary heats advance to the semifinals. From there, the top eight finishers in the semis move on to the finals, with the first- and second-place finishers qualifying for the 2012 Olympics in London (July 22-August 12).

The following MW athletes will be competing in preliminary heats through Sunday. The meet concludes on Monday with finals in the women's 50-meter freestyle and men's 1500-meter freestyle.

Today: Senior Cody Roberts, the UNLV and MW record holder in the event, will compete in the men's 100-meter fly, while San Diego State senior Leona Jennings and UNLV senior Dannica Brennan will swim in the prelims of the women's 200-meter backstroke.

Sunday, July 1: Boise State's Amber Boucher and Stephanie North will be joined in the prelims of the women's 50-meter freestyle by SDSU senior Leona Jennings, UNLV junior Rachel Dixon and former Wyoming standout Kelsey Conci.

On a day when Falcons volunteer coach Jenny Simpson advanced to the finals of the women's 1,500-meter run, Pounds-Lyon posted an overall finish of 10th in the field of 24 with an effort of 170'-0.00" The mark allowed Pounds-Lyon, the 2007 USATF champion, to finish among the top 12 competitors and secure a spot in Sunday's finals. Kara Patterson (Asics) currently leads the competition with a distance of 198'-5.00."

Simpson was the runner-up in the semifinals in the 1,500-meter run, posting a time of 4:09.12 and finishing second in her heat to earn a spot in the finals. Morgan Uceny (adidas) had the top mark in the semifinals, clocking a time of 4:08.90.

Also advancing on Friday was former UNLV athlete Christine Spence, who ran the sixth-fastest time (55.72) in the semifinals of the women's 400-meter hurdles to grab a spot in Sunday's finals. Should Spence finish among the top three on Sunday, she would to join 2012 UNLV grad Amanda Bingson and Rebels assistant coach Khadevis Robinson in London. Bingson qualified earlier in the women's hammer throw, as did Robinson in the men's 800 meters.

TCU's Whitney Gipson, the MW Female Student-Athlete of the Year, advanced to Sunday's final in the women's long jump with an effort of 22'-5.00" Gipson, the reigning NCAA outdoor champion in the event, posted the fourth-best mark during Friday's competition.

Horned Frogs junior Charles Silmon will compete in today's semifinals of the men's 200 meters after placing fourth in his heat and 18th overall on Friday in a time of 20.68.

San Diego State sophomore Allison Reaser totaled a first-day personal-best 3,437 points and sits in 12th place among 20 entrants after Day 1 of heptathlon. Reaser's point total is her highest ever after the first day of competition, bettering the mark of 3,386 she earned en route to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships earlier this month. Hyleas Fountain (Nike) leads the competition with 3,948 points.

Reaser opened the day by establishing a personal-best in the 100-meter hurdles (13.55) before finishing 18th in the high jump (5'-4.25"). Reaser finished 12th in the shot put with an effort of 39'-5.00" and concluded the day by finishing fifth in the 200 meters in a time 24.12.

The final day of the heptathlon takes place today with competition in the long jump, javelin and 800 meters. Reaser needs to finish in the top three and reach the Olympic "A" standard of 6,150 points to advance to the London Olympics.

Meanwhile, Paige Blackburn, a 2012 Air Force graduate and Mountain West champion in the women's javelin throw, turned in an effort of 151'-9.00" on Friday to place 22nd in the event.

Fischer, competing in a field of 129 swimmers, posted a time of 2:16.12 in the event. Fischer, who is taking part in his second Olympic Trials, will have a chance to redeem himself today when he swims in the prelims of the men's 200-meter individual medley.

Meanwhile, UNLV junior Brandon Meier, who was also competing in the prelims of men's 200-meter breaststroke, placed 73rd overall (2:20.21), while Boise State junior Rachel Heaney finished eighth in her heat (2:19.47) and placed 107th in the prelims of the women's 200-meter butterfly.

The swimmers with the top 16 times in the preliminary heats advance to the semifinals. From there, the top eight finishers in the semis move on to the finals, with the first- and second-place finishers qualifying for the 2012 Olympics in London (July 22-August 12).

The following MW athletes will be competing in preliminary heats through Sunday, July 1. The meet concludes on Monday, July 2, with finals in the women's 50-meter freestyle and men's 1500-meter freestyle.

Today: In addition to Fischer taking part in the men's 200-meter individual medley, Boise State's Amber Boucher and Stephanie North will compete in the women's 100-meter freestyle, while Bronco teammate Chelsea Miller will swim the prelims of the women's 200-meter breaststroke. Miller will be joined in the event by sophomore Kim Davis of Air Force, the first female swimmer in Academy history to compete in the Olympic Trials, UNLV's recently graduated Marley Prothero and San Diego State senior Katelyn Weddle. Wyoming sophomore Jordan Turner while join Fischer in the men's 200 individual medley, while Cowboys junior Jaycee Calhoun will compete in the prelims of the men's 200 backstroke.

Saturday, June 30: Senior Cody Roberts, the UNLV and MW record holder in the event, will compete in the men's 100-meter fly, while San Diego State senior Leona Jennings and UNLV senior Dannica Brennan will swim in the prelims of the women's 200-meter backstroke.

Sunday, July 1: Boise State's Amber Boucher and Stephanie North will be joined in the prelims of the women's 50-meter freestyle by SDSU senior Leona Jennings, UNLV junior Rachel Dixon and former Wyoming standout Kelsey Conci.

Rome, a six-time All-American at Boise State, turned in an effort of 207'-10" in finishing behind Nike teammate Lance Brooks (213'-9"). Jason Young, who also competes for Nike, was third with a mark of 203'-11."

A 2000 graduate of Boise State, Rome will be making his second appearance in the Olympics after having previously competed in the discus at the 2004 Games in Athens.

Rome becomes the second Boise State athlete to qualify for the London Olympics. Broncos senior Kurt Felix, the MW Male Student-Athlete of the Year, will compete in the decathlon for his native country of Grenada.

Meanwhile, former UNLV athlete Christine Spence posted the seventh-fastest time (56.28) in the prelims of the women's 400-meter hurdles Thursday night. Spence, who advanced to today's semifinals, finished second overall in her heat. The top mark belonged to Lashinda Demus (Nike), who was clocked in 55.29

New Mexico's Floyd Ross, the runner-up in the men's triple jump at the NCAA Championships earlier this month, finished 16th during Thursday's prelims with an effort of 52'-2." Christian Taylor (Li-Ning) turned in the best mark of the day at 56'-8."

Competition at the trials continues today with TCU's Whitney Gipson, the MW Female Student-Athlete of the Year, taking part in the women's long jump. Also today, Air Force's Paige Blackburn and Falcons' 2006 graduate Dana Pounds-Lyon will compete in the women's javelin, while San Diego State's Allison Reaser begins the first of two days of competition in the heptathlon. Reaser took sixth in the event at the NCAA Championships with a school-record 5,753 points. She would need to finish in the top three and reach the Olympic "A" standard of 6,150 points to advance to London.

The top three finishers in each event qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team. The trials run through July 1.

Macklin and senior teammate Meghan Zimmer were the lone MW swimmers taking part in Wednesday's trials. Zimmer finished 92nd in the women's 200 freestyle, ending her Olympic bid in a time of 2:06.36.

The swimmers with the top 16 times during the preliminary heats advance to the semifinals. From there, the top eight times in the semis move on to the finals, with the first- and second-place finishers qualifying for the 2012 Olympics in London (July 22-August 12).

The following MW athletes will be competing in preliminary heats through Sunday, July 1. The meet concludes on Monday, July 2, with finals in the women's 50-meter freestyle and men's 1500-meter freestyle.

Today: UNLV junior Brandon Meier will complete in the men's 200-meter breaststroke, as will Brandon Fischer, who recently completed his career at Wyoming and will be swimming in his second Olympic trials. Boise State's Rachel Henry will take part in the women's 200-meter butterfly.

Friday, June 29: Boise State's Amber Boucher and Stephanie North will compete in the women's 100-meter freestyle, while teammate Chelsea Miller will take part in the women's 200-meter breaststroke. Miller will be joined in the event by sophomore Kim Davis of Air Force, the first female swimmer in Academy history to compete in the Olympic Trials; UNLV's recently graduated Marley Prothero; and San Diego State senior Katelyn Weddle. Wyoming's Brandon Fischer will swim in the men's 200 individual medley on Friday, as will Cowboys sophomore Jordan Turner. Wyoming junior Jaycee Calhoun will compete in the men's 200 backstroke.

Saturday, June 30: Senior Cody Roberts, the UNLV and MW record holder in the event, will compete in the men's 100-meter fly, while San Diego State senior Leona Jennings and UNLV senior Dannica Brennan will swim in the prelims of the women's 200-meter backstroke.

Sunday, July 1: Boise State's Amber Boucher and Stephanie North will be joined in the prelims of the women's 50-meter freestyle by SDSU senior Leona Jennings; UNLV junior Rachel Dixon; and former Wyoming standout Kelsey Conci.

Conci, an All-MW performer, finished in a time of 1:01.16, three places removed from reaching the final. She is the first UW swimmer to move past the preliminaries since Scott Usher made the U.S. Olympic Team in 2004.

"I could not be more proud of Kelsey," said Wyoming coach Tom Johnson in a release on WyomingAthletics.com. "She had a great swim and missed the finals by less than a half a second. She was a little slower coming off the wall in the beginning, but I think that it helped her really turn it on coming down the stretch. Down the stretch she really was coming strong and was just touched out."

Meanwhile, Boise State sophomore Heather Harper finished third in her heat and 111th overall in the 100-meter breaststroke. Harper posted a time of 1:12.96 to move up 35 spots from her seed of No. 146.

The race concluded Harper's schedule at the Olympic Trials. San Diego State senior Katelyn Weddle (1:11.19) finished 50th overall in the event, while former UNLV standout Marley Prothero placed 100th in a time of 1:12.74.

In the prelims of the 100-meter backstroke, UNLV juniors Katelyn Herrington (1:00.72) and Rachel Dixon (1:04.90) finished 41st and 124th, respectively, while senior Carmen Robb was 77th in the event with a time of 1:03.96.

The swimmers with the top 16 times during the preliminary heats will advance to the semifinals. From there, the top eight times in the semis move on to the finals with the first- and second-place finishers in the finals qualifying for the 2012 Olympics, which will be held in London July 22-August 12.

The following MW athletes will be competing in preliminary heats through Sunday, July 1. The meet concludes on Monday, July 2, with finals in the women's 50-meter freestyle and men's 1500-meter freestyle.

Today: San Diego State junior Mikaela Macklin will compete in the 200 individual medley, while Aztecs senior Meghan Zimmer will take part in the women's 200 freestyle.

Thursday, June 28: UNLV junior Brandon Meier will complete in the men's 200-meter breaststroke, as will Brandon Fischer, who recently completed his career at Wyoming and will be swimming in his second Olympic trials. Boise State's Rachel Henry will take part in the women's 200-meter butterfly.

Friday, June 29: Boise State's Amber Boucher and Stephanie North will compete in the women's 100-meter freestyle, while teammate Chelsea Miller will take part in the women's 200-meter breaststroke. Miller will be joined in the event by sophomore Kim Davis of Air Force, the first female swimmer in Academy history to compete in the Olympic Trials, UNLV's recently graduated Marley Prothero and San Diego State senior Katelyn Weddle. Wyoming's Brandon Fischer will swim in the men's 200 individual medley on Friday, as will Cowboys sophomore Jordan Turner. Wyoming junior Jaycee Calhoun will compete in the men's 200 backstroke.

Saturday, June 30: Senior Cody Roberts, the UNLV and MW record holder in the event, will compete in the men's 100-meter fly, while San Diego State senior Leona Jennings and UNLV senior Dannica Brennan will swim in the prelims of the women's 200-meter backstroke.

