2016 Mountain West Conference football season

2016 Mountain West Conference football season
LeagueNCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
SportFootball
DurationAugust 2016–January 2017
Number of teams12
TV partner(s)CBS Sports Network, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, CBS
2017 NFL Draft
Top draft pickOG Nico Siragusa, San Diego State
Picked byBaltimore Ravens, 122nd overall
Regular season
Mountain Division championsWyoming Cowboys
  Mountain Division runners-upBoise State Broncos
West Division championsSan Diego State Aztecs
  West Division runners-upHawaii Rainbow Warriors
Championship Game
ChampionsSan Diego State
  Runners-upWyoming
Football seasons
← 2015
2017 →
2016 Mountain West Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Mountain Division
Wyoming xy   6 – 2     8 – 6  
Boise State x   6 – 2     10 – 3  
New Mexico x   6 – 2     9 – 4  
Air Force   5 – 3     10 – 3  
Colorado State   5 – 3     7 – 6  
Utah State   1 – 7     3 – 9  
West Division
No. 25 San Diego State xy$   6 – 2     11 – 3  
Hawaii   4 – 4     7 – 7  
Nevada   3 – 5     5 – 7  
San Jose State   3 – 5     4 – 8  
UNLV   3 – 5     4 – 8  
Fresno State   0 – 8     1 – 11  
Championship: San Diego State 27, Wyoming 24
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

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

[edit]

Mountain West Media

[edit]

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

Preseason polls

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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
  • First place votes in parentheses

Preseason All-Mountain West Teams

[edit]

Reference:[3]

Offense
Position Player Class Team
QB Brett Rypien* SO. Boise State
WR Thomas Sperbeck* SR. Boise State
WR Devonte Boyd** JR. UNLV
RB Donnel Pumphrey* SR. San Diego State
RB Brian Hill** JR. Wyoming
OL Fred Zerblis** SR. Colorado State
OL Nico Siragusa* SR. San Diego State
OL Jake Simonich SR. Utah State
OL Austin Stephens SR. Utah State
OL Chase Roullier** SR. Wyoming
TE Billy Freeman* SR. San Jose State
Defense
Position Player Class Team
DL Nik D'Avanzo SR. New Mexico
DL Alex Barrett** SR. San Diego State
DL Travis Seefeldt GR. Utah State
DL Ricky Ali'ifua SR. Utah State
LB Christian Tago** SR. San Jose State
LB Calvin Munson* SR. San Diego State
LB Dakota Cox SR. New Mexico
DB Weston Steelhammer* SR. Air Force
DB Damontae Kazee* SR. San Diego State
DB Dameon Baber** SO. Nevada
DB Andrew Wingard** SO. Wyoming
Specialists
Position Player Class Team
P Hayden Hunt** SR. Colorado State
P Michael Carrizosa* JR. San Jose State
PK Tyler Rausa* SR. Boise State
KR Rashaad Penny* JR. San Diego State
  • Preseason Offensive Player of the Year:
Donnel Pumphrey, SR., RB, San Diego State
  • Preseason Defensive Player of the Year:
Damontae Kazee, SR., DB, San Diego State
  • Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year:
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

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

Coaches

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NOTE: Stats shown are before the beginning of the season

Team Head coach Years at school Overall record Record at school MW record
Air Force Troy Calhoun 10 67–50 67–50 40–32
Boise State Bryan Harsin 3 28–11 21–6 12–4
Colorado State Mike Bobo 2 7–6 7–6 5–3
Fresno State Tim DeRuyter 5 30–23 29–23 21–11
Hawaiʻi Nick Rolovich 1 0–0 0–0 0–0
Nevada Brian Polian 4 18–20 18–20 11–13
New Mexico Bob Davie 5 53–57 18–32 9–23
San Diego State Rocky Long 8 108–92 43–23 30–9
San José State Ron Caragher 4 59–44 15–22 11–13
UNLV Tony Sanchez 2 3–9 3–9 2–6
Utah State Matt Wells 4 25–16 25–16 18–6
Wyoming Craig Bohl 3 110–50 6–18 4–12

