This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
San Diego State clinched the West Division championship hours before playing UNLV last Saturday.
After Utah State rallied to beat Nevada — the only team capable of catching them — the Aztecs celebrated their title during a pre-game meal at their Las Vegas hotel.
San Diego State proceeded to defeat UNLV, 52-14, for its seventh straight victory.
Still, the Aztecs probably won't be the host team for the Mountain West Conference championship game on Dec. 5 — even if Mountain Division champion Air Force loses at New Mexico this week.
Both teams are 8-3 overall, but the Falcons own a better ranking in the composite power poll used to determine the site of the title game. San Diego State actually fell farther behind Air Force despite pummeling UNLV.
"I don't understand any of it, and I don't care to learn," said SDSU coach Rocky Long, who believes the Mountain West host team should be the one ranked highest in the Top 25.
"It could be tweaked a little more when we don't have one," Long said. "But there should be some other criteria for that — head-to-head, won-loss record … you can do a lot of things."
Around the Mountain
• Wyoming has one win heading into its final game against UNLV. According to second-year coach Craig Bohl, however, the difficult season has not killed recruiting. "We've been getting a great response," he told wyosports.com. "We've held our all commitments. We're on the cusp of receiving some more." Bohl has 10 oral commitments and expects to sign 25 players on Feb. 3. Chandler Garrett, a quarterback from Mustang, Okla., remains committed to the Cowboys. He said, "… When you see what the coaches are doing and the new facilities they're getting, you have to have faith that what coach Bohl is implementing is going to pay off."
• Hawaii's miserable season ends Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe in a game that features teams with three combined wins. The Rainbow Warriors dropped their ninth straight last week against San Jose State, 42-23. Only 11,625 fans bothered to show up — the smallest crowd in Hawaii's 40 years of playing football at Aloha Stadium. Coach Norm Chow was fired on Nov. 1 and the search continues for his successor. An announcement on Chow's replacement is expected in two weeks. Former Hawaii coach June Jones has emerged as the leading candidate. He left for SMU after leading the 'Bows to a 12-0 record and Sugar Bowl berth during the 2007 season.
• San Diego State's Long thinks he knows why coaches get fired so often these days: "It's about making money. In order to finance an athletic department at the Division I, level there must be funds coming in from revenue-producing sports. If you don't win quickly, people don't buy tickets and you're not on TV. The quickest way to change people buying tickets … or get TV to put on your games is to get a brand-new shiny coach who is going to fix everything. That's why old guys like me love being in coaching because we did not come from that era. It's why we run a prehistoric offense."
Twitter: @sluhm —
Tribune Power Rankings
Mountain West
1. San Diego State (8-3) • Still hopes to host title game
2. Air Force (8-3) • Has won six of last seven
3. Boise State (7-4) • MW's biggest disappointment?
4. Colorado State (6-5) • Nice stretch run by the Rams
5. Utah State (6-5) • Which bowl? Who knows?
6. New Mexico (6-5) • Squandered title opportunity
7. Nevada (6-5) • Polian to Central Florida?
8. San Jose State (5-6) • Still seeks bowl-eligibility
9. Fresno State (3-8) • Not competitive vs. BYU
10. UNLV (3-8) • Lost five of last six games
11. Hawaii (2-10) • Warriors quit awhile ago
12. Wyoming (1-10) • Last 4 losses by 105 points