Sunday, July 1: Boise State's Amber Boucher and Stephanie North will be joined in the prelims of the women's 50-meter freestyle by SDSU senior Leona Jennings, UNLV junior Rachel Dixon and former Wyoming standout Kelsey Conci.

Boucher will race again later in the week in the 100-meter freestyle and 50-meter freestyle. Herrington swims again today in the 100-meter backstroke.

Eight more MW swimmers will be in action today, including Boise State sophomore Heather Harper, former UNLV standout Marley Prothero, Wyoming junior Morgan Hartigan and San Diego State seniors Katelyn Weddle and Leona Jennings in the prelims of the 100-meter breaststroke; and former Wyoming standout Kelsey Conci, UNLV junior Rachel Dixon and Rebels senior Carmen Robb in the prelims of the 100-meter backstroke.

The swimmers with the top 16 times during the preliminary heats will advance to the semifinals. From there, the top eight times in the semis move on to the finals with the first- and second-place finishers in the finals qualifying for the 2012 Olympics, which will be held in London, July 22-August 12.

The following MW athletes will be competing in preliminary heats through Sunday, July 1. The meet concludes on Monday, July 2, with finals in the women's 50-meter freestyle and men's 1500-meter freestyle.

Wednesday, June 27: San Diego State junior Mikaela Macklin will compete in the 200 individual medley, while Aztecs senior Meghan Zimmer will take part in the women's 200 freestyle.

Thursday, June 28: UNLV junior Brandon Meier will compete in the men's 200-meter breaststroke, as will Brandon Fischer, who recently completed his career at Wyoming and will be swimming in his second Olympic trials. Boise State's Rachel Henry will take part in the women's 200-meter butterfly.

Friday, June 29: Boise State's Amber Boucher and Stephanie North will compete in the women's 100-meter freestyle, while teammate Chelsea Miller will take part in the women's 200-meter breaststroke. Miller will be joined in the event by sophomore Kim Davis of Air Force, the first female swimmer in Academy history to compete in the Olympic Trials, UNLV's recently graduated Marley Prothero and San Diego State senior Katelyn Weddle. Wyoming's Brandon Fischer will swim in the men's 200 individual medley on Friday, as will Cowboys sophomore Jordan Turner. Wyoming junior Jaycee Calhoun will compete in the men's 200 backstroke.

Saturday, June 30: Senior Cody Roberts, the UNLV and MW record holder in the event, will compete in the men's 100-meter fly, while San Diego State senior Leona Jennings and UNLV senior Dannica Brennan will swim in the prelims of the women's 200-meter backstroke.

Sunday, July 1: Boise State's Amber Boucher and Stephanie North will be joined in the prelims of the women's 50-meter freestyle by SDSU senior Leona Jennings, UNLV junior Rachel Dixon, and former Wyoming standout Kelsey Conci.

Robinson, an assistant coach with UNLV's track and field team, nailed down a spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Monday night with a second-place finish in the men's 800-meter run at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore.

A former TCU standout who also competed in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Robinson (Nike) posted a time of 1:44.64 to become the second Rebel in four days to earn a trip to London after 2012 graduate Amanda Bingson finished second in the women's hammer throw last Thursday.

"We are so proud of Coach KD and his accomplishments," said UNLV track and field coach Yvonne Wade. "He has trained very hard for this while coaching our Rebels, and it just proves that if you set your mind to something it can be done. Two of our Rebel family members are representing us in London. We all should be very proud."

Robinson will be joined in London by Nick Symmonds (Nike/Oregon TC Elite), who won the event in a time of 1:43.92, and Duane Solomon (Saucony), who recorded a third-place time of 1:44.65.

Meanwhile, three athletes with ties to the Air Force track and field team concluded competition in the trials on Monday.

Former Falcons All-American and 2011 graduate Justin Tyner placed 22nd in the qualifying round of the 3,000-meter Steeplechase, posting a time of 8:53.92. Daniel Huling (Reebok), who competed in Tyner's heat, ran 8:29.00 to record the fastest time in the qualifying round.

In the qualifying round of the men's pole vault, Air Force senior Cale Simmons and 2010 graduate Nick Frawley both came up short at the opening height of 17'-4.50". In rainy conditions, Mark Hollis (Nike) led the group of 11 qualifiers, clearing 17'-8.50" on his first attempt.

Competition at the trials resumes Thursday with TCU's Whitney Gipson, the MW Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year, taking part in the women's long jump, and Air Force volunteer coach Jenny Simpson competing in the women's 1,500 meters. Gipson is the reigning NCAA champion in the long jump, while Simpson, the reigning world champion in the 1,500 meters, also competed in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Also on Thursday, New Mexico's Floyd Ross will compete in the men's triple jump after finishing second in the event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships earlier this month, and former UNLV athlete Christine Spence will take part in the women's 400-meter hurdles.

On Friday, Air Force's Paige Blackburn and Falcons' 2006 graduate Dana Pounds-Lyon will take part in the women's javelin, while San Diego State's Allison Reaser will begin the first of two days of competition in the heptathlon. Reaser took sixth in the event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a MW-record 5,753 points. She would need to finish in the top three and reach the Olympic "A" standard of 6,150 points to advance to London.

Silmon, competing in the semifinals of the event at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore., finished fifth in his heat and 12th overall with a time of 10.26 seconds.

Meanwhile, former TCU standout and current UNLV assistant coach Khadevis Robinson will make a bid for his second Olympic appearance when he competes today in the finals of the men's 800 meters. Robinson, who also represented the U.S. in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, posted the fastest time of the day (1:45.83) in the semifinals of the event on Saturday.

Other athletes with MW ties competing today include Air Force's Cale Simmons and Nick Frawley, a 2010 graduate of the Academy, in the prelims of the men's pole vault; and former Air Force All-American and 2011 graduate Justin Tyner in the prelims of the men's 3,000-meter Steeplechase.

Following today's action, competition at the trials will resume on Thursday with TCU's Whitney Gipson, the MW Indoor and Outdoor Athlete of the Year, taking part in the women's long jump, and Air Force volunteer coach Jenny Simpson competing in the women's 1,500 meters. Gipson is the reigning NCAA outdoor champion in the long jump, while Simpson, the reigning world champion in the 1,500 meters, also competed in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Also on Thursday, New Mexico's Floyd Ross will compete in the men's triple jump after finishing second in the event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships earlier this month.

On Friday, Air Force's Paige Blackburn and Falcons' 2006 graduate Dana Pounds-Lyon will take part in the women's javelin, while San Diego State's Allison Reaser will begin the first of two days of competition in the heptathlon. Reaser took sixth in the event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a MW-record 5,753 points. Reaser would need to finish in the top three and reach the Olympic "A" standard of 6,150 points to advance to London.

Silmon, a first-team All-American who set the MW record (10.04) during competition at last month's NCAA West Region Prelims in Austin, Texas, posted a time of 10.17 on Saturday. The top performance of the day was turned in by Justin Gatlin, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist who finished in a time of 9.90.

Meanwhile, former TCU standout and current UNLV assistant coach Khadevis Robinson posted the fastest time of the day in the semifinals of the men's 800 meters with a mark of 1:45.83. Robinson was the only runner to post a sub-1:46.0 in the event's two heats.

Robinson will make his second Olympic appearance with a top-three finish in Monday's final. He also represented the U.S. in the 2004 Games in Athens.

In women's action, former UNLV sprinter Lekeisha Lawson came up short in her attempt to qualify in the women's 100 meters, finishing 18th in a time of 11.54.

One day after former UNLV standout Amanda Bingson earned a spot in the 2012 London Olympics with a second-place finish in the women's hammer throw, Robinson finished first in his heat of the 800 meters, posting a time of 1:47.30. He will be seeded eighth overall in Saturday's semifinals. Lawson currently has the 13th-best time in the women's 100 meters after finishing second in her heat in a time of 11.34.

Meanwhile, San Diego State senior Whitney Ashley, the 2012 NCAA champion in the women's discus, finished 22nd in the field of 24 on Friday with an effort of 153'-3.00" (46.73 meters). Ashley needed to finish in the top 12 to advance to Sunday's final.

Former SDSU standout Melinda Smedley also came up short, finishing sixth in her preliminary heat of the 100-meter dash and 25th overall with a time of 11.55. Smedley needed to finish among the top three in her heat or be one of the next six-fastest runners to move onto Saturday's semifinal.

New Mexico long jumper Kendall Spencer, the reigning NCAA indoor champion, saw his Olympic bid come to a close when he finished 17th in the event with a mark of 24-9.25.

The top three finishers in each event qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team. The trials run through July 1.

Bingson, the Mountain West record holder in the event who broke the UNLV record eight times, finished with a mark of 235'-6.00" The day's top mark belonged to Amber Campbell, who also competed at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Campbell's throw was also measured at 235'-6.00," but at 71.80 meters, it was just enough to top Bingson's effort of 71.78 meters.

The third and final spot went to Jessica Crosby (232'-2.00"), who also competed in Beijing in 2008.

But if the performances turned in by the two former Olympians --- Campbell and Crosby --- were hardly surprising, such was not the case where Bingson was concerned. After finishing third at the recently concluded NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Bingson, a two-time first-team All-American, had yet to earn the "A" standard required to make the Olympic team.

That changed Thursday when Bingson unleashed a throw that was more than two feet farther than her record-breaking effort of 233'-1.00" (71.04 meters) at last month's NCAA West Regional Men's and Women's Championship Prelims in Austin, Texas.

"Coming up here (Oregon) all I wanted to do was get to the finals and do well," said Bingson. "I didn't know I was going to do this well though. As soon as I threw that 71.22 I knew that the "A" standard was in me. I just relaxed, went for it and got it. I was in such disbelief at first, but this has been my best series all year. I'm ready to represent the USA at the Olympics and just live this up to the fullest!"

The hammer competition was Thursday's lone event at the trials, which run through July 1.

1. Brett Smith, So., Wyoming
Smith turned in a spectacular freshman season, completing 61 percent of his passes for 2,622 yards with 20 touchdowns. He was also the Cowboys' leading rusher with 710 yards and 10 touchdowns, finishing with 3,332 yards of total offense. The 2011 MW Freshman of the Year ranked second in MW and 33rd nationally in total offense (256.3 yards per game), he was No. 4 in the MW and 36th in the NCAA in passing yards (201.7 yards per game). He set a new MW freshman single-season record for total offense and had a hand in 30 of the team's 46 touchdowns.

2. Derek Carr, Jr., Fresno State
Carr led the WAC in passing yards (3,544) last season, a total that ranks as the third-most in Fresno State history and the most ever by a Bulldog sophomore. His passing yardage led the WAC and ranked 15th nationally, while his 279 completions and 446 attempts were the second-most in the history of the program. Carr threw 26 touchdown passes against nine interceptions while completing 62.6 percent of his passes.

3. Cody Fajardo, So., Nevada
Fajardo earned WAC Freshman of the Year honors in 2011, finishing with 2,401 total yards and 17 touchdowns in 10 games. Fajardo became the starting quarterback for the Wolf Pack in October and threw for 1,707 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for 694 yards and 11 more scores. He ranked third in the WAC in passing efficiency with a 138.2 rating and was sixth in the WAC in rushing with 69.4 yards per game.

4. Ryan Katz, Sr., San Diego State
The void left by four-year starter Ryan Lindley is expected to be filled by Katz, a transfer from Oregon State who started every game for the Beavers in 2010, completing 60 percent of his passes for 2,401 yards and 18 touchdowns. Katz played in 18 games for Oregon State from 2008-11, starting 14 games and throwing for 2,722 yards and 19 touchdowns. Katz is eligible to play immediately at SDSU after graduating from Oregon State this spring. He will take graduate courses at SDSU this fall.

