2026 Week 9 Mountain West College Football Previews

Connecticut Huskies at Air Force Falcons

Saturday, October 31
12:00 PM PT, MW +

Last week, the Falcons outgained Wyoming by 86 yards but still saw their four-game winning streak end, largely because of three fumbles, including a pair of late ones after Evan Medders went down with an injury.

Medders’s status going forward is uncertain; while the QB sustained a fracture, he wasn’t on the Falcons’ depth chart Monday morning.

The Falcons can become bowl-eligible with a win, and they’ll need either Josh Johnson or Howard Fisher IV to run the option offense.

The Huskies have been good against the run this season, ranking 28th in the nation, but this week will be a totally different challenge for UConn.  In their three losses this season, they have surrendered almost 40 more yards per game on the ground.

I think the Falcons will grind this one out; they will need to avoid the turnovers from a week ago, but I look for either Johnson or Fisher to perform much better this week than in the fourth quarter at Wyoming.

UTEP Miners at North Dakota State Bison

Saturday, October 31
12:30 PM PT, MW +

This one has ugly written all over it. The Bison return to the Fargodome after their loss to New Mexico a week ago and are poised for a matchup that heavily favors the home team.

NDSU is third in the nation, allowing just 12.5 points per game, while UTEP is the fourth-worst scoring team, putting up just 15.1 points per game, including a 51-point win over Texas Southern.

In their six losses this season, the Miners are scoring just 9.2 points per game.

UTEP has struggled to move the football this season, and NDSU won’t make it any easier this week. The Bison give up 250.1 yards per game and have allowed only four passing touchdowns in eight games.

After committing 10 turnovers in the first five games of the season, UTEP has been turnover-free in the last two. That trend will need to continue if the Miners want any chance of pulling off an upset.

The Bison are among the nation’s best at forcing miscues, with 15 takeaways this season. If NDSU and Nathan Hayes can work with a short field, they will punish the Miners.

UTEP ranks among the worst in the nation at stopping the run; look for big games from Myles Mitchell and DJ Scott, and the Bison will win this one comfortably.

New Mexico Lobos at San Jose State Spartans

Saturday, October 31
1:00 PM PT, MW +

The Lobos enter this one after a big win over North Dakota State, and New Mexico brings the nation’s best scoring defense to San Jose to face a Spartan team searching for answers on offense.

Last week, the Spartans had 10 three-and-outs in their loss to Nevada, and the only consistency among the three QBs who played was ineffectiveness. The rushing attack was also nonexistent, as the Spartans were limited to a season-low 65 yards on the ground.

That does not bode well against the Lobos, who allow just 86.4 yards per game on the ground.

The Lobos have not left San Jose with a win since a 27-24 win over the Spartans in 1969.  That is a lot of years of frustration that could come out in this one, most likely in the form of punishing runs and turnovers.

Scottre Humphrey could be in store for a big game running the ball. If the Spartans can’t sustain any drives this week, the UNM ground game will punish the SJSU defense and wear them thin in the second half.

If you throw in a short field now and then, this one could get out of hand late.

Nevada Wolf Pack at No. 7 UCLA Bruins

Saturday, October 31
1:15 PM PT, Big Ten Network

The Bruins still haven’t felt any ill effects from Ty Dieffenbach filling in at QB for the injured Nico Iamaleava.

Not only has the senior stepped in and played well enough, but the nation’s ninth-best rushing attack is still rolling, which makes things easier for the backup.

That ground attack, led by Wayne Knight, should produce again. The Bruins are running the ball for 233 yards per outing while the Pack has struggled against the run this year.

They figured it out last week, limiting San Jose State to just 65 yards on 30 carries, but 25 negative yards on four sacks helped, and that total may also reflect the Spartans’ overall offensive struggles.

In their four losses, Nevada has allowed 214.3 yards per game on the ground, and I’d expect the Bruins to be well north of 200 yards.

The Bruins defense has shut down the ground game this season, limiting opponents to just 90.4 yards per game, and it will be difficult for Dominic Kelley and Herschel Turner to get going.

If the Pack are to shock the world, they might have to put the ball in the air more than they’d like, and that could also create issues.

The Bruins are third in the nation this season with 12 interceptions, and the Wolf Pack haven’t done a great job keeping the ball out of defenders’ hands when they put it in the air.

The Bruins remain unbeaten with a comfortable win ahead of a difficult stretch run to end the season.

Northern Illinois Huskies at UNLV Rebels

Saturday, October 31
7:30 PM PT, CBS Sports

The Huskies are still searching for their first win as a Mountain West member, not just a conference win, but any win at all. Heading to Vegas at 0-7 is not a good omen for NIU.

Jackson Arnold has thrown for 16 touchdowns this season and will pose a major problem for NIU. UNLV should be able to take their pick, run or pass, and succeed equally.

The Huskies have not been able to stop anything this season. But the real issue has been stopping the run, and I expect the Rebels to run for a ton of yards.

The Rebels are rested, coming off a bye, and NIU is allowing a whopping 220.9 rushing yards per game.

The chunk plays should be there for the taking, and UNLV will capitalize on everything the Huskies give them.

The Rebels have never beaten NIU, going 0-5 all-time. That losing streak ends in a hurry in this one. UNLV wins big.