Don’t look now, but it’s the other team from Idaho sitting on top of the WAC standings. With last week’s win over San Jose State, the Vandals are now 2-0 in conference and one game away from being bowl eligible.

 

If they do get to a bowl game, chances are it would be the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise. The last time the Vandals played in a bowl game was 11 years ago, a 42-35 victory over Southern Miss in the same bowl game.

 

WAC teams get one more week to figure out where they stand before defending conference champion Boise State returns from its out-of-conference schedule to join the fun.

 

 

 

Boise State @ Tulsa

Wednesday, 8:00 ET, ESPN

 

Boise State will travel to Oklahoma to take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane after a 10-day break following the most disappointing performance of the year.

 

Tulsa is 4-1 with their only loss coming as a shutout to Oklahoma. Their dynamic offense was second only to Oklahoma last season but has declined slightly with the loss of quarterback David Johnson.

 

However, while the offense has slipped some, the defense has more than made up for it. They are now ranked in the top 25 in scoring defense.

 

The Broncos come in with a new-found focus after being punished for only beating UC Davis by 18 points. They are determined to prove they belong among the top teams in the nation.

 

Boise State 45, Tulsa 7

 

 

 

San Jose State @ Fresno State

Saturday, 10:00 ET

 

San Jose State doesn’t have long to mull over the last minute loss to Idaho last week as they are scheduled to travel to Fresno on Saturday. Last year the Spartans lost to the Bulldogs 24-10 in their season finale.

 

Idaho quarterback Nathan Enderle (pictured above) kept trying to help San Jose State win last week, but they just couldn’t capitalize on the turnovers. They will need to do better this week if they hope to stay with the Bulldogs, who are coming off a 42-17 thrashing of Hawaii on the islands.

 

Fresno State running back Ryan Mathews, who has rushed for 528 yards and five touchdowns in his last three games, is licking his lips for this week’s game as the Spartans come in with the third worst rushing defense in the country.

 

Fresno State 42, San Jose State 10

 

 

 

Hawaii @ Idaho

Saturday, 5:00 ET

 

Hawaii will leave the sunny confines of the islands for the frigidity of Northern Idaho. Last year Hawaii defeated the Vandals 49-17.

 

As bad as Enderle looked last week, Idaho will be a lot more comfortable with him taking the snaps than Hawaii will be with sophomore Bryant Moniz. Moniz was declared the starter after Greg Alexander went down with an ACL injury and was less than impressive in his first full game. He completed less than half his throws and threw as many touchdowns as he did interceptions.

 

Everyone keeps saying each week is the week the magical run ends for Idaho, but it has yet to occur. This week doesn’t seem to be the one either as they play against a dismantled Warrior team who historically plays poorly on the road.

 

Idaho 27, Hawaii 19

 

 

 

New Mexico State @ Louisiana Tech

Saturday, 6:00 ET

 

New Mexico State picked up its second win over a Division I-A school last week when it knocked off Utah State at home. They will be looking to extend their winning streak to two wins in a row when they go to Ruston on Saturday.

 

However, Louisiana Tech on the road is a much different story than Utah State at home. Even though last year’s game against the Bulldogs was one of their closest, they still lost 35-31.

 

All signs point to Louisiana Tech being without star running back Daniel Porter, who injured his hamstring during the third quarter of last week’s game against Nevada. Porter is responsible for half of the Bulldogs’ touchdowns on the season, but even without him they should be able to end the Aggies' conference winning streak at one game.

 

Louisiana Tech 31, New Mexico State 14

 

 

 

Nevada @ Utah State

Saturday, 3:00 ET

 

San Jose State isn’t the only team trying to recover from a heartbreaking loss. The Utah State Aggies lost to perennial bottom-dweller New Mexico State on a last second field goal to keep them from their first FBS win and drop them to the bottom of the conference standings.

 

This week won’t get any easier, as they host a revitalized Nevada Wolf Pack team that destroyed them 44-17 last season.

 

The four-headed rushing attack of Nevada is going to prove too much for the Aggies, and they have yet to find an offense that could keep up with what their defense allows.

 

Nevada 49, Utah State 17