5. Joe Southwick, Jr., Boise State
The Kellen Moore era may be over, but there's no evidence of panic in the streets in Boise. The benefit of the Broncos' ability to build large leads in recent seasons has allowed Southwick to play in 16 games the past two years. He's made the most of it, completing 64.8 percent of his passes (35-of-54) for 400 yards with just one interception. In the Broncos' spring game, Southwick finished 14-of-19 for 145 yards and one touchdown. None of the other three quarterbacks bidding to supplant Moore threw more than eight passes.

6. Connor Dietz, Sr., Air Force
While perhaps not possessing the passing skills of former starter Tim Jefferson, Dietz is more than capable of directing the Falcons' complex option attack, having played in 21 career games with three starts. Dietz has completed 30-of-62 passes (53.3 percent) for 392 yards and three touchdowns with just one interception. A fifth-year senior, Dietz compiled a passing efficiency rating of 198.97 as a junior.

FOOTBALL HEADLINES

• Norm Chow wants students back in their seats at Aloha Stadium.

TRACK & FIELD HEADLINES

• Colorado State's Berryhill to take over Wyoming track and field program.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HEADLINES

• Back to the future: Meghan Heimstra rejoins Colorado State.

SOFTBALL HEADLINES

• Trisha Ford ready for the challenge in leading Fresno State softball program.

Have you seen a news article on the Mountain West, its teams and its players to share with fellow fans? E-mail them to Webmaster@TheMWC.com!

TRACK & FIELD HEADLINES

• SDSU's Whitney Ashley enjoys memorable homecoming after winning NCAA title.

BASEBALL HEADLINES

• Phase 1 of facelift for Lobo Field gets go-ahead.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HEADLINES

• New Mexico getting wealth of experience in new assistant coach Edwina Brown.

• JC All-American guard transferring to Colorado State.

MEN'S BASKETBALL HEADLINES

• Wyoming's Shyatt will make teaching a priority this summer under NCAA rules change.

GENERAL HEADLINES

• Utah State anxiously awaiting official inclusion in Mountain West.

Have you seen a news article on the Mountain West, its teams and its players to share with fellow fans? E-mail them to Webmaster@TheMWC.com!

Sophomore triple jumper Shanieka Thomas capped things off in high style for the Aztecs, breaking the school record three times on six attempts en route to a second-place finish in the event. Thomas, whose previous personal best was 44'-8.0," turned in an effort of 45'-9.75" on her final attempt, erasing the previous record of 44'-9.0" set by Karoline Koehler in 2009. Thomas' effort also eclipsed the Mountain West outdoor record of 44'-8.25" set by BYU's Kamila Rywelska in 2005.

With her second-place finish, Thomas became the third SDSU athlete to garner first-team All-American honors at this year's national meet, joining senior Whitney Ashley and sophomore Allison Reaser. Ashley won a national title in the discus on Wednesday, while Reaser finished sixth on Friday in the heptathlon.

Junior Alex Evans finished 14th (42'-6.25") in the triple jump competition for the Aztecs, who tied for ninth with Tennessee (21.00 points) in the team standings. It was SDSU's best finish at the national meet since 1985.

Southern Mississippi senior Ganna Demydova won the triple jump title with an effort of 46'-7.25."

In other news from the final day of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships:

 Air Force senior Jim Walmsley finished 12th in the finals of the men's 3,000-meter Steeplechase, posting a time of 8:57.99 to earn second-team All-American honors. Walmsley qualified for the finals after finishing in a career-best time of 8:41.05 in Thursday's prelims. Walmsley's mark on Thursday was the third-fastest in Air Force history. Princeton senior Donn Cabral won the event, posting a time of 8:35.44.

 Boise State freshman and MW Champion Emma Bates earned second-team All-American honors in the women's 5,000-meter run, finishing 12th in a time of 16:43.84. In addition to being the first member of the school's women's team to garner All-American status in the event, Bates turned in the top time among all freshmen competing in Saturday's race. It was just her third time competing in a 5,000-meter race this season. Dartmouth sophomore Abbey D'Agostino won the event in a time of 16:11.34.

 The MW crowned three national champions during this year's meet, including San Diego State's Whitney Ashley, Boise State's Kurt Felix (men's decathlon) and TCU's Whitney Gipson (women's long jump).

 Ten MW athletes earned first-team All-American honors at this year's meet, including SDSU's Whitney Ashley (women's discus); UNLV's Amanda Bingson (women's hammer throw); Boise State's Kurt Felix (men's decathlon); TCU's Whitney Gipson (women's long jump); SDSU's Allison Reaser (heptathlon); New Mexico's Floyd Ross (men's triple jump); TCU's Charles Silmon (men's 100 meters); Air Force's Cale Simmons (men's pole vault); SDSU's Shanieka Thomas (women's triple jump); and New Mexico's Sarah Waldron (women's 10,000 meters).

 Florida won the men's team title with 50.00 points, while LSU took home honors on the women's side with 76.00 points. Air Force junior Cale Simmons garnered first-team All-American honors by finishing in a tie for fifth in the men's pole vault. Simmons, who set a MW record at last month's league championships with a vault of 18'-1.75," posted an effort of 17'-8.50" on Friday, finishing in a tie with Liberty's Kolby Shepherd. Oral Roberts junior Jack Whitt won the national title with a mark of 18'-6.50." Simmons also earned All-American honors in March when he finished fifth at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

 TCU junior Charles Silmon, the MW record holder in the men's 100-meter dash, earned first-team All-American honors with a seventh-place finish in the finals of the event on Friday. Silmon, who posted a time of 10.05 during Wednesday's prelims, clocked in at 10.39 in the finals. He set the MW record at last month's NCAA West Region Championship Prelims with a mark of 10.04. Illinois senior Andrew Riley won Friday's final in a time of 10.28.

 Colorado State senior Nicole Peters, who established a personal-best time of 10:12.61 during Wednesday's prelims in the women's 3,000-meter Steeplechase, finished 12th in Friday's finals in a time of 10:46.10. Colorado junior Shalaya Kipp posted a winning time of 9:49.02. Peters was the 2012 MW champion in the event.

Ross, who posted a personal-best triple jump mark of 52'-7.25" at last month's West Region Prelims, took his performance to another level on Friday, earning first-team All-American honors by finishing second in the event at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

The first Lobo triple jumper to qualify for the national meet since Dewayne Rudd in 1984, Ross saved his best for last, unleashing an effort of 54'-6.00" on his final attempt to finish second behind Omar Craddock of Florida (55'-6.25"). Ross' mark ranks second all-time in MW history.

Ross, who placed second to TCU's Cameron Parker with an effort of 51'-7.75" at this year's Mountain West Championships, surpassed that mark on three of his six attempts Friday.

Parker, meanwhile, the MW triple jump champion each of the past two years, finished 19th in Friday's competition, with his best effort of the day coming on his second attempt (50'-5.50").

In others news from Day 3 of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships:

 Air Force junior Cale Simmons garnered first-team All-American honors by finishing in a tie for fifth in the men's pole vault. Simmons, who set a MW record at last month's league championships with a vault of 18'-1.75," posted an effort of 17'-8.50" on Friday, finishing in a tie with Liberty's Kolby Shepherd. Oral Roberts junior Jack Whitt won the national title with a mark of 18'-6.50." Simmons also earned All-American honors in March when he finished fifth at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

 TCU junior Charles Silmon, the MW record holder in the men's 100-meter dash, earned first-team All-American honors with a seventh-place finish in the finals of the event on Friday. Silmon, who posted a time of 10.05 during Wednesday's prelims, clocked in at 10.39 in the finals. He set the MW record at last month's NCAA West Region Championship Prelims with a mark of 10.04. Illinois senior Andrew Riley won Friday's final in a time of 10.28.

 Colorado State senior Nicole Peters, who established a personal-best time of 10:12.61 during Wednesday's prelims in the women's 3,000-meter Steeplechase, finished 12th in Friday's finals in a time of 10:46.10. Colorado junior Shalaya Kipp posted a winning time of 9:49.02. Peters was the 2012 MW champion in the event.

 San Diego State senior Whitney Ashley, who won a national title Wednesday in the women's discus, finished 13th on Friday in the shot put competition. Ashley posted a mark of 53'-9.25" after her throw of 55'-5.00" at last month's NCAA West Region prelims broke the Mountain West record. Oklahoma junior Tia Brooks won the national title with a mark of 60'-6.00."

Specifically, his background in one of the decathlon's 10 events --- the javelin.

"In the islands, we throw a lot of rocks," Felix said. "It just sort of came natural."

And in the end, it just sort of made him a national champion.

Felix, who led after the first five events on Wednesday, held on to win the men's decathlon title on Thursday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

Having dropped into third place on Thursday with two events remaining --- the javelin and 1,500-meter run --- Felix won the javelin competition, vaulting back into first place with an effort of 227'-6.00." Only two other decathletes --- Romain Martin of Texas-Arlington (210'-6.00") and Oregon's Dakotah Keys (201'-4.00") surpassed 200 feet.

Felix, who finished with a MW record 8,062 points to fend off the second-place Martin by 106 points, placed 13th in the decathlon at the 2010 national meet. He entered the meet ranked fourth in the country (7,972 points), 95 points behind leader Isaac Murphy of Texas. In the two-day competition at Drake Stadium, Felix bested the seventh-place Murphy by 244 points.

Said Felix: "It was my last NCAA competition, so it feels really good."

Meanwhile, TCU senior Whitney Gipson turned in the second-best mark in MW history to win the national title in the women's long jump.

Gipson, who was recently tabbed the U.S. Track and Field Cross Country Association's South Central Region Athlete of the Year, posted the winning mark of 22'-4.25" on her second attempt of the day. Southern Mississippi senior Tori Bowie was second at 21'-10.25."

A five-time All-American and the reigning NCAA indoor champion, Gipson won the long jump at this year's MW Championship for a second straight time, becoming only the fourth student-athlete in league history to win back-to-back championships.

In other news from Day 2 of the NCAA Track and Field Championships:

 San Diego State sophomore Allison Reaser sits in ninth place in the women's heptathlon after totaling a first-day personal-best 3,386 points. Reaser's point total is her highest ever after the first day, bettering the 3,355 points she earned en route to winning the event at last month's MW Championships. With three events remaining on Friday, three athletes are less than a 100 points ahead of Reaser, who opened the day by posting the second-fastest time of her career in the 100-meter hurdles (13.77). Reaser set a personal record with an effort of 5'-4.25" in the high jump and turned in her second-best effort of the outdoor season with a mark of 38'-5.00" in the shot put. She also posted her second-fasted time of the season in the 200-meter dash (24.20).

 Air Force senior Jim Walmsley advanced to Saturday's finals of the men's 3,000-meter Steeplechase by posting a career-best time of 8:41.05 in Thursday's prelims. Walmsley shaved 10 seconds off of his previous best time to place seventh overall in the field of 24. His mark was the third-fastest in Air Force history.

 UNLV senior Amanda Bingson, the MW all-time leader in the women's hammer throw, finished third to earn All-American honors in the finals of the event on Thursday. Bingson, who fouled on her first two throws, advanced with an effort of 219'-8.00" on her third attempt in the opening round. It was the best effort of the day for Bingson, who finished fourth at the national meet a year ago.

 New Mexico senior Sarah Waldron, the MW and school record holder in the women's 10,000 meters, earned All-American honors by finishing sixth in the finals of the event on Thursday. Waldron posted a time of 32:58.84.

Ashley, who finished fourth in the event at last month's NCAA West Region Prelims, posted a personal-best mark of 184'-5.00" on her first throw of the day before surpassing the MW record of 187'-3.50" established by Colorado State's Loree Smith in 2004. Ashley, whose previous personal-best of 181'-3.00" was set at the Mt. SAC Relays in April, is the fourth SDSU student-athlete to win an individual Division I track and field national championship and the first since 1985. She finished seventh at the national meet last year with an effort of 179'-7.00."

Ashley competes again on Friday in the shot put after finishing fifth in the event at the NCAA West Region Prelims. Her effort of 55'-5.00" at the West Region prelims broke a Mountain West record and ranks second-best all-time at SDSU. She also competed in the shot put at last year's national championships but fouled on all three of her attempts.

