While the victories of BYU, Boise State, and Colorado State made for great fodder for those in the Non-AQ corner, the week was not a complete success. San Diego State, Nevada, New Mexico, Louisiana Tech, and San Jose State laid effectual eggs in their Non-Conference road match-ups.
- Despite leading 14-3 early in the First Half, San Diego State was unable to garner any more offensive production against the Bruins of UCLA. The Upset will not be too critical of the Aztecs and their first year head coach Brady Hoke as the program has a long way to go before it can be competitive out of conference. Heck, the Aztecs went 2-10 last season and a 33-14 defeat by a PAC-10 team isnt that bad after all.
- Nevada and San Jose State are a different story. The Wolfpack and the Spartans both qualified for Bowl games last season...they were outscored in Week One 91-3. OUCH. Sure they played two Top 25 squads...but the 3rd and 4th best teams from the WAC should not have that kind of outcome. It strengthens the case that the divide between Boise State and the rest of the league is growing.
- Louisiana Tech and New Mexico traveled to hostile environments and didn't handle the trip well at all. The Bulldogs were outclassed @ Auburn to the tune of 37-13. Meanwhile the Lobos and first year head coach Mike Locksely were demolished in College Station by Texas A&M. The teams averagged just over 225 yards of total offense. And this coming with experienced QB's at the helm.
The Upset hopes that these programs can right themselves in the coming weeks. The Non-AQ banner becomes more terrible to behold as more teams step up to the challenge of competing at a higher level. The Mountain West needs teams like New Mexico and San Diego State to be more respectable when playing out of Conference. And the WAC needs a second team to get excited about.
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