Conference play in the Western Athletic Conference gets into full swing this week after some severe ups and downs in non-conference play.
The story of the season has been the Idaho Vandals, who are now 4-1 and have knocked off teams from the Mountain West and Mid-America conferences. The biggest disappointment for the WAC has been Nevada, who was expected to challenge for the conference title and even be a dark horse for a BCS bid. The Wolfpack is now 1-3 with their only win coming over in-state rival UNLV.
Defending conference champion Boise State stands idle this week and watches as the other eight teams battle it out to get a jump start in the conference race.
Fresno State @ Hawaii
Saturday, 11:05 PM ET
Last year the Bulldogs lost to the Warriors 32-29 in an overtime heartbreaker at home. They will be looking to avenge that loss late at night on the island as both teams look for their first conference win.
This will be a telling game for Fresno State, as they match up against like competition for the first time this season. They are only 1-3, but their three losses have all come against undefeated teams while their one win came against 1-AA UC-Davis. They played all of those three undefeated teams tough and have the firepower to match one of the most explosive offenses in the conference in recent years.
Speaking of Hawaii’s offense, it will be in serious trouble this week as starting quarterback Greg Alexander is sidelined for the year with a knee injury sustained in last week’s game against Louisiana Tech. It is a difficult offense to learn, so expect new starter Bryant Moniz to take some time before Hawaii returns to its high-scoring ways.
Fresno State 41, Hawaii 13
Idaho @ San Jose State
Saturday, 8:00 ET
The Spartans won a close game in Moscow last year 30-24, but San Jose State would be unwise to think that this is the same Vandal team coming to town this year. Idaho is looking for win number five, which would be the most for the team since 2000.
The Vandals have been riding the stellar play of quarterback Nathan Enderle through the first five games this season and will look to him again on the road against the Spartans. He has thrown for eight touchdowns and almost 1,300 yards already, and will look to add to those numbers against a San Jose team rated 114th in total defense.
Idaho 34, San Jose State 7
Louisiana Tech @ Nevada
Friday, 9:00 ET, ESPN
Nevada knocked off the Louisiana Tech 35-31 in Ruston last year to keep the Bulldogs from an outright second place finish in the conference. The game this year could prove to determine the second place team once again as both of these teams are as talented as anyone in the conference.
Nevada finally found the high-powered offense everyone was expecting before the season when they hosted UNLV last week. The potent rushing attack of Colin Kaepernick, Luke Lippincott, and Vai Taua has been relatively quiet this season, but then freshman Mike Ball came out of nowhere in last week’s game to rush for 184 yards and five touchdowns. That’s more trips to the endzone than all of the other three combined.
The Bulldogs stay at home after handily beating Hawaii ten days ago behind the strong legs of running back Daniel Porter. Playing in front of their own crowd with extra preparation time could prove too much for a Nevada team coming off a big win over their rival.
Louisiana Tech 27, Nevada 14
(Author's note: An observant reader noticed that I considered this game as though it was being played in Ruston when it is actually in Reno. Check the comments for my correction.)
Utah State @ New Mexico State
Saturday, 8:00 ET
Utah State and New Mexico State meet this week in the battle of the Aggies, and these two teams have more than the mascot in common. Both have new coaches at the helm and neither has been relevant in the conference race for years.
Both new coaches are looking to change that, and even though both teams have poor records to this point, 1-3 Utah State has played all of its opponents tough while 2-3 New Mexico State beat in-state rival New Mexico for the first time in seven years. This game will be an indicator of which perennial bottom dweller is on the way up.
New Mexico State is looking to avenge an embossing loss at the hands of Utah State in last year’s season finale when their only score came on a safety.
Utah State 24, New Mexico State 20
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