In other news from the opening day of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships:

 Boise State senior Kurt Felix, who will represent his native Grenada in the 2012 Summer Games in London, holds first place after the opening day of competition in the men's decathlon.

Felix, who compiled 4,187 points after five events on Wednesday, will begin the second day of competition on Thursday with a 10-point lead over Arkansas freshman Gunnar Nixon.

Felix began the day in style, posting a personal best time of 10.90 to finish second in the 100-meter dash. The BSU record holder in the decathlon then went on to win the long jump competition with an effort of 24'-3.50" before finishing 12th in the shot put (42'-11.00").

While his effort in the shot put dropped him into second place overall, Felix regained the lead after placing second in the high jump (6'-8.75"). In the day's final event, Felix posted a time of 48.77 in the 400-meter dash, the second-fastest time of his career.

Thursday's final round of the decathlon kicks off with the 110-meter hurdles at 11:30 a.m. CT, followed by competition in the discus, pole vault, javelin and the 1500 meters.

 TCU junior Charles Silmon, who set a Mountain West record in the 100-meter dash with a wind-aided time of 10.04 seconds at last month's NCAA West Region Championship Prelims, qualified for Friday's finals in the event after posting a time of 10.05.

Silmon, the league's three-time defending champion in the 100 meters, finished with the fifth-fastest time of the day. Auburn junior Harry Adams posted the top qualifying time at 9.96. Florida State's Ngonidzashe Makusha set the national collegiate record in the 100 meters at last year's meet with a time of 9.89.

 Colorado State senior Nicole Peters earned a spot in Friday's finals in the women's 3,000-meter Steeplechase after finishing 13th in a time of 10:12.61. Peters, the 2012 MW champion in the event, qualified after placing seventh (10:16.15) at the NCAA West Regional Prelims.

After Horned Frogs catcher Josh Elander and outfielder Kyle Von Tungeln were selected by the Atlanta Braves and Colorado Rockies, respectively, on Tuesday, fellow junior Kevin Allen was the first MW player taken on Wednesday when the right-hander was drafted in the 23rd round (703rd overall) by the Kansas City Royals. In his first season at TCU, the second-team All-Conference selection is 5-2 with a 2.97 ERA, posting 43 strikeouts in 30 1/3 innings.

TCU junior right-hander Tyler Duffie was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 27th round (845th overall) before Jason Coats, a three-time first-team All-MW selection, was taken by the Chicago White Sox in the 29th round (891st overall). Duffie has pitched 9 1/3 innings this season without allowing an earned run and surrendering just three hits while striking out eight batters. Coats, who was taken in the 12th round by the Baltimore Orioles a year ago, is TCU's career leader in doubles (69) and ranks second in hits (304), RBI (202) and total bases (496). The senior outfielder was batting .326 with six home runs and 45 RBI before being lost for the season with a knee injury late last month.

Senior Kaleb Merck became the sixth TCU player taken in this year's draft when he was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 33rd round (1,000th overall). Merck returned to action in 2012 after being sidelined by injury last year, when he was a 43rd-round pick by the Texas Rangers. The right-hander, who is 1-1 this season with a 3.63 ERA, has posted five saves this season while limiting opposing batters to a .202 average. He has 24 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings.

A second MW player was taken by the Twins on Wednesday when UNLV junior outfielder Brandon Bayardi, a first-team All-MW selection, was drafted in the 36th round (1,090th overall). Bayardi, who recorded a team-high batting average (.365) this season, also led the Rebels in RBI (53) and home runs (7) while ranking second on the team in hits (74).

Fresno State, which will officially join the MW on July 1 and had four players selected on Tuesday, produced two more picks on Wednesday when senior right-hander Gene Escat was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 23rd round (702nd overall) and senior second baseman Patrick Hutcheson was taken by the Colorado Rockies in the 29th round (888th overall).

Juniors selected in the draft are eligible to return to their respective teams if they do not sign prior to the July 13 deadline.

BASEBALL HEADLINES

• TCU senior outfielder vows to go down swinging as team preps for Super Regional.

TRACK & FIELD HEADLINES

• Olympic-bound Boise State decathlete Kurt Felix set for NCAA Championships.

• Pair of Horned Frogs anxious to get a jump on the competition.

FOOTBALL HEADLINES

• Former CSU quarterback Caleb Hanie is one play away from replacing Peyton Manning.

• Legend of former Wyoming standout "Freight Train" Lawrence Gaines lives on, but his whereabouts remains mystery.

• Ex-Colorado State tight end Joel Dreesen confident he can take game to another level with Broncos.

MEN'S BASKETBALL HEADLINES

• UNLV's Augmon says Hall of Fame induction 'stands right alongside winning the national championship.'

Have you seen a news article on the Mountain West, its teams and its players to share with fellow fans? E-mail them to Webmaster@TheMWC.com!

Elander, a catcher who has started all 60 games this season and is batting .316, was taken by the Atlanta Braves with the 21st pick of the sixth round (209th overall). One of two MW players named to the 2012 Capital One Academic Division I All-American team, Elander leads the Horned Frogs with 10 home runs and 14 stolen bases in 21 attempts.

Von Tungeln, an outfielder who is batting .301 with 10 doubles, five triples and a pair of home runs, was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 13th round (408th overall). A second-team All-MW selection, Von Tungeln has driven in 24 runs this season while stealing 12 bases in 17 attempts.

Meanwhile, New Mexico junior right-hander Austin House, who helped lead the Lobos to their second consecutive MW Tournament title, was taken by the Oakland A's in the 14th round (439th overall). A unanimous first-team All-MW selection, House leads the league in innings pitched this year with 111.2. He finished the 2012 campaign with an 8-5 record in 16 appearances, posting a 2.74 ERA while striking out 91, the third-highest total in the Conference.

Fresno State, which will officially join the MW on July 1, had four players selected on Tuesday, including junior right-hander Justin Haley (6th round, Boston Red Sox, 211th overall); senior right-hander Taylor Garrison (7th round, New York Yankees, 247th overall); senior right-hander Cody Kendall (8th round, Texas Rangers, 276th overall); and senior left-handed pitcher Thomas Harlan (13th round, Pittsburgh Pirates, 406th overall).

Nevada, which will also join the MW on July 1, was represented in the draft by junior catcher Carlos Escobar, who was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 15th round with the 464th pick overall.

The draft concludes Wednesday with rounds 16-40. Coverage begins live at Noon ET on MLB.com. Juniors are eligible to return to their respective teams if they do not sign prior to the July 13th deadline.

The 10th-ranked Aztecs won the first two matches but were unable to hold on over the course of the final three. Despite the loss, the Aztecs posted their best team finish at the NCAA Championships in their Division I history by tying for fifth place at the par 71, 7,2-92-yard Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif.

Defending MW champion SDSU qualified for match play on Thursday after recording a 54-hole total of 19-over 871 (292-295-284) to tie for fourth place with the Golden Bears in the three-day stroke play portion of the tournament.

"You have to be in the final eight to have a run at the national championship in this format and we were here," said Aztecs coach Ryan Donovan, a semifinalist for National Coach of the Year. "I think this is going to make us stronger and help with recruiting."

SDSU's finish was the best by a team from the Mountain West since 2005, when three MW teams in the top eight. SDSU also provided the league with its first top 10 finish since 2009, when TCU placed ninth.

The turning point came in the final pairing when Cal's Joel Stalter sunk a 15-foot putt for birdie on No. 17 to defeat Aztec senior Alex Kang 2&1.

SDSU seniors J.J. Spaun and Colin Featherstone both came away with wins in the opening two matches, providing the fifth-seeded Aztecs with an early 2-0 lead over the fourth-seeded Golden Bears.

Cal's Pace Johnson bested Aztec senior Matt Hoffenberg, and SDSU junior Tom Berry fell to the Golden Bears' Michael Kim, who put the match away with a birdie at No. 17 after Berry had rebounded from a three-hole deficit.

With the match even at 2-2, the quarterfinal winner came down to the final pairing of Kang and Slater. It was all square through the first three holes, until Kang went 2-up with pars to Slater's bogeys on Nos. 4 and 6. Slater would get back to even as the group made the turn, then went ahead for the first time on the par-5 11th hole when Kang double-bogeyed. SDSU would get back to all square on a birdie putt on No. 14, and after both golfers recorded fives on No. 15, on Kang found the bunker on back-to-back tee shots on Nos. 16 and 17, which allowed Slater to go up by one before sinking the winning birdie putt.

It was the first time a team from the Mountain West advanced to match play since the current format was established in 2009, as well as the first time that the Aztecs had ever qualified for the match play portion of the national championship.

"It came down to the wire," Donovan said. "It came down to the last match and that is what I was expecting. They made an extra birdie or two on us and that is what it comes down to in this format."

Now comes the task of replacing four seniors --- Spaun, Kang, Featherstone and Hoffenberg --- who played major roles in the team's success over the last four seasons. Spaun, who finished tied for 13th during the stroke play portion of the tournament, exits as the 2012 MW Player of the Year.

"I am so proud of this group of guys and the bond that came between them," Donovan said. "These are memories they will always have. (They) won back-to-back Mountain West Conference championships, and came back from behind against Stanford (on Friday) when everyone thought we were down and out. They showed a lot of heart. I could not be more proud of the group, and it is going to help us to get better in the future."

2012 NCAA Men's Golf Championships
Pacific Palisades, Calif. - Riviera Country Club (Par-71, 7,292 yards)
Match Play - NCAA Quarterfinals

• No. 1 Alabama def. No. 8 Kent State, 3-1
• No. 7 Oregon def. No. 2 UCLA, 3-2
• No. 3 Texas def. No. 6 Washington, 5-0
• No. 4 California 3, No. 5 San Diego State 2
   J.J. Spaun (SDSU) def. Max Homa (Cal), 4&3
   Colin Featherstone (SDSU) def. Brandon Hagy (Cal), 2&1
   Pace Johnson (Cal) def. Matt Hoffenberg (SDSU), 4&3
   Michael Kim (Cal) & Tom Berry (SDSU), 3&1
   Joel Slater (Cal) def. Alex Kang (SDSU), 2&1

The Aztecs, who began the day nine shots off the lead, once again discovered more than a morsel of magic in their bag by finishing in a tie for fourth place with California in the stroke play portion of the NCAA Championships at the par 71, 7,292-yard Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif.

The 10th-ranked Aztecs entered Thursday's round in 15th place, but roared back by matching the lowest round by any squad during stroke play at ever-par 284. San Diego State posted a 54-hole total of 19-over 871 (292-295-284), becoming the first MW team to advance to match play since the current format was established in 2009.

San Diego State is no stranger to comebacks, however, as the Aztecs were confronted with a similar climb earlier this month when they found themselves staring at a nine-stroke deficit after the first round of the Stanford Regional. SDSU finished regional action as the tournament's runner-up at 19-under 821, six strokes behind regional champion Cal.

Two-time defending MW champion SDSU will now commence the hunt for its first national title when it squares off in match play action against the Golden Bears in Friday's quarterfinals. San Diego State and Cal are slated to start match play at 10:45 a.m. PT, with the winner advancing to Saturday's semifinals. The national title will be determined between the top two teams on Sunday.

The Aztecs, who are guaranteed their best finish since 1966, will finish no lower than eighth at the conclusion of play on Sunday, the highest by a team from the Mountain West since 2005, when three MW teams finished in the top eight. SDSU also assures the Mountain West of its first top 10 finish since 2009 when TCU placed ninth.

The Horned Frogs concluded the 2011-12 season after carding a 15-over 299 for the third straight day to finish 27th at 45-over 897.

