PHOTO BY JOE GRIMANDO
Happy New Year, Mountain West fans! 2026 has arrived!
After a quiet holiday season with little college basketball action, Mountain West madness was back in full-swing this week. The week featured a full slate of conference showdowns, including near-upsets, wild comeback attempts, and an instantaneous Triple-Overtime classic. Naturally, there’s a bit of movement in the first Couch Potato Sports power ranking of the new year. Let’s dive in.
Below, youβll find our teamβs composite rankings (much in the style of the AP Top-25 poll), as well as an explanation of how many points each team received. Is your team a little too low? Too high? Let us know. And remember, anything can happen in league playβ¦
Mountain West Power Rankings
#1 Utah State Aggies (12-1, 3-0 MWC) | 36 points
Previous Rank: #1
Weekly Snapshot: Won, at Fresno State (72-63); Won, vs. San Jose State (96-78)
Why: New year, new Aggies? Hardly. Utah State continued their winning ways with a pair of victories this week, extending their current winning streak to five. Vanderbilt transfer guard, MJ Collins Jr. is truly piecing together a special season – Collins is averaging around 20 points per game, and showed no signs of slowing this week, posting 18 against Fresno State, and 23 against SJSU. USU star Mason Falslev also had a solid week: The preseason All-Mountain West pick contributed 16 (Fresno State) and 17 (SJSU) in the Aggies’ pair of victories. Head Coach Jerrod Calhoun has Utah State rolling early. The Aggies will spend the upcoming week on the road, with visits to Air Force and Boise State – The latter of which is sure to be an absolute blast of a battle (and a crucial one in the race for the conference title).
#2 Nevada Wolf Pack (11-3, 3-0 MWC) | 33 points
Previous Rank: #3
Weekly Snapshot: Won, at Colorado State (75-62); Won, at Fresno State (66-65)
Why: Nevada is looking to prove themselves as a serious title contender – A contender that’s seemingly embracing the “dark horse” role and attitude. Coming off of an impressive win over Boise State, Nevada avoided a potentially-disastrous upset loss at the hands of Fresno State, stealing a narrow victory in the Golden State, with a game-winning lay-up from Tyler Rolison. This capped a fantastic week for Rolison, who led the team in scoring, posting 21 points at Colorado State, and 16 in Fresno. The Wolf Pack returns home for a pair of key match-ups next, playing host to San Diego State and Wyoming – Winning both could build some incredible momentum for Steve Alford and company, and the Mountain West knows how electric Lawlor can be when the Nevada fanbase is buzzing.
#3 San Diego State Aztecs (9-4, 3-0 MWC) | 27 points
Previous Rank: #4
Weekly Snapshot: Won, at San Jose State (81-68); Won, vs. Boise State (110-107, Triple-OT)
Why: No, Saturday’s triple-overtime battle against Boise State was not some odd figment of your imagination – It was, however, an absolutely ridiculous treat of a game for hoops fans. And if you tuned out when San Diego State held a 24-point lead over the Broncos, you might have missed a Mountain West classic. With the electric win over Boise State, the Aztecs improved to 3-0 in Mountain West play. Though the Aztecs had their share of troubles in non-conference play, Brian Dutcher’s squad is gradually piecing things together and finding ways to win the games that matter the most. Junior guard BJ Davis had a terrific week for SDSU, posting 18 in the win at San Jose State, and fueling the win over Boise (contributing 22 points off the bench). Next up, the Aztecs have a monster tilt in Reno, as two of the Mountain West’s four remaining undefeated squads go head-to-head.
#4 New Mexico Lobos (11-3, 2-1 MWC) | 26 points
Previous Rank: #2
Weekly Snapshot: Lost, at Boise State (53-62); Won, vs. Wyoming (78-58)
Why: The Lobos are still a bit shorthanded – Down a trio of Chris Howell, Kevin Patton Jr., and Timeo Pons. The shorthanded squad struggled to find much offense in an ugly loss at Boise State, and for most of the first half of Saturday’s match-up against Wyoming. However, Tomislav Buljan, Luke Haupt, and Jake Hall came to life, fueling a series of runs that ultimately put Wyoming away. While Chris Howell’s absence is definitely felt, what continues to impress about this New Mexico team is that it truly shares the weight. A steady rotation of Lobos find ways to contribute in crucial moments. Even in Tuesday’s loss to the Broncos, New Mexico found ways to keep the game close for nearly 35 of 40 minutes. The Lobos will step into the new week with another road-test opportunity, paying a visit to a Colorado State team that is always challenging in a rowdy Moby Arena.
