Ranking Mountain West Bowl Games: Who Comes Out On Top, Bottom

How good are the bowl games we are watching?

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There can only be one!

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Bowl season is here with games starting on Saturday, Dec. 17 for fun, we are going to rank the bowl games as there are going to be some great games and some games that are not so great.

The ranking our staff did is in whatever fashion they wish. It could be their favorite team, most points, an exciting game, watching for pro prospects, or something else.

In addition to our staff rankings and a one sentence preview, we compiled a few other sites that ranked the bowl games as well with a partial blurb for each game from these outlets.

STAFF RANKINGS

7. Arizona Bowl – Wyoming vs. Ohio

So… who is going to run the ball for Wyoming? They are literally down to guys who have few to zero carries.

6. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – San Jose State vs. Eastern Michigan

Broken record here, but can the Spartans get a consistent running game against an Eastern Michigan team that hasn’t been a consistent bowl team?

5. First Responders Bowl – Utah State vs. Memphis

An intriguing matchup of two teams that did not really meet up to preseason expectations.

4. Hawaii Bowl – San Diego State vs. Middle Tennessee

That win over the Miami Hurricanes is not looking as good as once thought. The Blue Raiders do have a player in QB Chase Cunningham

3. Frisco Bowl – Boise State vs. North Texas

Score reminder. UNLV beat North Texas 58-27, oh and the Mean Green fired its head coach Seth Littrell after losing in the C-USA title game.

2. Jimmy Kimmel Bowl – Fresno State vs. Washington State

Did you know Washington State actually was better on defense than offense this year? But… QB Cam Ward is still pretty good for the Cougars.

1. Armed Forces Bowl – Air Force vs. Baylor

Let’s just say that defense is not the strong part of this Baylor team.

ATHLON SPORTS

38. Hawaii Bowl – Middle Tennessee (7-5) vs. San Diego State (7-5)
Dec. 24 – 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

Bowl hopes for the Aztecs were dim after a 2-3 start, but coach Brady Hoke’s team rallied for a 5-2 finish, largely boosted by the emergence of Jalen Mayden at quarterback. And as usual, San Diego State’s defense (20.2 points a game allowed) is one of the stingiest in the Mountain West.

37. Arizona Bowl – Wyoming (7-5) vs. Ohio (9-4)
Dec. 30 – 4:30 p.m. ET, Barstool Sports

Both Wyoming and Ohio enter bowl prep without a key part of their regular season success. The Bobcats lost quarterback and MAC Offensive Player of the Year Kurtis Rourke to a late-season knee injury.

34. First Responder Bowl – Memphis (6-6) vs. Utah State (6-6)
Dec. 27 – 3:15 p.m. ET, ESPN

Memphis’ Seth Henigan – one of the AAC’s top quarterbacks – faces a Utah State defense that’s allowed 24 passing scores and surrenders 30.6 points a game this year.

33. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – Eastern Michigan (8-4) vs. San Jose State (7-4)
Dec. 20 – 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton continues to do one of the nation’s most underrated coaching jobs in Ypsilanti by guiding the team to just its third season of more than seven wins and its fifth bowl in five years.

33. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – Eastern Michigan (8-4) vs. San Jose State (7-4)
Dec. 20 – 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

21. Armed Forces Bowl – Baylor (6-6) vs. Air Force (9-3)
Dec. 22 – 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Baylor finished with a disappointing 6-6 mark after winning the Big 12 last season, so the bowl trip to Fort Worth will be all about ending the year on a high note. Although the Bears rank third in the Big 12 against the run, facing Air Force’s offense (first nationally in rushing) is a tough assignment.

13. LA Bowl – Fresno State (9-4) vs. Washington State (7-50
Dec. 17 – 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Washington State’s underrated defense (22.4 points a game) will try to slow Haener, while an offense led by dynamic quarterback Cameron Ward takes on a Fresno State defense that limited teams to 5.3 yards per play.