TCU was once again paced by freshman Julien Brun, who climbed from a nine-way tie for 16th place to a tie for second place at 2-under 211 (72-72-67). Brun, the 2011-12 MW Freshman of the Year, posted the highest individual finish by a MW golfer in an NCAA Championship since UNLV's Ryan Moore captured medalist honors in 2004. It also matched the best-ever showing by a TCU men's golfer at the NCAA Championship, joining former Frogs J.J. Henry (T-2nd, 1998) and Adam Rubinson (T-2nd, 2002).

Brun carved out a third-round score of 4-under 67, which tied for the second-lowest round of the entire tournament and included one eagle and five birdies. He finished the tournament with 13 birdies overall and shared reserved medalist honors with Florida's Tyler McCumber. Illinois' Thomas Pieters secured the individual title after posting a three-day total of 5-under 208.

Meanwhile, it was J.J. Spaun who led the charge for the Aztecs, finishing in an eight-way tie for 13th at 2-over 215 (72-74-69). The senior, who was named the 2011-12 MW Golfer of the Year earlier this month, carded a 2-under 69 on Thursday, including an eagle on No. 1 and birdies on Nos. 11 and 15, to move from 37th to 13th place.

SDSU junior Tom Berry had three birides on the day to post his best round of the tournament by two strokes at even-par 71. Berry, who entered the third round tied for 37th, moved up to a tie for 29th at 4-over 217 (73-73-71). Senior Alex Kang concluded stroke play in a tie for 50th place at 7-over 220 (72-73-75).

San Diego State and California will be joined in match play by Alabama, which finished stroke play atop the leaderboard at 7-over 859, along with UCLA, Texas, Washington and Oregon. Florida State and Kent State finished tied for the eighth position, so both teams will return at 8 a.m. PT Friday for a sudden death playoff to determine the final qualifier.

Live scoring for the national championship can be found at NCAA.com. A live video web stream will also be available during the tournament on NCAA.com.

GENERAL HEADLINES

• CSU tabs Washington's John Morris to serve as deputy athletic director.

FOOTBALL HEADLINES

• Hawai‘i brings five-star cornerback into the fold.

• Former Air Force standout and current Broncos' DL Ben Garland adds to resume.

MEN'S BASKETBALL HEADLINES

• Former New Mexico hoopster Brian Smith has taken his game to another level.

Have you seen a news article on the Mountain West, its teams and its players to share with fellow fans? E-mail them to Webmaster@TheMWC.com!

We are always told that as we get older, we are meant to become wise. But I hope we stay foolish, foolish enough to believe that everything is possible. To know that we can do whatever we want and there is no one that can stop us but ourselves.

Fellow graduates, this month we say goodbye to constants in our life. We say goodbye to organized education and late nights of studying.

Goodbye to our athletic careers -- our coaches and teammates; to hours of workouts and icing our bumps, breaks and bruises.

But most importantly, we say goodbye to the children we used to be. This is it. Everything prior was just practice.

Every piece of tape on our ankles. Every win. Every loss. Every tear. Every breath we took.

They have all been to prepare us for this time in our life. We may not have known it at the time, but everything we have experienced was for a reason.

We've done the work. We've put in the blood, sweat and tears. We've planned for this moment since we can remember and now it is actually here.

I hope you did what you wanted. I hope you took some great classes and some really time-wasting ones. I hope you lived your dream of playing a college sport, of getting a college degree.

I hope you gained lifelong friends and mentors. But, most of all, I hope you know that you deserve what your life has in store for you.

There is one thing I have learned in life that stands out the most: Life is about being ready for the moments that will change your life.

Plan to fail at times; that's what life is about. But prepare for the opportunities to grow as a person.

Remember to never stop trying, to never stop fighting for what you want. Never stop doing things that make you uncomfortable.

Take chances.

Follow your dreams, especially when they are ridiculous and other people say you'll never see them fulfilled.

Good things come to those who wait. But great things come to those who work tirelessly and never give up.

The groundwork is set; our foundation is in place. Our life is out there waiting on us.

The only thing left for us to do is show up.

- Eugene Daniels

The 10th-ranked Aztecs have carded a combined 19-over 587 for the tournament, only three strokes behind eighth place in the field of 30 teams. SDSU, which at one point sat in seventh place on Wednesday, gave back five strokes over the final three holes and finished the second round at 11-over 295.

The tournament, which is being played on the par 71, 7,292-yard Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., continues Thursday with the final round of stroke play competition. The individual national champion will be crowned at the conclusion of stroke play on Thursday, while the top eight teams after 54 holes will advance to the match play portion of the tournament from Friday to Sunday when the national team title will be awarded.

No. 2-ranked Alabama sits atop the team standings heading into Day 3 with a 4-over par 572, while fifth-ranked UCLA is second at 8-over 576. No other team in the field has shot better than 12-over 580. The individual lead belongs to Thomas Pieters of Illinois, who turned in a second-round score of 3-under 68 and is at 5-under 137 (69-68) for the tournament.

SDSU senior Alex Kang and junior Tom Berry both finished the day with a 2-over 73. Kang, who has six birdies through 36 holes, paces SDSU at 3-over 145 (72-73) to tie for 25th place. Berry, who enters the final round in a 16-way tie for 37th, is one shot behind Kang at 4-over 146 (73-73) alongside teammate and MW Player of the Year J.J. Spaun (72-74).

Meanwhile, TCU, which entered the tournament ranked 36th nationally, carded a 15-over 299 for the second straight round while finishing Day 2 in a three-way tie for 23rd place at 30-over 598.

The Horned Frogs were once again paced by MW Freshman of the Year Julien Brun, who rose 11 spots on the individual leaderboard after firing a 1-over 72 for the second consecutive day. Brun, who has posted eight birdies through the first two rounds, is in a nine-way tie for 16th with his 36-hole total of 2-over 144 (72-72).

Daniel Jennevret posted his second-best score in five career NCAA championship rounds, as the junior matched Brun with a 1-over 72 on Wednesday. Jennevret moved up from his starting position in a tie for 122nd place into a tie for 69th at 7-over 149 (77-72).

Live scoring for the national championship can be found at NCAA.com.

The following day, Aztecs whittled an eye-popping 17 strokes off their opening day performance to assume sole possession of second place, a position they would hold for the remainder of the tournament.

After Day 1 of the NCAA National Championships, 10th-ranked SDSU is about to find out whether another comeback is in the cards.

The two-time defending MW champion Aztecs shot an 8-over par 292 to finish in 12th place on Tuesday as the NCAA Championships got underway at the par-71, 7,292-yard Rivera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif.

"Overall, it was a good day," said Aztecs head coach Ryan Donovan, who on Tuesday was tabbed as one of six finalists for the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Dave Williams Award that recognizes the national coach of the year. "We have 54 holes to complete the stroke play portion of the NCAAs and we're seven in back of the lead. I think we're going to get off to a good start in the morning, the greens will be pure for us and we'll put up a good number tomorrow."

Seniors Alex Kang and J.J. Spaun, who finished 10th and second, respectively, at the Stanford Regional, both posted opening-day scores of 1-over 72 and sit in a 19-way tie for 27th. Both notched three birdies on the day. Junior Tom Berry, who is in a 16-way tie for 46th, is one shot behind Kang and Spaun after carding a 1-over 73.

SDSU is making its first back-to-back trip to the championships since NCAA regional play began in 1989, and the first time overall since qualifying 11 consecutive years from 1974-84.

The championships consist of 54 holes of stroke play with one 18-hole round played each day. The individual national champion will be crowned at the conclusion of stroke play on Thursday, while the top eight teams advance to match play. The national title will be determined between the top two teams on Sunday.

No. 2-ranked Alabama leads the team standings heading into Day 2 after shooting a 1-over 285. The individual leader is UCLA's Anton Arboleda, who turned in an opening-day round of 4-under 67.

Meanwhile, TCU carded a 15-over 299 and will begin second-round play on Wednesday in a five-way tie for 24th in the 30-team field.

The No. 36-ranked Horned Frogs, who qualified for the NCAA Championships after posting a fifth-place finish at the Ann Arbor Regional earlier this month, were paced by standout freshman Julien Brun. The MW Freshman of the Year posted four birdies in the opening round and shot a 1-over 72 to share 27th place with Kang and Spaun.

Senior Johan de Beer, who is making his third career appearance at the national tournament, and sophomore Ian Phillips both finished at 4-over 75 and will tee off on Wednesday in a 17-way tie for 81st place.

TCU has qualified for the NCAA Championships three times in the last four years and 16 times overall. This is the third consecutive season and ninth time in league history that multiple men's golf teams are representing the Mountain West at the NCAA Championships.

Live scoring for the national championship can be found at NCAA.com.

Silmon, the league's three-time defending champion in the event, posted a time of 10.04, breaking the previous MW record of 10.13 set by BYU's Kenneth Andam in 2000. Silmon's time was the second-fastest performance of the day, exceeded only by the 10.03 turned in by Illinois' Andrew Riley in the same heat.

Silmon's performance gave him a spot in the NCAA Championships for the third straight year. The championships will be held June 6-9 at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

The top 12 in each event of the NCAA West Region prelims advance to the NCAA Championships.

In other news from Day 2:

 San Diego State senior Whitney Ashley, who on Thursday set a Mountain West women's outdoor record in the shot put, qualified for a second event in this year's NCAA Championships when she finished fourth in the discus Friday.

Ashley, the MW outdoor champion in both the shot put and discus each of the past two years, finished with a distance of 181'-03" to advance to the NCAA Championships. Ashley's effort ranks as the second-best of her career and the fifth-best in school history. She threw a career-best 183'-01" at the Mt. SAC Relays in April.

Ashley, who came into the weekend ranked fifth in the discus in the West Region, finished seventh in the discus last year at the NCAA Championships en route to earning first-team USTFCCCA All-America honors.

 TCU also produced a pair of NCAA Championship qualifiers in the women's 100-meter dash. Freshman Lorraine Ugen, who on Thursday qualified for the NCAA Championships in the long jump, finished eighth in Friday's 100 meters, posting a time of 11.34. Horned Frogs junior Chaniqua Corinealdi grabbed the 12th and final qualifying spot in the event with a time of 11.41. Corinealdi also advanced to Saturday's quarterfinals in the 200 meters, finishing third in her heat with a time of 23.70.

 Boise State junior Rolando Trammel advanced to Saturday's quarterfinals by nailing down the final qualifying spot in the men's 110-meter hurdles. Trammel posted a time of 14.15.

 San Diego State junior Kelsy Hintz qualified for the NCAA Championships in the pole vault with a ninth-place effort of 13'-08.25." The vault was the second-best of Hintz's career and the fifth-best in SDSU history.

 New Mexico junior Floyd Ross advanced to the NCAA Championships in the triple jump, finishing third overall in posting an effort of 52'-07.25." TCU junior Cameron Parker also qualified in the event, finishing 10th at 51'-04.50."

 UNLV senior Brett Zorich is headed to the NCAA Championships after finishing 10th overall in the women's 800 meters (2:05.39).

 Air Force senior Jim Walmsley posted a career-best time of 8:51.65 to advance to the NCAA Championships in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase. Walmsley's performance ranks as fourth-best in Air Force history.

 Colorado State senior Nicole Peters and New Mexico senior Ruth Senior both qualified for the NCAA Championships in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase. Peters finished seventh overall in a time of 10:16.15, while Senior's effort of 10:21.58 was 11th in the field of 48.

Ashley, the MW outdoor champion in both the shot put and discus each of the past two years, notched a career-best distance of 55'-5.00" on her final effort of the day to advance to the NCAA Championships June 6-9 at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Ashley's effort ranks as the second-best in program history behind four-time Olympian Ramona Pagel.

The previous MW outdoor record of 54'-9.50" was set by Colorado State's Loree Smith in 2005. Ashley, who had the fifth-best mark in Thursday's preliminary round, will also take part in the discus competition on Friday.

The top 12 in each event advance to the NCAA Championships.

In other news from the opening day of the NCAA West Region prelims:

 Boise State junior Rolando Trammel, who will also participate in the 110-meter hurdles on Friday, advanced to the quarterfinals of the men's 400-meter hurdles with a time of 51.82.

