WAC Football Power Rankings: Can Anyone Challenge Boise State?

Last Thursday night, the collegiate football season kicked off full throttle.  The late game introduced the 2010 version of the Hawaii Warriors battling Lane Kiffin's No. 15 USC Trojans.  Last night, the game of the week concluded as the nation witnessed No. 3 Boise State revive themselves late to shock No. 10 Virginia Tech 33-30.

Lets take a gander of the WAC Power Rankings Week One In Review to see how each fared.

No. 9 New Mexico State Aggies

9) New Mexico State Aggies: Idle

New Mexico State and second year head coach DeWayne Walker didn’t kick off their 2010 college football season as the rest of the WAC did.  The Aggies open up this Saturday at home facing Mountain West Conference power San Diego State. 

Saturday’s game previews the arrival of junior college transfer running back from Fullerton College Kenny Turner. 

San Diego State hammered Nicholls State Saturday by a final of 47-0.

No. 8 San Jose State Spartans

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

8) San Jose State Spartans: (0-1)

San Jose State viewed a frightening revelation Saturday afternoon in traveling to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to take on the No. 1 team in the land Alabama Crimson Tide.  The Tide pounded the Spartans 48-3 as San Jose State could only muster up 175 yards of total offense. 

Jordan La Secla concluded his senior debut 7-14 for 85 yards while receiver Brandon Rutley caught 13 passes for 55 yards. 

This weekend, the Spartan’s worries don’t subside one bit when they head back out on the road to No. 12 Wisconsin in an attempt to put up a fight against the Big 10’s Badgers.

No. 7 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

7) Louisiana Tech Bulldogs: (1-0)

Saturday, the Bulldogs began the 2010 season beating Grambling State 20-6 in new head coach Sonny Dikes’ first appearance.  Louisiana Tech mounted 336 yards of total offense and their defense held the Tigers to two field goals in the introductory Port City Classic.  Bulldogs’ quarterback Ross Jenkins went 15-19 for 101 yards, but was sacked twice. 

Jenkins quarterback counterpart Cameron Colby hit on 8 of 12 pass attempts for 95 yards.  Lennon Greer carried 17 times for 78 while Mike Crompton rushed four times for 10 yards and Louisiana Tech’s only two touchdowns. 

Next up for Louisiana Tech, the Bulldogs travel to College Station to take on the Texas A&M Aggies of the Big 12.

No. 6 Hawaii Warriors

Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

6) Hawaii Warriors: (0-1)

Greg MaMackin’s Hawaii Warriors opened up at home last Thursday night in Honolulu facing No. 15 USC in Lane Kiffin’s first game as the new Trojans head man. 

There was no shortage of offense by any stretch of the imagination as the Warriors outdueled USC 588 to 524 in the total yardage department.  However, the 588 yards didn’t translate to a victory as the Trojans won in a shootout 49-36. 

Bryant Moniz passed 18-36 for 269 yards and one touchdown, and Shane Austin contributed to the throwing cause going 6-9 for 141 yards and two touchdowns.  Senior running back Alex Green rushed nine times for 66 yards and one touchdown while the receiver core in Greg Salas, Kealoha Pilares and Royce Pollard caught the ball 20 times mounting 406 receiving yards. 

Hawaii travels to West Point this Saturday to clash with Black Nights who won their opener at Eastern Michigan 31-27.

No. 5 Utah State Aggies

5) Utah State Aggies: (0-1)

For the Utah State Aggies, their trip to Norman, Oklahoma came up heart-wrenchingly short falling to the Sooners 31-24.  Diondre Borel threw 17-36 for 341 yards, two touchdowns and was intercepted three times in a valiant effort. 

Michael Smith ran the ball eight times for 48 yards finding the end zone once.  Dontel Watkins raked in three receptions for 91 yards and one touchdown and Xavier Martin caught four balls for 60 yards accumulating another Aggie touchdown.  Utah State piled up 421 yards of offense to the Oklahoma Sooners 422 yards of their own. 

