2016 Mountain West Conference football season explained

2016 Mountain West Conference football season
League:NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
Sport:Football
Pixels:150px
Duration:August 2016–January 2017
No Of Teams:12
Tv:CBS Sports Network, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, CBS
Draft:2017 NFL Draft
Draft Link:2017 NFL Draft
Top Pick:OG Nico Siragusa, San Diego State
Picked By:Baltimore Ravens, 122nd overall
Season:Regular season
Conf1:Mountain Division
Conf1 Champ:Wyoming Cowboys
Conf1 Runner-Up:Boise State Broncos
Conf2:West Division
Conf2 Link:West
Conf2 Champ:San Diego State Aztecs
Conf2 Runner-Up:Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
Finals:Championship Game
Finals Link:2016 Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game
Finals Champ:San Diego State
Finals Runner-Up:Wyoming
Seasonslistnames:Football
Prevseason Year:2015
Nextseason Year:2017

The 2016 Mountain West Conference football season was the 18th season of college football for the Mountain West Conference (MW). In the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season, the MW had 12 football members: Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State, and Wyoming.

Pre-season

Mountain West Media

2016 Mountain West Football Media Days were held on July 26 & 27 at the Cosmopolitan on the Las Vegas Strip.[1]

Preseason polls

Reference:[2]

Place Mountain Division West Division
1 Boise State (27) 172 San Diego State (29) 174
2 Air Force (2) 126 Nevada 129
3 Utah State 111 San Jose State 122
4 Colorado State 95 Fresno State 76
5 New Mexico 74 UNLV 73
6 Wyoming 31 Hawai'i 35

Preseason All-Mountain West Teams

Reference:[3]

Offense! Position! Player! Class! Team
QBBrett Rypien*SO.Boise State
WRThomas Sperbeck*SR.Boise State
WRDevonte Boyd**JR.UNLV
RBDonnel PumphreySR.San Diego State
RBBrian Hill**JR.Wyoming
OLFred Zerblis**SR.Colorado State
OLNico Siragusa*SR.San Diego State
OLJake SimonichSR.Utah State
OLAustin StephensSR.Utah State
OLChase Roullier**SR.Wyoming
TEBilly Freeman*SR.San Jose State
Defense! Position! Player! Class! Team
DLNik D'AvanzoSR.New Mexico
DLAlex BarrettSR.San Diego State
DLTravis SeefeldtGR.Utah State
DLRicky Ali'ifuaSR.Utah State
LBChristian Tago**SR.San Jose State
LBCalvin Munson*SR.San Diego State
LBDakota CoxSR.New Mexico
DBWeston Steelhammer*SR.Air Force
DBDamontae Kazee*SR.San Diego State
DBDameon Baber**SO.Nevada
DBAndrew Wingard**SO.Wyoming
Specialists! Position! Player! Class! Team
PHayden Hunt**SR.Colorado State
PMichael Carrizosa*JR.San Jose State
PKTyler RausaSR.Boise State
KRRashaad Penny*JR.San Diego State
Donnel Pumphrey, SR., RB, San Diego State
Damontae Kazee, SR., DB, San Diego State
Rashaad Penny, JR., KR, San Diego State

(* - member of the 2015 All-Mountain West first team)

(** - member of the 2015 All-Mountain West second team)

Award watch lists

The following Mountain West players were named to preseason award watch lists.Maxwell Award

[4]

Chuck Bednarik Award

John Mackey Award

[5]

Rimington Trophy

[6]

Lou Groza Award

[7]

Ray Guy Award

[8]

Bronko Nagurski Trophy

[9]

Outland Trophy

[10]

Jim Thorpe Award

[11]

Butkus Award

[12]

Fred Biletnikoff Award

[13]

Wuerffel Trophy

[14]

Davey O'Brien Award

[15]

Doak Walker Award

[16]

Walter Camp Award

[17]

Paul Hornung Award

[18]