 UNLV senior Christine Lowe and San Diego State sophomore Allison Reaser advanced to Friday's quarterfinals in the women's 400-meter hurdles after posting times of 59.57 and 59.93, respectively. Reaser is already headed to the NCAA Championships after qualifying in the heptathlon.

 Air Force senior Alex Zubey (3:48.28) and New Mexico sophomore Sam Evans (3:54.92), a 2012 All-Mountain West selection, advanced to Saturday's quarterfinals in the men's 1500-meter run.

 TCU junior Charles Silmon posted the fastest time of his heat and the sixth-best time overall (10.31) to advance to Friday's quarterfinals of the men's 100-meter dash. New Mexico freshman Beejay Lee, who was second to Silmon in the heat, also advanced with a time of 10.38.

 TCU freshman Lorraine Ugen (11.40) and Horned Frogs junior Chanique Corinealdi (11.51) advanced to Friday's quarterfinals in the women's 100-meter dash. Ugen and Corinealdi, who both finished second in their respective heats, posted the ninth- and 10th-best times overall. UNLV junior Emily Blok also qualified in the event, finishing second in her heat with a time of 11:53.

 UNLV senior Brett Zorich (2:07.64) and Rebels junior Kelsey Williamson (2:09.31) advanced to Friday's quarterfinals in the women's 800-meter run. Williamson finished first in her heat, while Zorich was third.

 TCU senior Whitney Gipson (21'-6.00") and Horned Frogs freshman Lorraine Ugen (21'-1.50") both advanced to the NCAA Championships in the women's long jump. Gipson finished tied for second overall. Ugen was eighth.

 New Mexico senior Sarah Waldron earned a spot in the NCAA Championships with a time of 33:54.56 in the women's 10,000-meter run. Waldron posted the event's fourth-best time overall.

BASEBALL HEADLINES

• Coats' injury deals TCU big blow at crucial time.

• Pitcher Preston Morrison has taken command for Frogs as freshman.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HEADLINES

• New CSU coach Ryun Williams wastes little time in assembling staff.

Have you seen a news article on the Mountain West, its teams and its players to share with fellow fans? E-mail them to Webmaster@TheMWC.com!

Two-time defending Mountain West champion SDSU will participate in its second straight NCAA Championship after finishing second, six strokes behind the team-champion Golden Bears, in the final round of the NCAA Stanford Regional on Saturday at the par 70, 6,727-yard Stanford Golf Course in Stanford, Calif.

The No. 3 seed Aztecs, who shot a blistering 15-under par 265 on Friday to pull within a stroke of first-place Cal, carded a 6-under 274 on Saturday to finish at 19-under 821 (282-265-274) for the tournament.

Meanwhile, the top-seeded Golden Bears, who along with No. 2 seed Stanford were the only teams in the regional to have defeated SDSU this season, held the Aztecs at bay by shooting an 11-under 269 on Saturday to finish with a three-day total of 25-under 815.

Validating his standing as the MW Golfer of the Year, Aztec senior J.J. Spaun finished second behind Pepperdine's Josh Anderson in the individual standings. Spaun, who began the day tied for fourth after carding a 7-under 63 on Friday, posted seven birdies on Saturday, including four on the back nine, en route to a 5-under 65 on the day. Spaun finished with a 54-hole total of 12-under 198 (70-63-65), two shots behind Anderson.

Fellow senior Alex Kang finished the tournament tied for 10th at 4-under 206 (70-67-69), while junior Tom Berry tied for 18th at 2-under 208 (72-67-69)

The top five teams from each of the six regional sites advanced to the NCAA Championships, which will be held at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., May 29-June 3. In addition to SDSU and Cal, the other Stanford Regional teams to advance to the NCAA Championships were UAB (10-under 830), Stanford (8-under 832), and Central Florida (5-under 835).

Elsewhere:

 No. 8 seed TCU earned its third NCAA Championship berth in the last four seasons by finishing fifth at the Ann Arbor Regional, played on the par 71, 6,723-yard University of Michigan Golf Course in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The Horned Frogs carded a 3-over 287 during Saturday's final round to finish with a three-day total of 3-under 849 (278-284-287), a performance due in large part to an opening-round 278 that gave the squad an eight-shot lead on the rest of the field entering Day 2.

Freshmen Julien Brun and Thomas Mantovanini were the story of the tournament for TCU. Brun, who began the day as the co-leader in the clubhouse, finished in a tie for fifth place at 6-under 207 (67-68-72). It was the seventh top-5 finish in 12 tournaments for the MW Freshman of the Year.

Meanwhile, Mantovanini earned a share of 11th place, finishing at 3-under 210 (70-69-71). Entering the weekend, Mantovanini had only shot par or better two times in 18 competition rounds for TCU. He registered 16 birdies over the course of three days.

North Carolina State's Albin Choi, who began the day tied for the lead with Brun, took home individual honors with a three-day total of 10-under 203.

In addition to TCU and USC, which won the team title at 11-under 841, other teams to advance to the NCAA Championships from the Ann Arbor Regional were Oregon (10-under 842), Kent State (8-under 844), and Virginia (6-under 846).

  No. 16-ranked New Mexico could do little but pick up the pieces and go home after Iowa's Chris Brandt bogeyed No. 18 to help the Hawkeyes edge the Lobos by one stroke for fifth place and final qualifying spot at the Athens Regional.

New Mexico shot an 8-over 292 at the par 71, 7,253-yard University of Georgia Golf Course Saturday to finish in sixth place at 15-over 867 (285-290-292).

The Lobos, who were bidding for their first NCAA Championship appearance since 2007, were paced by junior James Erkenbeck, who shot a 1-over 72 to finish at even-par 213 (67-74-72) and tie for 12th place. Fellow junior John Catlin finished at 3-over 316 (71-71-74) for the tournament, tying for 18th place among 75 golfers.

No. 4 Alabama ran away with the team title, carding a 24-under 828 to best second-place East Carolina (1-over 853) by 25 strokes. Other teams advancing to the NCAA Championships from the Athens Regional were North Florida (6-over 858) and host Georgia (12-over 864). The Rolling Tide's Justin Thomas earned individual medalist honors after posting a 9-under 204.

 No. 9-ranked UNLV shot a final-round 3-over-par 291 on Saturday to finish eighth at the Greensboro Regional on the par 72, 7,271-yard East Course at the Grandover Resort & Conference Center in Greensboro, N.C. Over the course of the three-day tournament, the Rebels combined for a team total of 24-over 888 (293-304-291)

UNLV sophomore Blake Biddle shot a 2-over 74 on Saturday to finish tied for seventh place at 1-over 217 (70-73-74). Junior Kevin Penner tied for 23rd at 6-over 222 (75-76-71), while freshman Carl Jonson tied for 28th at 8-over 224 (73-77-74).

Liberty, which held the team lead throughout the tournament, shot a 4-over 292 during the final round to win the overall title at 4-over 868. Also advancing to the NCAA Championships from the Greensboro Regional were Florida (7-over 871), Auburn (10-over 874), Lamar (13-over 877) and Tulsa (14-over 878).

Campbell's Vaita Guillaume, Liberty's Robert Karlsson and SMU's Matt Schovee all finished tied for first place in the individual standings at 3-under 213. Guillaume defeated Schovee in a one-hole sudden-death playoff to claim the individual spot for the NCAA Championship. Karlsson was not involved in the playoff, as Liberty advanced to the national championship as a team.

 No. 11 seed Colorado State finished in a tie for ninth place with Iowa State at the Bowling Green Regional, held at the par 72, 7,248-yard course at The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Ky. The Rams combined of a 54-hole total of 22-over 886 (294-293-2999).

Freshman Cameron Harrell finished 13th for the Rams at 1-over 217 (75-69-73), while senior Zahkai Brown concluded his collegiate career with a three-day total of 2-over 218 (72-73-73), tying for 14th place

No. 34-ranked Chattanooga took home the team title, finishing at 5-under 859. Other teams advancing to the NCAA Championship from the Bowling Green Regional were Texas A&M (4-under 860), UCLA (1-under 863), Virginia Tech (10-over 874) and Memphis (12-over 876).

Chattanooga's Stephan Jaeger captured the individual title, finishing with a three-day total of 13-under 203.

Not as good as today, mind you.

The two-time defending Mountain West champion Aztecs shaved 17 strokes off their Day 1 performance to climb into second place on Friday at the NCAA Stanford Regional.

No. 3 seed SDSU, which enters Saturday's final round one shot behind team leader and No. 2 seed California, carded a tournament-best 15-under par 265 on Friday at the par 70, 6,727-yard Stanford Golf Course in Stanford, Calif.

The top five teams from each of the six regional sites will advance to the NCAA Championships, which will be held at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., May 29-June 3.

The Aztecs, who began the day tied for eighth, sit at 13-under 547 (282-265) heading into Saturday's final round. SDSU is bidding for its second straight regional title after capturing last year's Tucson Regional.

The Aztecs began the day at 2-over 282, nine strokes behind opening-round leader San Francisco. Yet SDSU stormed back, paced by a 7-under 63 by MW Golfer of the Year J.J. Spaun on Friday, including an eagle on Hole 1 and seven birdies. Spaun is currently tied for fourth place at 7-under 133 (70-63) entering the final 18 holes, trailing Cal's Michael Kim by two strokes.

Fellow senior Alex Kang, who opened the tournament in a tie with Spaun, teammate Colin Featherstone and 10 others at 27th, moved into a three-way tie for 14th at 3-under 137 (70-67). Kang had four birdies on Friday, including three on the front nine.

Elsewhere:

 No. 8 seed TCU, which held an eight-stroke lead after Day 1 of the Ann Arbor Regional, slipped into a three-way tie for second with Kent State and Oregon on Friday. Entering the second round as the only team in the tournament under par, the No. 43-ranked Horned Frogs shot an even-par 284 on Day 2 at the par 71, 6,723-yard University of Michigan Golf Course in Ann Arbor, Mich.

TCU, which has a combined card of 6-under 562 (278-284) heads into Saturday's final round trailing by one stroke to USC, which carded a 12-under 272 on Friday.

After beginning the day in a three-way tie for first place, MW Freshman of the Year Julien Brun, continues to hold the top spot along with North Carolina State's Albin Choy at 7-under 135. After posting a 4-under 67 to open the postseason, Brun carded a 3-under 68 on Friday, including four birdies.

Brun is joined in the top 10 by fellow freshman Thomas Mantovanini, who is in a three-way tie for ninth place at 3-under 139 (70-69). Mantovanini has recorded 13 birdies through 36 rounds, including six on Friday.

 No. 16-ranked New Mexico got another solid performance from junior James Erkenbeck to jump a tie for ninth place into the all-important fifth spot in the team standings at the Athens Regional, being held at the par-71, 7,253-yard University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens, Ga.

The Lobos finished at 6-over 290 on Friday and have a two-day total of 7-over 575 (285-290), two shots better than sixth-place UNC Wilmington.

Erkenbeck, who led New Mexico on Thursday with a 4-under 67, heads into Saturday's final round in a three-way tie for 12th at 1-under 141 (67-74). Fellow junior John Catlin is in a five-way tie for 15th at even-par 142 (71-71).

No. 4 Alabama (23-under 545) holds a 12-stroke lead over second-place East Carolina in the team standings, while the Crimson Tide's Bobby Wyatt leads the individual standings at 9-under 133.

 No. 11 seed Colorado State, which began the day in a second-place tie with Chattanooga, dropped into a tie for sixth place with Northwestern after carding a 5-over 293 on Friday at the Bowling Green Regional.

The Rams sit at 11-over 587 (294-293) for the tournament, which is being staged at The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Ky.

Freshman Cameron Harrell turned in the top performance of the day for CSU, firing a 3-under 69 on the par-72, 7,248-yard course. Harrell, who had six birdies on the day, including five on the back nine, has a two-day total of even-par 144 (75-69) to tie with three others for 13th place.

