Ranking Mountain West Football Bowl Performances In 2023

The Mountain West Conference sent seven teams to bowl games this postseason. Amassing three wins and four losses, the league saw a mixed bag of performances.
© Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports

The Mountain West Conference sent seven teams to bowl games this postseason. Amassing three wins and four losses, the league saw a mixed bag of performances.

Below we ranked all seven of the Mountain West's bowl game appearances, from the worst loss to the best win.

7 - San José State

Chevan Cordeiro's return to Hawaii could have been better. The offense only managed three red zone trips in a 24-14 loss to a fairly shorthanded Coastal Carolina.

6 - Utah State

After the first quarter, Utah State struggled in their Potato Bowl loss. The Aggie defense just couldn't keep the Georgia State offense in check. Utah State allowed nearly 650 yards of offense. 

5 - Boise State

The Broncos played half a game in the LA Bowl. UCLA stifled Boise State's offense for the better part of a 35-22 game that went the Bruins' way. George Holani broke off a 66-yard touchdown run on Boise's final drive of the game.

4 - UNLV 

While 9-5 UNLV finish with their best record since 1984, the season ends on a down note, but something for head coach Barry Odom to build upon for next season. The Rebels lost 49-36 to Kansas in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.

3 - Wyoming

The Cowboys got to send off retiring head coach Craig Bohl in style. It wasn't a perfect game, but the Cowboys made the plays they needed to late in the game to set up a game-winning field goal as time expired. They head back to Laramie with the Arizona Bowl title, 

2 - Fresno State

Under the direction of interim head coach Tim Skipper, the Bulldogs picked up a handy win in the New Mexico Bowl. Quarterback Mikey Keene was named the player of the game with 31 completions on 39 attempts for 380 passing yards with three touchdowns.

1 - Air Force

The Falcons rushed for 351 yards, including 203 from fullback Emmanuel Michel. Air Force makes it three consecutive years with a bowl victory and earn their eighth under Troy Calhoun. The Falcons snapped their four-game losing streak with some of their better football of the year.


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Joe Londergan
JOE LONDERGAN

Joe covers college sports from the Group of Five ranks and beyond. He has worked in the sports industry since 2008, earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville, and a Master's degree from Seattle University.