Coaches

NOTE: Stats shown are before the beginning of the season

TeamHead coachYears at schoolOverall recordRecord at schoolMW record
Air ForceTroy Calhoun1067–5067–5040–32
Boise StateBryan Harsin328–1121–612–4
Colorado StateMike Bobo27–67–65–3
Fresno StateTim DeRuyter530–2329–2321–11
HawaiʻiNick Rolovich10–00–00–0
NevadaBrian Polian418–2018–2011–13
New MexicoBob Davie553–5718–329–23
San Diego StateRocky Long8108–9243–2330–9
San José StateRon Caragher459–4415–2211–13
UNLVTony Sanchez23–93–92–6
Utah StateMatt Wells425–1625–1618–6
WyomingCraig Bohl3110–506–184–12

Rankings

See also: 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings.

Legend
 Increase in ranking
 Decrease in ranking
 Unranked the previous week
align=center style="width:20px; border:1px solid black;" RVReceived votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll
  Pre Wk
2 		Wk
3 		Wk
4 		Wk
5 		Wk
6 		Wk
7 		Wk
8 		Wk
9 		Wk
10 		Wk
11 		Wk
12 		Wk
13 		Wk
14 		Wk
15 		Final
Air ForceAPRVRVRVRVRV
CRVRVRVRV
CFPNot released
Boise StateAPRVRVRVRV241915141324242220RVRVRV
CRVRVRVRVRV1915141324242319RVRVRV
CFPNot released24222019
Colorado StateAP
C
CFPNot released
Fresno StateAP
C
CFPNot released
HawaiʻiAP
C
CFPNot released
NevadaAP
C
CFPNot released
New MexicoAP
C
CFPNot released
San Diego StateAPRVRVRV2219RVRVRVRVRVRV24RVRV25
CRVRVRVRV24RVRVRVRVRVRV25RVRVRV25
CFPNot released
San José StateAP
C
CFPNot released
UNLVAP
C
CFPNot released
Utah StateAP
C
CFPNot released
WyomingAPRVRVRV
CRVRVRVRVRV
CFPNot released

Championship game

The Championship Game was played between the San Diego State Aztecs, champions of the West Division, and the Wyoming Cowboys, champions of the Mountain Division, on December 3, 2016, at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyoming. The Aztecs won 27–24, repeating as champions. Running back Rashaad Penny of San Diego State was the offensive MVP, and defensive back Damontae Kazee of San Diego State was the defensive MVP.

Bowl games

Bowl GameDateStadiumCityTelevisionTeam MatchupsWinning TeamScoreLosing TeamScore
New Mexico BowlDecember 17University StadiumAlbuquerque, NMESPNNew Mexico vs. UTSANew Mexico23UTSA20
Las Vegas BowlDecember 17Sam Boyd StadiumWhitney, NVABCHouston vs. San Diego StateSan Diego State34Houston10
Poinsettia BowlDecember 21Qualcomm StadiumSan Diego, CAESPNBYU vs. WyomingBYU24Wyoming21
Famous Idaho Potato BowlDecember 22Albertsons StadiumBoise, IDESPNIdaho vs. Colorado StateIdaho61Colorado State50
Hawai'i BowlDecember 24Aloha StadiumHonolulu, HIESPNHawai'i vs. Middle TennesseeHawai'i52Middle Tennessee35
Cactus BowlDecember 27Chase FieldPhoenix, AZESPNBoise State vs. BaylorBaylor31Boise State12
Arizona BowlDecember 30Arizona StadiumTucson, AZASNSouth Alabama vs. Air ForceAir Force45South Alabama21

Mountain West vs Power Conference matchups

Records against other conferences

2016 records against non-conference foes:

Regular season

Power 5 ConferencesRecord
ACC0–0
Big Ten0–6
Big 120–1
Pac-123–6
SEC0–0
Notre Dame0–1
Power 5 Total3–14
Other FBS ConferencesRecord
American1–2
C-USA1–0
MAC3–3
Sun Belt4–3
Independents (Excluding Notre Dame)3–0
Other FBS Total12–8
FCS OpponentsRecord
Football Championship Subdivision11–0
Total Non-Conference Record26–22