Ram senior Zahkai Brown, who began the day tied for seventh place, is in a five-way for 17th at 1-over 145 (72-73).

No. 3 UCLA holds the team lead at 5-under 571, while the Bruins' Pedro Figueiredo and Chattanooga's Stephan Jaeger share the top spot among individuals at 7-under 137.

 No. 2 seed UNLV, which finished in a tie for third place with Tulsa following Thursday's opening round at the Greensboro Regional, found the going a bit more difficult on Friday as it dropped into 10th place.

At the par 72, 7,271-yard East Course at the Grandover Resort & Conference Center in Greensboro, N.C., the ninth-ranked Rebels shot a 16-over 304 after turning in an opening-round effort of 5-over 293.

For the second straight day, UNLV was paced by sophomore Blake Biddle, who enters Saturday's final round at 1-under 143 (70-73) to tie for fifth place. Biddle is six shots from the top of the individual leaderboard, currently held by SMU's Matt Schovee (7-under 137).

No. 32-ranked Liberty holds the team lead at even-par 576.

NOTE: Due to the Academy appointment process, Air Force does not sign student-athletes to letters of intent.

MW MEN'S BASKETBALL

BOISE STATE

Early signing period: The Broncos added 6-foot-7 forward Joey Nebeker, who was named Idaho's 2A State Player of the Year, and 6-foot-9 forward Edmunds Dukulis, a member of the Latvian U19 National Team that finished 10th at the U19 World Championships last summer. Nebeker, who averaged 20 points, seven rebounds and five blocks as a senior at Melba High School (Melba, Idaho), has the potential to add needed offensive firepower to a team that ranked sixth in scoring among the MW's eight teams this past season. Dukulis averaged 15.9 points and 9.5 rebounds at the U19s, including a 20-point, seven-rebound performance against future Bronco teammates Anthony Drmic and Igor Hadziomerovic's Australian U19 team.

COLORADO STATE

Spring signings: Gerson Santo, a 6-10 transfer from the College of Southern Idaho, should help offset the loss of Will Bell, who averaged 8.4 points and 3.9 rebounds as a senior last season. Santo, a native of Valencia, Brazil, averaged 7.4 points per game and 4.0 rebounds per game at CSI and drew strong interest from California and Utah while spurning scholarship offers from Washington State and Illinois.

Early signing period: Before leaving for Nebraska, former Rams coach Tim Miles signed Jordan Mason, a 6-foot-2 guard from Ennis, Texas, and Jermaine Morgan, a 6-8 forward from Whitney M. Young High in Chicago. With CSU returning virtually its entire starting lineup under new coach Larry Eustachy, playing time could be hard to come by in 2012-13. Nonetheless, Mason and Morgan are not without talent. Viewed as one of the top prospects in Texas, Mason, who averaged 20.7 points as a senior at Ennis High, is considered a play-making guard who can score in a variety of ways. Morgan, who averaged a double-double as a junior, was rated as the No. 15 player in Illinois by Rivals.com. In addition to Mason and Morgan, the 2012-13 campaign will see a return to the court for transfers Daniel Bejarano, a 6-4 guard, and 6-10 forward/center Colton Iverson, both of whom sat out the 2011-12 campaign after coming to CSU from the University of Arizona and the University of Minnesota, respectively.

FRESNO STATE

Spring signings: Robert Upshaw, a 7-foot, 265-pound center from Fresno, was ranked as the No. 4 overall prospect in California and the 55th best player in the nation in the 2012 ESPNU 100. He also received high marks from Scout.com, who rated him as a four-star recruit. As a senior at San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno, Calif.), Upshaw averaged 18 points, 11 rebounds, and five blocks per game. Fresno State also added 6-3 guard Marvelle Harris, who averaged more than 24 points in leading Rialto (Calif.) Eisenhower High to the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Division 1A quarterfinals, and Broderick Newbill, a versatile 6-5 wing from Hogan Prep Academy in Kansas City.

Early signing period: The Bulldogs addressed a need to bulk up inside by signing a pair of 6-9 forwards in Braeden Anderson and Tanner Giddings. Fresno State also added Aaron Anderson, a 6-3 point guard from Santa Fe High in Edmond, Okla. The trio joins junior guard Allen Huddleston, a former All-Big West Conference honoree and freshman All-American who redshirted last season after transferring from the University of Pacific.

NEVADA

Early signing period: Shooting guard Marqueze Coleman is considered the nugget of a group that also includes 6-8 forward Cole Huff, 6-8 forward Raphael Carter and 6-9 center Cheikh (Ali) Fall. As a senior, Coleman averaged 21.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.4 assists for Bishop Alemany High School in Mission Hills, Ca. Huff and Carter, a transfer from Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, Calif., should help offset the losses of forwards Olek Czyz and Dario Hunt. Fall, a transfer from Barstow (Calif.) Community College, is a native of Senegal who attended Meitoku Gijuku School in Kochi, Japan.

NEW MEXICO

Early signing period: With the graduation of MW Tournament MVP Drew Gordon and forward A.J. Hardeman, the Lobos addressed needs in the frontcourt by signing Obij Aget, a 7-foot, 220-pound center from LaPorte, Indiana. Aget, who was also pursued by the likes of Florida State, Missouri, Texas Tech and Florida, averaged nearly a double-double at LaLumiere School in LaPorte (8.6 points, 9.0 rebounds). New Mexico also added Nick Banyard, a 6-8 forward from Marcus High in Flower Mound, Texas, who was being pursued by Minnesota and Pepperdine, and 6-7 wing Devon Williams from Woodrow Wilson High in Dallas.

SAN DIEGO STATE

Spring signings: Winston Shepard, a 6-8 forward from national power Findlay Prep in Las Vegas, is the highest-rated prep prospect to choose San Diego State in school history. Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Shepard, who is viewed as being capable of playing any position on the floor, joins a team that returns four starters, including 2012-13 MW Player of the Year Jamaal Franklin.

Early signing period: Shepard will join early signees Matt Shrigley, a 6-6 forward from La Costa Canyon High, in Carlsbad, Calif., and Skylar Spencer, a 6-9 forward from Price High School in Los Angeles. The class also includes 6-9 forward James Johnson, a transfer from Virginia; 6-7 forward Dwayne Polee, a transfer from St. John's; and 6-7 forward JJ O'Brien, a transfer from Utah.

UNLV

Spring signings: The big news came late for the Runnin' Rebels, who on Tuesday, May 15, signed 6-8, 240-pound power forward Anthony Bennett, the first McDonald's All-American to come to UNLV straight out of high school since Freddie Banks in 1983. Bennett is a five-star recruit ranked as the No. 6 player overall in the 2012 class by CBS Sports, No. 7 by both ESPN and Rivals, and No. 8 by Scout. Ranked as the nation's No. 1 player at his position, he was the highest-rated high school player in the country that hadn't yet signed with a school before Tuesday. He averaged 16.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game for Findlay Prep in Las Vegas this past season.

Early signing period: Katin Reinhardt, a 6-5 guard from perennial power Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, Calif., is expected to impact the Rebels immediately. A prolific scorer ranked No. 7 at his position by Rivals.com, Reinhardt averaged 18.6 points last season. The Rebels also added Daquan Cook, a 6-1 guard from St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, and Demetrius Morant, a 6-9 forward from Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas. The trio will be joined by another McDonald's All-American, Khem Birch, a 6-9, 220-pound transfer from Pittsburgh, and 6-5 guard Bryce Dejean-Jones, a transfer from USC. Dejean-Jones will be able to play immediately in 2012-13, while NCAA transfer rules dictate that Birch sit out the first semester of the coming season.

WYOMING

Spring signings: With the losses of guards JayDee Luster and Francisco Cruz, the Cowboys signed Nathan Sobey, a native Australian who comes to Wyoming via Cochise College in Douglas, Ariz. As a sophomore, the 6-3, 190-pound guard averaged 16.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.8 steals. Sobey was also recruited by Fresno State, Saint Mary's and the University of San Diego. Wyoming also added Derek Cooke, a 6-9 forward from Cloud County Community College in Kansas, who posted team highs of 8.4 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 55 percent shooting from the floor to go with 6.0 points and nearly one steal per game last season. Charles Hankerson Jr., a 6-5, 210-pound guard from Alabama, has also joined the Pokes, but will have to sit out the 2012-13 season per NCAA transfer rules, and will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Early signing period: Wyoming added a pair of guards in Josh Adams and Jason McManamen, while addressing its frontcourt needs with the signing of forward Austin Haldorson and center Matt Sellers. Adams, a product of Chaparral High in Parker, Colo., is considered one of the top guard prospects in Colorado, while McManamen, a 6-6 shooting guard who attended Torrington (Wyo.) High School, has been touted as the top 2012-13 basketball prospect in Wyoming. The 6-foot-10 Sellers, meanwhile, provides the Cowboys with much-needed size after averaging 6.3 points and 3.5 rebounds at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs.

MW WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

BOISE STATE

Spring signings: Kayla Reinhart, a 5-10 wing and all-state performer from Carroll High (Texas) is expected to add perimeter scoring for the Broncos. Reinardt comes to BSU having averaged 12.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.7 steals per game as a senior. The Broncos also added several transfers in Erica Martinez, a 5-8 guard from Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, who averaged 16.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.6 steals last season, and 6-3 post player Laura Pelse, a native of Latvia who averaged 16.7 points and 7.9 rebounds 6-3 for Sheridan (Wyo.) College in 2011-12. Newcomer Brandi Henton, a 5-9 guard, spent last season at Yakima Valley Community College where she played in nine games before suffering a season ending injury in December. During those nine games, Henton averaged 24.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 3.1 steals in 24.8 minutes per game. She shot 50 percent (87-174) from the court and 41 percent (29-70) from beyond the 3-point arc. Rosalie Cutri, a 5-7 guard, comes to BSU after spending the past two seasons Casper College (Wyoming), where she was a NJCAA 2012 second-team All-American. Cutri started all 29 games last season, averaging a team-high 13.3 points 6.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 4.0 steals.

Early signing period: The Broncos signed Miquelle Askew, a 6-3 center and all-state performer from Skyline High in South Jordan, Utah.

COLORADO STATE

Spring signings: The Rams' lone spring signee was Taylor Varsho, a 5-6 guard from Marshfield High in Marshfield, Wisc. Varsho concluded her prep career as Marshfield's career scoring leader with 1,367 points. She averaged 18.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists as a senior and was tabbed an all-state selection each of her final three seasons.

Early signing period: Varsho is the fifth signee for the 2012-13 season. The early signees are Courtney Lisowski, a 6-foot wing/guard from Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif.; Emily Johnson, a 5-11 guard from Georgetown (Texas) HS; Caitlin Duffy, a 5-11 guard from St. Thomas More HS in Rapid City, S.D.; and Hali Ford, a guard/forward from Affton HS in St. Louis.

FRESNO STATE

Spring signings: New head coach Raegan Pebley's first recruit was Jacinta Vandenberg, a 6-6 center from Australia who in 2009 and 2010 won gold medals while playing for Victoria Metro in the U-18 nationals. She also earned a spot on the U-17 Australian national team.

Early signing period: Fresno State added Toni Smith, a 6-foot center from Del City (Okla.) High, and Destini Price, a 6-foot forward/guard from Antelope Valley High in Lancaster, Calif., who was ranked 46th in the nation among guards by Hoopgurlz.com.

NEW MEXICO

Early signing period: The Lobos inked four players during the early signing period including Khadijah Shumpert, a 6-foot forward and all-state performer from Bedilde-St. Margaret's High in Minneapolis; Jordyn Peacock, a forward/center from Beaverton, Ore., who chose New Mexico over offers from UNLV, Cal Poly and St. Mary's; Bryce Owens, a standout point guard from DeSoto, Texas; and 5-10 guard Antiesha Brown, a transfer from Texas Tech who holds the all-time scoring record at Clovis (N.M.) High with 1,673 points.