Coming up next for Utah State, the Aggies get to go home to face off with Idaho State who beat Montana-Western 32-3.

No. 4 Idaho Vandals

Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images

4) Idaho Vandals: (1-0)

The 11,466 crowding into the Kibbie Dome watched their home Idaho Vandals hoard up 49 points due largely in part to 547 yards of total offense running North Dakota back to the great outdoors.  Nathan Enderle went 24-37 for 311 yards with two touchdowns, but was sacked four times. 

Princeton McCarthy ran 12 times for 89 yard and two touchdowns.  Enderle spread the receiving wealth dissecting North Dakota hitting Daniel Hardy, Eric Greenwood, Armauni Johnson, and Justin Veltung for 11 receptions for 268 of his 311 yards and three touchdowns. 

The Vandals defense allowed just 270 yard of offense hoping to build on the defensive effort as they have the dubious honor of venturing out to Lincoln, Nebraska to keep pace with the No. 8 Huskers.

No. 3 Nevada Wolf Pack

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

3) Nevada Wolf Pack: (1-0)

The Nevada Wolf Pack began play beating the Eagles of Eastern Washington 49-24 at Mackay Stadium in Reno, Nevada.  Colin Kaepenick paced the Wolf Pack throwing 26 times for 306 yards, two touchdowns and also carried the ball 11 times amassing an additional 60 yards with another two touchdowns. 

Receiver Virgil Green snatched seven passes collecting 144 yards and rewarded with two trips into the end zone. 

In the third quarter, Eastern Washington pulled to within 35-24, but Nevada’s 553 total yards of offense to the Eagles 432 was too strenuous to overcome in the end.  On top of Kaepernick’s 311 yards, Nevada continued its torrid running attack eating up 211 yards led by Vai Taua and Lampford Mark’s 103 yards and three touchdowns to compliment Kaepernick’s fabulous footwork. 

The Wolf Pack remain at home in their next contest to butt helmets with the Colorado State Rams who lost to the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday.

No. 2 Fresno State Bulldogs

Otto Kitsinger III/Getty Images

2) Fresno State Bulldogs: (1-0)

If you watched the early portions of Saturday night’s contest with the Cincinnati Bearcats, seeing a (1-0) mark beside Fresno State may have been tough to believe. 

Zach Collaros march his team up and down the field spotting a 14 point deficit over the Bulldogs, but Pat Hill’s group found their stride standing up Cincinnati as Ryan Colburn got in a rhythm of his own going 18-24 for 247 yards throwing four touchdown passes. 

Rashad Evans, Jamel Hamler and Devon Wylie included their services providing Colburn with sure-handed marks drilling them for three touchdowns.  Running back Robbie Rouse only averaged two yards per carry on 40 yards worth of work, but did catch a touchdown pass from Colburn. 

Next week, Fresno State jumps into WAC play at Utah State.  The Aggies lost a battle of attrition at Oklahoma 31-24 in week one action.

No. 1 No. 3 Boise State Broncos

Geoff Burke/Getty Images

1)   No. 3 Boise State Broncos: (1-0)

Last night in Landover, Maryland, the No. 3 Broncos and No. 10 Hokies exchanged the lead on four separate occasions after Boise State rushed out to an early 17-0 lead at Fed Ex Field.  However the fourth lead change proved to be the dagger for the Virginia Tech Hokies when cold-blooded Kellen Moore found another hero, Austin Pettis, in the back of the end zone with 1:09 remaining in the game. 

In a hostile environment where over 73,000 Hokies fans literally belted ridiculous clatter all night, Boise State found the composure keeping their national championship hopes well in perspective stunning Virginia Tech late 33-30. 

Up next for Boise State, the Broncos travel to Cowboy Country to take on Wyoming in two weeks.  More extra time to prepare greatly supports the Boise cause to game plan the same way they did for Virginia Tech.  Wyoming defeated Southern Utah 28-20 Saturday in Laramie.