Rankings

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See also: 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
Legend
  Increase in ranking
  Decrease in ranking
  Unranked the previous week
RV Received 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 Force AP RV RV RV RV RV
C RV RV RV RV
CFP Not released
Boise State AP RV RV RV RV 24 19 15 14 13 24 24 22 20 RV RV RV
C RV RV RV RV RV 19 15 14 13 24 24 23 19 RV RV RV
CFP Not released 24 22 20 19
Colorado State AP
C
CFP Not released
Fresno State AP
C
CFP Not released
Hawaiʻi AP
C
CFP Not released
Nevada AP
C
CFP Not released
New Mexico AP
C
CFP Not released
San Diego State AP RV RV RV 22 19 RV RV RV RV RV RV 24 RV RV 25
C RV RV RV RV 24 RV RV RV RV RV RV 25 RV RV RV 25
CFP Not released
San José State AP
C
CFP Not released
UNLV AP
C
CFP Not released
Utah State AP
C
CFP Not released
Wyoming AP RV RV RV
C RV RV RV RV RV
CFP Not released

Championship game

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Further information: Mountain West Conference Football 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

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Bowl Game Date Stadium City Television Team Matchups Winning Team Score Losing Team Score
New Mexico Bowl December 17 University Stadium Albuquerque, NM ESPN New Mexico vs. UTSA New Mexico 23 UTSA 20
Las Vegas Bowl December 17 Sam Boyd Stadium Whitney, NV ABC Houston vs. San Diego State San Diego State 34 Houston 10
Poinsettia Bowl December 21 Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, CA ESPN BYU vs. Wyoming BYU 24 Wyoming 21
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl December 22 Albertsons Stadium Boise, ID ESPN Idaho vs. Colorado State Idaho 61 Colorado State 50
Hawai'i Bowl December 24 Aloha Stadium Honolulu, HI ESPN Hawai'i vs. Middle Tennessee Hawai'i 52 Middle Tennessee 35
Cactus Bowl December 27 Chase Field Phoenix, AZ ESPN Boise State vs. Baylor Baylor 31 Boise State 12
Arizona Bowl December 30 Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ ASN South Alabama vs. Air Force Air Force 45 South Alabama 21

Mountain West vs Power Conference matchups

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Records against other conferences

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2016 records against non-conference foes:

Awards and honors

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All Conference teams

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[19]

Offense:

Pos. Name Yr. School Name Yr. School
First Team Second Team
QB Brett Rypien* SO. Boise State Josh Allen SO. Wyoming
WR Thomas Sperbeck* SR. Boise State Tanner Gentry SR. Wyoming
WR Michael Gallup JR. Colorado State Jalen Robinette SR. Air Force
RB Donnel Pumphrey** SR. San Diego State Jeremy McNichols*** JR. Boise State
RB Brian Hill JR. Wyoming Teriyon Gipson SR. New Mexico
TE Jacob Hollister SR. Wyoming David Wells JR. San Diego State
OL Travis Averill SR. Boise State Jake Bennett JR. Colorado State
OL Mario Yakoo SR. Boise State Dejon Allen JR. Hawai'i
OL Fred Zerblis SR. Colorado State Austin Corbett JR. Nevada
OL Nico Siragusa* SR. San Diego State Reno Henderson SR. New Mexico
OL Chase Roullier SR. Wyoming Daniel Brunskill SR. San Diego State
PK John Baron II SO. San Diego State Luke Strebel SR. Air Force
PR/KR Rashaad Penny* JR. San Diego State D.J. May SR. Wyoming

Defense:

Pos. Name Yr. School Name Yr. School
First Team Second Team
DL Ryan Watson SR. Air Force Malik Reed SO. Nevada
DL Sam McCaskill SR. Boise State Nik D'Avanzo SR. New Mexico
DL David Moa SO. Boise State Garrett Hughes JR. New Mexico
DL Alex Barrett* SR. San Diego State Travis Seefeldt SR. Utah State
LB Calvin Munson* SR. San Diego State Ben Weaver SR. Boise State
LB Jahlani Tavai SO. Hawai'i Kevin Davis SR. Colorado State
LB Tau Lotulelei SR. UNLV Jeff Camilli SR. Fresno State
DB Andre Chachere JR. San Jose State Brodie Hicks SR. Air Force
DB Weston Steelhammer** SR. Air Force Chanceller James SR. Boise State
DB Andrew Wingard SO. Wyoming Jonathan Moxey SR. Boise State
DB Damontae Kazee* SR. San Diego State Malik Smith SR. San Diego State
P Hayden Hunt SR. Colorado State Sean Wale SR. Boise State