Post Season

Power ConferencesRecord
Big 120–1
Power 5 Total0–1
Other FBS ConferencesRecord
American1–0
C–USA2–0
Sun Belt1–1
Independents (Excluding Notre Dame)0–1
Total Bowl Record4–3

Awards and honors

All Conference teams

[19]

Offense:

Pos.NameYr.SchoolNameYr.School
First Team Second Team
QBBrett RypienSO.Boise StateJosh AllenSO.Wyoming
WRThomas SperbeckSR.Boise StateTanner GentrySR.Wyoming
WRMichael GallupJR.Colorado StateJalen RobinetteSR.Air Force
RBDonnel PumphreySR.San Diego StateJeremy McNicholsJR.Boise State
RBBrian HillJR.WyomingTeriyon GipsonSR.New Mexico
TEJacob HollisterSR.WyomingDavid WellsJR.San Diego State
OLTravis AverillSR.Boise StateJake BennettJR.Colorado State
OLMario YakooSR.Boise StateDejon AllenJR.Hawai'i
OLFred ZerblisSR.Colorado StateAustin CorbettJR.Nevada
OLNico SiragusaSR.San Diego StateReno HendersonSR.New Mexico
OLChase RoullierSR.WyomingDaniel BrunskillSR.San Diego State
PKJohn Baron IISO.San Diego StateLuke StrebelSR.Air Force
PR/KRRashaad PennyJR.San Diego StateD.J. MaySR.Wyoming

Defense:

Pos.NameYr.SchoolNameYr.School
First Team Second Team
DLRyan WatsonSR.Air ForceMalik ReedSO.Nevada
DLSam McCaskillSR.Boise StateNik D'AvanzoSR.New Mexico
DLDavid MoaSO.Boise StateGarrett HughesJR.New Mexico
DLAlex BarrettSR.San Diego StateTravis SeefeldtSR.Utah State
LBCalvin MunsonSR.San Diego StateBen WeaverSR.Boise State
LBJahlani TavaiSO.Hawai'iKevin DavisSR.Colorado State
LBTau LotuleleiSR.UNLVJeff CamilliSR.Fresno State
DBAndre ChachereJR.San Jose StateBrodie HicksSR.Air Force
DBWeston Steelhammer**SR.Air ForceChanceller JamesSR.Boise State
DBAndrew WingardSO.WyomingJonathan MoxeySR.Boise State
DBDamontae KazeeSR.San Diego StateMalik SmithSR.San Diego State
PHayden HuntSR.Colorado StateSean WaleSR.Boise State
(* – Two-Time First-Team Selection)
(** – Three-Time First-Team Selection)
(*** – Two-Time Second-Team Selection)

Honorable Mentions:

Home game attendance

TeamStadiumCapacityGame 1Game 2Game 3Game 4Game 5Game 6Game 7TotalAverage% of Capacity
Air ForceFalcon Stadium46,69234,12824,17343,06318,75629,13223,46723,556196,27528,03960.1%
Boise StateAlbertsons Stadium36,38736,16336,60233,44834,57531,86332,989—205,64034,27394.2%
Colorado StateSonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium32,50020,67326,71833,50032,38723,18729,133—165,59827,60084.9%
Fresno StateBulldog Stadium41,03131,81723,27324,73125,19726,95120,991—152,96025,49362.1%
HawaiʻiAloha Stadium50,00023,90023,50331,28723,96422,73122,739—148,12424,68749.4%
NevadaMackay Stadium30,00019,13820,45722,41118,87716,73013,390—111,00318,50161.7%
New MexicoUniversity Stadium39,22420,22119,85220,09018,09917,29016,698—112,25018,70847.7%
San José StateSpartan Stadium30,45613,21016,04116,83715,16115,73315,533—92,51515,41950.6%
San Diego StateQualcomm Stadium54,000†46,48642,47333,29625,61341,64434,223—223,73537,28969.1%
Utah StateMaverik Stadium25,51323,00821,09123,10415,06717,33215,212—114,81419,13675.0%
UNLVSam Boyd Stadium35,50018,57517,22917,81118,36214,79023,569—110,33618,38951.8%
WyomingWar Memorial Stadium29,18118,48318,78126,62324,02317,83719,11224,001148,86021,26572.9%

