Mountain West title race heating up as SDSU leads the pack

Christian Standal

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Mountain West title race heating up as SDSU leads the pack image

San Diego State’s championship hopes have surged after a hard-fought 17-7 victory in wet conditions. The win was powered not by quarterback Jayden Denegal’s passing but by a dominant ground game led by running back Lucky Sutton, who rushed for 150 yards on 20 carries. Denegal contributed two rushing touchdowns—from 1 and 8 yards out—and threw for just 17 yards on 6 completions from 10 attempts, adding 16 rushing yards himself.

In fact, the 17 passing yards mark the lowest total in San Diego State history for a victory. The rainy weather forced SDSU to rely heavily on the run, accumulating a total of 277 rushing yards on the day.

In the Mountain West, San Diego State currently holds a one-game lead over Fresno State, Boise State, New Mexico, UNLV, and Hawaii. The championship race will come down to the final two weeks of the season.

San Diego State’s remaining games include matchups against San Jose State, where they have an 85.1% chance of winning, and New Mexico, with a tougher predicted 54.5% chance of victory. New Mexico is also vying for a spot in the title race and faces Air Force (59.1% chance to win) the week before playing SDSU. If predictions hold, these games could be key showdowns between the top contenders battling head-to-head in consecutive weeks for the Mountain West crown.

Fresno State trails closely behind San Diego State and faces Utah State (50.9% chance) and San Jose State (62.8%). Their odds are much closer to even, meaning they must stay focused to keep their title hopes alive. Utah State’s offense is averaging 32.9 points per game, so Fresno State will need to be prepared for a high-scoring contest.

Boise State can rebound after their recent loss, with final games against Colorado State (89.7% chance) and Utah State (64.4%). They are favored to handle these matchups and stay in contention for the championship.

UNLV and Hawaii round out the remaining contenders. Their head-to-head matchup next week will likely decide their futures in the title race. If UNLV wins, their chances improve significantly since they face Nevada—a team with just one conference win this season—while Hawaii would play Wyoming, which has four wins overall but only two in conference play.

The Mountain West title race is heating up, with several teams positioned to make a late push for the championship.

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News Correspondent