By Dane Miller, SuperWest Sports
bYU, Washington and San Diego State all had impressive games over the weekend.
Utah’s beatdown of Colorado was also noteworthy.
At the same time, Oregon didn’t play as well as expected and Arizona State unofficially exited the Big 12 title race with a loss to Houston.
The results further shaped the narrative as the final month of the regular season begins.
Here’s how I see the top 10 teams in the West heading into Week 10.
1. Oregon (4-1, 7-1) ◄ ►
TOAnother game, another result in which the Ducks do not meet expectations.
Was it the rain that created the tight final score? Or was it something more fundamental?
There are too many questions surrounding Dan Lanning’s team at this point in the season. How many times has Oregon failed to cover this year? What is the duck’s best victory?
Go check out his schedule and tell me about it yourself. Because I’m not seeing it. That’s not a good sign at this time of year.
2. Brigham Young University (5-0, 8-0) ◄ ►
METROMaybe BYU is a team of destiny. Or maybe the Cougars are so well coached that they force mistakes and take advantage of them. Who knows? It could even be a combination of both.
Whatever it is, Kalani Sitake’s group is elite. At this point, BYU has a chance to eclipse Oregon as the No. 1 team in the West. But it’s still a game-by-game approach, and the schedule to finish the year is complicated.
After this week’s bye, the Cougars play at Texas Tech, TCU, Cincinnati and UCF. There is no time to rest on your laurels.
If BYU makes the playoffs, they will have absolutely earned it.
3.Utah (3-2, 6-2) ◄ ►
METROmessage delivered. It was an impressive performance against Colorado.
But in the grand scheme of it all, historical domination is relatively meaningless. You beat up a bad CU team. So what? The Utes crushed the teams they were supposed to beat and stumbled into the top tier of the Big 12.
Still, the result provides a lot of optimism heading into this week’s game against Cincinnati. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say it: Kyle Whittingham and the Utes will beat the Bearcats on Saturday night at Rice-Eccles.
You heard it here first.
4. Washington (3-2, 6-2) ▲2
W.Ashington has arrived. The victory over then-No. 23 Illinois may have finally captured the nation’s attention, if not the recognition of AP voters.
The defense is still good enough to win games and the offense is elite. Demond Williams Jr. is one of the best quarterbacks in the country, and Husky Stadium is becoming a legitimate home-field advantage in the Big Ten.
The bye week comes at an ideal time, allowing Jedd Fisch to additionally prepare for Wisconsin.
The Dawgs can’t lose to the Badgers, or all momentum will be gone.
5. USC (3-1, 5-2) ◄ ►
tThe Trojans had a bye week to overcome their loss to Notre Dame. With only two losses this season, USC is in a reasonable position.
But the only acceptable result for the remainder of the year is to finish no worse than 4-1.
Nebraska, Northwestern, Iowa and UCLA are “must wins.” If Lincoln Riley comes up short in any of those matchups, it’s a problem.
In a perfect scenario, USC is 8-2 with its playoff hopes on the line at Oregon on November 22.
6. Arizona State (3-2, 5-3) ▼2
hHow long will Jordyn Tyson be out? How many games will Sam Leavitt miss?
Those are two defining questions at the most critical moment of Arizona State’s season.
The team can’t win without them. From being defeated by Utah to losing at home to unranked Houston, the Sun Devils are not the same team without their stars.
And while there is technically still a path to the Big 12 Championship Game, it is highly unlikely that ASU will make it to Arlington.
7. San Diego State (3-0, 6-1) ▲1
tThe Aztecs are arguably the Mountain West’s best chance of making the playoffs.
The path to the Promised Land widened after South Florida lost to Memphis over the weekend. The American Conference probably still has the advantage, but if San Diego State were to win, the perception could change.
Sure, Boise State is the biggest brand in the MWC and has influence on the Selection Committee. However, the results on the field are important.
And Sean Lewis’ team has been achieving one impressive result after another.
8. Boise State (4-0, 6-2) ▼1
tThat wasn’t exactly what we needed to see at this point in the season.
A road win is a road win. But Boise State didn’t look too impressive against lowly Nevada. The forced turnovers were the decisive factor of the game.
It was neither an impressive offensive performance nor a clear passing of the eye test. It was the forced turnovers. Against Nevada. It’s just one game, and to be fair, the Wolf Pack is much better than their record.
Still, we need to see more from the Broncos.
9. UNLV (2-1, 6-1) ◄ ►
RRealistically, UNLV should win and reach the Mountain West Championship Game.
The only road games left on the schedule are at Colorado State and Nevada. The home game against New Mexico this week and then against Hawaii on Nov. 21 are quality tests, but they are winnable.
The Rebels shouldn’t lose another regular season game this year. Whether that will come to fruition is anyone’s guess.
Dan Mullen’s team has had numerous wins this season and was defeated by the only good team they have faced.
10. Arizona (1-3, 4-3) ▲NR
TOArizona has the definition of “quality losses.” The Wildcats have lost games to BYU, Houston and Iowa State, a group of teams with a combined record of 20-4.
Two of the three losses were by a single possession, one in double overtime and the other by a field goal as time expired.
Los Gatos are not that far away. After a bye, this week’s game in Colorado is a “must win.”
Brent Brennan could coach to keep his job.
Abandonment: California
Miller covers college basketball and college football, as well as Formula 1 racing as a senior writer and assistant editor for SuperWest Sports.