Bold – Exceed capacity
†Season High

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2016 Mountain West Football Media Days. Mountain West Conference. July 28, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160727045042/http://www.themwc.com/page/media_days_m-footbl. July 27, 2016. dead. mdy-all.
  2. Web site: Boise State, San Diego State, Picked to Win 2016 Mountain West Football Divisional Titles. Mountain West Conference. July 26, 2016. July 28, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160806160012/http://www.themwc.com/news/mwfb-16-predicted-order. August 6, 2016. dead. mdy-all.
  3. Web site: 2016 Mountain West Football Preseason All-Conference Team. Mountain West Conference. July 26, 2016. July 28, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160806165728/http://www.themwc.com/news/2016-preseason-all-mwfb. August 6, 2016. dead. mdy-all.
  4. Web site: Maxwell Football Club Announces Maxwell And Bednarik Watch Lists for 2016. July 5, 2016. July 28, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160818023556/https://maxwellfootballclub.org/news/maxwell-football-club-announces-maxwell-and-bednarik-watch-lists-2016. August 18, 2016. dead. mdy-all.
  5. Web site: 2016 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List. July 6, 2016. July 28, 2016.
  6. Web site: Rimington Trophy Official Website:Trophy Watchlist. July 6, 2016. July 28, 2016.
  7. Web site: Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Announces 2016 Preseason Watch List. July 7, 2016. July 28, 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160718003948/http://www.lougrozaaward.com/watchlist.html. July 18, 2016.
  8. Web site: 2016 Ray Guy Award Preseason Watch List Announced. July 7, 2016. July 28, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160718151828/http://rayguyaward.com/2016-ray-guy-award-preseason-watch-list-announced/. July 18, 2016. dead. mdy-all.
  9. Web site: College football: 2016 Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list announced. FWAA. July 8, 2016. July 28, 2016.
  10. Web site: 2016 Outland Trophy Watch List Unveiled. July 8, 2016. July 28, 2016.
  11. Web site: 2016 Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List. July 11, 2016. July 28, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160807000742/https://www.oklahomasportshalloffame.org/2016-jim-thorpe-award-preseason-watch-list.html. August 7, 2016. dead. mdy-all.
  12. Web site: The Butkus Award 2016 Collegiate Watchlist. July 12, 2016. July 28, 2016. August 20, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100820080704/http://www.thebutkusaward.com/watchlist/view.aspx?t=c. dead.
  13. Web site: 2016 Biletnikoff Award Watch List. July 13, 2016. July 28, 2016.
  14. Web site: College football: Wuerffel Trophy unveils record 2016 watch list. July 13, 2016. July 28, 2016.
  15. Web site: Davey O'Brien Award announces 30 players on Watch List. July 14, 2016. July 28, 2016.
  16. Web site: 2016 Doak Walker Award Candidates Announced. July 14, 2016. July 28, 2016.
  17. Web site: Al Carbone. 2016 Walter Camp Player of the Year Preseason Watch List. July 15, 2016. July 28, 2016.
  18. Web site: 43 Players Named to 2016 Paul Hornung Award Watch List. July 15, 2016. July 28, 2016.
  19. Mountain West Announces 2016 Football All-Conference Teams and Individual Honors. https://web.archive.org/web/20161130190432/http://www.themwc.com/news/mountain%2Dwest%2Dannounces%2D2016%2Dfootball%2Dall%2Dconference%2Dteams%2Dand%2Dindividual%2Dhonors%2D11%2D28%2D2016. 2016-11-30. dead. Mountain West Conference. November 29, 2016.

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