Mountain West Conference Football Rankings: TCU, Utah, BYU at the Top

It was a good week for the football teams at the top of the Mountain West Conference—four big victories against three good opponents.

There were a couple bloodbaths, and MWC teams were on either side of them.

So without further ado, here's the first installment of the weekly Mountain West Conference Football Rankings—and, "Hey, Kool-Aid!"

Starting with the athletes from Albuquerque...

9. New Mexico

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EUGENE, OR - SEPTEMBER 04: Wide receiver Justin Hoffman #81 and tight end David Paulson #42 of the Oregon Ducks celebrate a touchdown reception by Paulson in front of safety Freddy Young #17 of the New Mexico Lobos in the first quarter of the game at Autz

Lobos Eaten Alive By Ducks

I'd like to say it can't get worse for the New Mexico Lobos football program, but after a 72-0 loss to Oregon this week, I think it may.

The team continues to reel since Rocky Long's departure, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.

8. Colorado State

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DENVER - SEPTEMBER 04: Wide receiver Scotty McKnight #21 of the Colorado Buffaloes follows a block as he makes a reception against the Colorado State Rams in the Rocky Mountain Showdown at INVESCO Field at Mile High on September 4, 2010 in Denver, Colora

The Rams aren't butting heads with anyone lately. Instead, they seem to be all too willing to just hand the ball over to opponents.

Colorado State gave up three turnovers in a 24-3 loss to in-state rival Colorado, and the Buffs aren't likely to be very good.

7. Wyoming

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BOULDER, CO - SEPTEMBER 19: Quarterback Robert Benjamin #11 of the Wyoming Cowboys delivers a pass against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field on September 19, 2009 in Boulder, Colorado. The Buffaloes defeated the Cowboys 24-0. (Photo by Doug Pensing

This may be a mild surprise to some, but not if you watched Wyoming struggle against middling FCS opponent Southern Utah Saturday.

While Wyoming QB Austyn Carta-Samuels threw for over 300 yards, the Cowboys were outgained in the game and should have had a much better showing against what should be a far inferior opponent.

6. UNLV

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LAS VEGAS - SEPTEMBER 04: Quarterback Omar Clayton #2 of the UNLV Rebels looks to pass against the Wisconsin Badgers during the third quarter of their game at Sam Boyd Stadium September 4, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Wisconsin won 41-21. (Photo by Ethan

The Rebels certainly played one of the better opponents this week, as they welcomed the 12th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers to Sin City.

While the score seems to indicate UNLV put up a good fight, you shouldn't be fooled. Nevada-Las Vegas barely gained 200 yards in the game and took advantage of a couple bad Badger turnovers.

The end result was a home loss and a team that has no solid quarterback play.

5. San Diego State

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SAN DIEGO - NOVEMBER 7: The San Diego State Aztecs mascot on the sidelines during the game with the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs on November 7, 2009 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

The Aztecs did exactly what they were supposed to: They put up 47 points and over 500 yards against a seriously overmatched FCS team.

We should learn a lot more about the Aztecs and QB Ryan Lindley in two weeks when they visit Missouri.

4. Air Force

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AIR FORCE ACADEMY, CO - NOVEMBER 11: Beau Suder #22 of the Air Force Falcons walks on the field during the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on November 11, 2006 at Falcon Stadium on the Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Photo

The Falcons, too, did exactly what was expected of them, putting up 65 points in a blasting of Northwestern State.

Things get much tougher when BYU comes to town next week.

3. BYU

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SEATTLE - SEPTEMBER 6: Trenton Tuiasosopo #57 of the Washington Huskies tackles O'Neill Chambers #11 of the BYU Cougars during the game on September 6, 2008 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. The Cougars defeated the Huskies 28-27. (Photo by Otto G

The two-QB approach may not have been the deciding factor in the game against Washington Saturday, but it was respectable and effective at times for the 24th-ranked BYU Cougars.

The two-headed elephant in the room faces another tough test this week in Colorado Springs.

More important is the defense, which kept Heisman hopeful Jake Locker pretty well wrangled and now must play sound assignment football this week to contain the Falcons' option attack.

2. Utah

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TEMPE, AZ - JANUARY 1: The Utah team celebrates after defeating Pittsburgh 35-7 in the Tostito's Fiesta Bowl at the Sun Devil Stadium on January 1, 2005 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images).

It was a very impressive win for the 20th-ranked Utes as they downed Pittsburgh in an overtime thriller.

It was nice to have the game at home on opening night, and Utah's D and O both were impressive, if a little rusty.

The Utes don't face another really stiff test until they face off with TCU in November. Yes, November. Expect this team to be ranked in the top 15 when the showdown occurs.

1. TCU

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ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 04: Kicker Ross Evans #37 of the TCU Horned Frogs at Cowboys Stadium on September 4, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Fourth-ranked TCU did what it had to do to keep its national title hopes alive. It beat a very speedy, very sound Oregon State team.

If only they could have put more than 40-some thousand in the stands for a game featuring a national title contender and another top-25 team.

While all the attention went to Boise State this week, keep a close eye on TCU. Like Utah, there's nothing on the schedule that looks like a challenge until the Horned Frogs travel to Salt Lake City for a big-time showdown between two schools who could possibly be in the top five and top 10 when the ball is snapped.