#5 Boise State Broncos (9-5, 1-2 MWC) | 25 points
Previous Rank: #8
Weekly Snapshot: Won, vs. New Mexico (62-53); Lost, at San Diego State (107-110, Triple-OT)
#6 Colorado State Rams (10-4, 1-2 MWC) | 21 points
Previous Rank: #5
Weekly Snapshot: Lost, vs. Nevada (62-75); Won, at Grand Canyon (70-60)
#7 Wyoming Cowboys (10-4, 1-2 MWC) | 20 points
Previous Rank: #6
Weekly Snapshot: Won, at Air Force (68-56); Lost, at New Mexico (58-78)
#8 Grand Canyon Antelopes (8-5, 1-1 MWC) | 14 points
Previous Rank: #7
Weekly Snapshot: Lost, vs. Colorado State (60-70)
Why: None of these teams had a more polarizing week than Boise State – Three games-in to conference play, and the Broncos have had a roller coaster of a time. However, the Broncos have also had the toughest 3-game opening within the conference, with match-ups against Nevada, New Mexico, and San Diego State (two of which were on the road). BSU earned a solid win against the Lobos in Boise, and came so close to piecing together an incredible comeback in San Diego. Barring a few mistakes in late regulation (and in key moments throughout a series of exhilarating OT periods), the Broncos would be sitting higher on this list. The road doesn’t get any easier, as the Broncos face upcoming dates with Grand Canyon and Utah State, but any claims that the sky is falling in Boise are largely exaggerated.
The same could be said for each of the other three teams in this tier, though perhaps more subtly. After losses to Utah State and Nevada, Colorado State earned a nice bounce-back win in one of the toughest environments in all of college basketball (at Grand Canyon), and for most of the game, the Rams were clicking, rolling, and dismantling the ‘Lopes. Fans of the ‘Lopes are likely hoping to erase Saturday’s 10-point loss from memory, but it’s encouraging that GCU could climb back from a huge deficit to make the final result as close as it was. Like Wyoming, this team is still figuring out its identity, albeit doing so with a talented core of contributors and game-changers (Looking at Jaden Henly, Leland Walker, and Nas Meyer). Look for these squads to capitalize on some huge statement opportunities this week.
#9 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (7-6, 2-0 MWC) | 13 points
Previous Rank: #9
Weekly Snapshot: Won, vs. La Sierra (89-47); Won, vs. Air Force (67-39)
#10 Fresno State Bulldogs (6-8, 0-3 MWC) | 10 points
Previous Rank: #11
Weekly Snapshot: Lost, vs. Utah State (63-72); Lost, vs. Nevada (65-66)
#11 San Jose State Spartans (5-9, 0-3 MWC) | 6 points
Previous Rank: #10
Weekly Snapshot: Lost, vs. San Diego State (68-81); Lost, at Utah State (78-96)
#12 Air Force Falcons (3-11, 0-3 MWC) | 3 points
Previous Rank: #12
Weekly Snapshot: Lost, vs. Wyoming (56-68); Lost, at UNLV (39-67)
Why: That brings us to the bottom tier of the league. As noted in our previous power rankings, UNLV, Fresno State, San Jose State, and Air Force have flashed potential points of improvement. Two of those squads – UNLV and Fresno State – have quickly converted these flashes into impact. UNLV is on a three-game winning streak, though the competition level will dramatically increase as conference play progresses. Fresno State was seconds away from upsetting a Nevada team that is seemingly red-hot at the moment. Players like Fresno State’s Jake Heidbreder (who averaged 23 points through the Bulldogs’ pair of games this week) have the potential to quickly impact and change a game’s momentum. To risk sounding like a broken record, the key for any of these teams to see an increase in the win column, will be to transform potential into consistency.
How Our Team Voted
| Dan’s Rankings | Jay’s Rankings | Larry’s Rankings | Point Value |
| 1. Utah State | 1. Utah State | 1. Utah State | 12 points |
| 2. Nevada | 2. Nevada | 2. Nevada | 11 points |
| 3. New Mexico | 3. Boise State | 3. San Diego State | 10 points |
| 4. Wyoming | 4. San Diego State | 4. Boise State | 9 points |
| 5. San Diego State | 5. New Mexico | 5. New Mexico | 8 points |
| 6. Colorado State | 6. Colorado State | 6. Colorado State | 7 points |
| 7. Boise State | 7. Grand Canyon | 7. Wyoming | 6 points |
| 8. Grand Canyon | 8. Wyoming | 8. UNLV | 5 points |
| 9. UNLV | 9. UNLV | 9. Fresno State | 4 points |
| 10. Fresno State | 10. Fresno State | 10. Grand Canyon | 3 points |
| 11. San Jose State | 11. San Jose State | 11. San Jose State | 2 points |
| 12. Air Force | 12. Air Force | 12. Air Force | 1 point |
Thank you for reading β You can find more content from our writers at the following:
- Couch Potato Sports: https://x.com/CouchPSports
- Dan: https://www.instagram.com/couchpotatosportscoverage/?hl=en
- Jay: https://x.com/LoboSauceJay
- Larry: https://x.com/LarryMunizCBB
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