SAN DIEGO STATE

Spring signings: With the loss of senior center Katrina Tutt to graduation, the Aztecs added Louisville transfer Cierra Warren, a 6-foot-4 center who must sit out the 2012-13 season per NCAA transfer rules. Warren, a native of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., who originally signed with North Carolina, was rated the 31st-best player in the nation and the No. 10 post player by Hoopgurlz.com as a prep. SDSU also added 5-9 guard Danesha Long, who spent the last two seasons at Midland College in Midland, Texas. Long, who earned NJCAA honorable mention All-American accolades as a freshman, averaged 11.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season.

Early signing period: The Aztecs started the signing class with Aleiah Brandon of Centennial High School in Corona, Calif., and Tia Levi-Dixon from local San Diego High School. Brandon, a 6-1 forward, was one of the top-85 ranked forwards and a three-star recruit, while Levi- Dixon, a 5-6 point guard, was ranked in the top-40 among point guards nationally by Hoopgurlz.com.

UNLV

Spring signings: Aley Rohde, a 6-5 center who played at Arizona as a freshman last season, will sit out the 2012-13 season due to NCAA transfer rules, but will have three years left in her career. Rohde ranked fifth in scoring for the Wildcats last season at 7.6 points per game and third in rebounding with 6.0 per contest. She also led the team in blocks with 38 (1.2 bpg). Her 31 starts were second-highest on the team.

Early signing period: Four California natives --- Amie Callaway, Jehiah Cook, Rejane Verin and Jazzmeen Williams --- signed national letters of intent in November. Callaway is a 6-2 forward/center from San Diego High who was ranked No. 54 in the nation at her position by Hoopgurlz.com in this year's recruiting class. Cook is a 5-5 point guard from Sacramento High, while Verin is a 6-2 guard/forward who comes to UNLV from Serra High in Los Angeles and is considered the most athletic recruit in the class. Williams is a 6-4 center from San Bernardino.

WYOMING

Spring signings: Aubry Boehme, a 6-foot forward who arrives from Otero Junior College in Smithfield, Utah, averaged 17 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest last season. She finished her career at Otero with 1,041 career points while recording a school high 94 career blocks and 100 steals in a season.

Early signing period: Boehme is the fourth student-athlete to join the Cowgirls as they inked three during the early signing period. The other signees include Marquelle Dent (5-7, guard, Denver, Colo.), Whitney Gordon (6-2, forward, Marion, Kan.) and Fallon Lewis (6-0, guard, Dayton, Wyo.). Dent was an all-state performer at Regis Jesuit High in Denver whose father, Terry, was a member of the Wyoming men's team from 1984-88. Dent is ranked as a three-star recruit and a top-40 guard nationally by Hoopgurlz.com

Where the TCU men's golf team is concerned, consider "fast start" roughly on par with the machinations of a rocket sled.

The Horned Frogs, ranked 43rd nationally following a second-place finish at the Mountain West Championship, ran roughshod over the remainder of the field in Day 1 of the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional, staking themselves to an 8-stroke lead over second-place Kent State.

At the par 72, 6,723-yard University of Michigan Golf Course, TCU carded a 6-under par 278. Heading into Friday's second round, the Horned Frogs are the only school in the 13-team field to be under par. With the top five teams in each NCAA regional advancing to the NCAA Championships (May 29-June 3), TCU, the tournament's No. 8 seed, holds an 10-stroke lead over fifth-place Oregon.

Bidding for their third NCAA Championship appearance in the past four years, the Frogs were paced by MW Freshman of the Year Julien Brun, who posted a bogey-free round of 4-under 67, including four birdies, to finish in a three-way tie for the individual lead along with Baylor's Joakim Mikkelsen and USC's Anthony Paolucci.

Brun's opening-day performance marked his eighth consecutive round below par. His last competition round above par was a 1-over 73 at the Barona Collegiate Cup on March 22. Thursday's effort lowered his season stroke average to 70.41, well ahead of the TCU season record of 71.08 set by current PGA TOUR pro J.J. Henry in 1998 when Henry was tabbed Golfweek National Player of the Year.

Three other TCU players finished in the top 15 on Thursday, including junior Daniel Jennevret (1-under 70), who sits in a seven-way tie for eighth place alongside freshman teammate Thomas Mantovanini, who carded the second-best round of his TCU career.

Senior Johan de Beer concluded Day 1 having shot an even-par 71, which currently ties with eight other golfers for 15th place on the individual leaderboard.

Elsewhere:

 No. 11 seed Colorado State shot a 6-over-par 294 to finish in a tie for second place with Chattanooga following the opening round of the Bowling Green Regional. Hosted by Western Kentucky, the event is being played on the par 72, 7,248-yard course at The Club at Olde Stone.

The Rams, who finished fifth at the MW Championship, were led by senior Zahkai Brown, who sits in a four-way tie for seventh place. After tying with Brun for second at the MW Championship last month, Brown opened postseason play carding an even-par 72, including a pair of birdies. Fellow Ram Parker Edens also finished the first round at even-par 72, as the sophomore recorded six birdies on the day, including four on the back nine.

No. 3 UCLA holds the overall team lead at 4-under 284, while the Bruins' Pedro Figueiredo and Memphis' Jonathan Fly top the individual leaderboard at 4-under 68.

 No. 2 seed UNLV finished Day 1 of the Greensboro Regional tied for third place with Tulsa at 5-over 293 on the par 72, 7,271-yard East Course at the Grandover Resort & Conference Center in Greensboro, N.C.

Playing without coach Dwaine Knight, who did not make the trip after successfully undergoing surgery to remove melanoma from his foot last week, the ninth-ranked Rebels were paced by Blake Biddle, who finished in a five-way tie for fourth place at 2-under 70. The sophomore, who is three shots off the lead, posted five birdies on the day.

UNLV freshman Carl Jonson is in a nine-way tie for 15th position at 1-over 73, including four birdies.

Liberty holds the team lead heading into Day 2 of the Greensboro Regional at 5-under 283, while SMU's Matt Schovee paces the individual field at 5-under 67.

 Two-time defending Mountain West champion San Diego State concluded the opening round of the Stanford Regional in a tie for eighth place with LSU after shooting a 2-over 282 on the par 70, 6,727-yard Stanford Golf Course in Stanford, Calif.

The No. 14 Aztecs, who entered the tournament as a No. 3 seed, will begin Day 2 nine shots back of No. 11 seed San Francisco, which carded an opening-day 7-under 273 to pace the field. LSU's Sang Yi and BYU's Zachary Blair sit atop the individual leaderboard at 4-under 66.

San Diego State had three players finish at even-par 70. MW Player of the Year J.J. Spaun and fellow seniors Colin Featherstone and Alex Kang all shot even-round scores and are tied with 10 others for 27th place among 75-golfer field. Kang lead the trio with four birdies, while Spaun recorded three and Featherstone registered two.

 No. 16-ranked New Mexico finished Day 1 of the Athens Regional in a tie for ninth place with Texas-Arlington after shooting a 1-over 285 on the par 71, 7,253-yard University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens, Ga.

James Erkenbeck led the way for the third-seeded Lobos with a 4-under-par 67 and sits in a five-way tie for fifth place. The junior held the individual lead through the front nine after posting birdies on Holes 1, 5, 6 and 7. He finished with six total birdies on the day.

UNM trails team leader Alabama (15-under 269) by 16 strokes, but are just three shots behind Houston and UNC Wilmington, which are currently tied for fifth place at 2-under 282. North Florida's Kevin Aylwin holds the individual lead at 6-under 65.

FOOTBALL HEADLINES

• Unfazed by perils of war, former Air Force player knocked for loop by election to Hall of Fame.

• Former DB Myers etches his name into CSU record book once again.

VOLLEYBALL HEADLINES

• Colorado State embarks on European tour.

MEN'S GOLF HEADLINES

• TCU freshman phenom finds little difficulty in getting acclimated.

• Rebels head to NCAA Regionals minus head coach Dwaine Knight.

GENERAL HEADLINES

• Nevada sets sights on upgrade of athletic facilities.

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UNLV's women's golf team, whose five-player lineup consisted of no fewer than three freshmen, concluded the season Saturday with an 11th-place finish at the 26-team NCAA West Regional at Colorado National Golf Club in Erie, Colo.

The Rebels, who nearly overcame a 14-stroke deficit in the final round before finishing two shots behind champion TCU at last month's Mountain West Championships, finished the NCAA West Regional with a three-day total of 32-over-par 896. Their 11th place finish tops among the four MW teams competing in this year's regionals.

After finishing 21st at last year's NCAA East Regional, UNLV was paced by Dana Finkelstein, who along with teammate Mayko Chwen Wang, was tabbed the Mountain West Co-Freshman of the Year. Finkelstein shot even-par 72 on Saturday for the Rebels, who began the day in 15th place. Finkelstein's three-day total of 4-over 220 (75-73-72) tied for first among all MW players taking part in 2012 regional action.

The top eight teams and the top two players competing as individuals from each regional will advance to NCAA Championships at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn., May 22-25.

Two-time league champion TCU, the West Regional's No. 12 seed, shaved 10 strokes off Friday's second-round performance to finish in a tie for 14th (36-over 900). Horned Frog senior Brooke Beeler matched Finkelstein's performance by posting a three-day total of 4-over 220 (73-73-74). Beeler and Finkelstein each recorded nine birdies apieces during the 54-hole event.

No. 17 seed New Mexico finished 18th in the West Regional, concluding the season after posting a three-day total of 49-over 913. The Lobos were led for the third consecutive day by sophomore Sammi Stevens, whose tournament total of 9-over 225 (72-77-76) tied for 45th.

Colorado State senior Brianna Espinoza, who was competing as an individual for the second consecutive postseason, finished 34th after compiling a three-day total of 6-over 222 (76-73-73).

Top-ranked UCLA and No. 7 LSU shared the team title with a three-day total of 9-over 873.

Meanwhile, at the NCAA East Regional in State College, Pa., No. 16 seed and No. 47-ranked San Diego State closed the season by finishing in a tie for 20th with Augusta State on the Blue Course at Penn State.

The Aztecs, making their third consecutive NCAA Regional appearance for the first time in school history, posted a three-day total of 59-over 923.

SDSU was paced for the third straight day by junior Gina Clark, who concluded play with a three-day total of 6-over 222 (75-72-75). Clark, who finished in a tie for 29th in the 126-player field, posted eight birdies during the competition, including four in Friday's second round.

After firing a 1-under 71 on Friday to move into a tie for 40th place, Aztecs junior Christine Wong, the MW Women's Golfer of Year, finished tied for 51st with a three-day total of 10-over 226 (79-71-76).

No. 25-ranked South Carolina, which led after the opening round on Thursday and never looked back, captured the overall team title with a score of 9-over 873.

The Mountain West champion Broncos, seemingly in command after jumping out to a 3-0 lead, were unable to hold on against No. 33 Florida State on Saturday, dropping a 4-3 decision in the opening round of the NCAA Championships at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.

Boise State, which had won 22 matches this season when winning the doubles point, was unable to parlay that advantage into victory on Saturday, as the Seminoles rallied back in the final four singles matches.

The Broncos led 3-0 following singles wins by Andy Bettles (No. 3 singles) and Damian Hume (No. 2 singles), but the Seminoles won consecutive matches at the No. 6, 5 and 1 positions to tie the match, 3-3. In the deciding match, Florida State's Benjamin Lock was able to break Nathan Sereke's final serve in the third set at No. 4 singles to secure a 7-6(5), 6-7(7), 7-5 win.

The No. 69-ranked Hume, who had little trouble dispatching Florida State's Blake Davis 6-1, 6-4 to give Boise State a 2-0 lead, will return to Athens, Ga., May 23-28 to compete as one of 64 singles players in the NCAA Men's Individual Championship.