(* – Two-Time First-Team Selection)
(** – Three-Time First-Team Selection)
(*** – Two-Time Second-Team Selection)

Honorable Mentions:

  • Air Force: Haji Dunn, Sr., LB; Tim McVey, Jr., KR; Colin Sandor, Sr., OL; Dylan Vail, Sr., OL.
  • Boise State: Steven Baggett, Sr., OL; Mason Hampton, Jr., OL; Tanner Vallejo, Sr., LB; Cedrick Wilson, Jr., WR.
  • Colorado State: Nick Callender, Sr., OL; Nick Stevens, Jr., QB; Paul Thurston, Sr., OL.
  • Fresno State: Stratton Brown, Sr., DB; KeeSean Johnson, So., WR; Kody Kroening, Jr., P.
  • Hawai'i: Trayvon Henderson, Jr., DB; Marcus Kemp, Sr., WR; Leo Koloamatangi, Sr., OL; Meffy Koloamatangi, Jr., DL; Jalen Rogers, Sr., DB; Rigoberto Sanchez, Sr., PK/P.
  • Nevada: James Butler, Jr., RB; Wyatt Demps, Jr., WR; Asauni Rufus, So., DB.
  • New Mexico: Dakota Cox, Sr., LB; Daniel Henry, Sr., DB; Aaron Jenkins, So., OL; Jason Sanders, Jr., PK.
  • San Diego State: Kyle Kelley, Sr., DL; Quest Truxton, Jr., PR.
  • San Jose State: Michael Carrizosa, Jr., P; Isaiah Irving, Sr., DL; Jeremiah Kolone, Jr., OL; Maurice McKnight, Jr., DB; Christian Tago, Sr., LB.
  • UNLV: Troy Hawthorne, Sr., DB; Mike Hughes, Jr., DL; Nathan Jacobson, So., OL; Will Kreitler, Sr., OL; Torry McTyer, Sr., DB.
  • Utah State: Austin Albrecht, Sr., OL; Ricky Ali'ifua, Sr., DL; Wyatt Houston, Sr., TE; Jake Simonich, Sr., OL; Austin Stephens, Sr., OL.
  • Wyoming: Lucas Wacha, Sr., LB


Home game attendance

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Team Stadium Capacity Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7 Total Average % of Capacity
Air Force Falcon Stadium 46,692 34,128 24,173 43,063 18,756 29,132 23,467 23,556 196,275 28,039 60.1%
Boise State Albertsons Stadium 36,387 36,163 36,602 33,448 34,575 31,863 32,989 — 205,640 34,273 94.2%
Colorado State Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium 32,500 20,673 26,718 33,500 32,387 23,187 29,133 — 165,598 27,600 84.9%
Fresno State Bulldog Stadium 41,031 31,817 23,273 24,731 25,197 26,951 20,991 — 152,960 25,493 62.1%
Hawaiʻi Aloha Stadium 50,000 23,900 23,503 31,287 23,964 22,731 22,739 — 148,124 24,687 49.4%
Nevada Mackay Stadium 30,000 19,138 20,457 22,411 18,877 16,730 13,390 — 111,003 18,501 61.7%
New Mexico University Stadium 39,224 20,221 19,852 20,090 18,099 17,290 16,698 — 112,250 18,708 47.7%
San José State Spartan Stadium 30,456 13,210 16,041 16,837 15,161 15,733 15,533 — 92,515 15,419 50.6%
San Diego State Qualcomm Stadium 54,000 †46,486 42,473 33,296 25,613 41,644 34,223 — 223,735 37,289 69.1%
Utah State Maverik Stadium 25,513 23,008 21,091 23,104 15,067 17,332 15,212 — 114,814 19,136 75.0%
UNLV Sam Boyd Stadium 35,500 18,575 17,229 17,811 18,362 14,790 23,569 — 110,336 18,389 51.8%
Wyoming War Memorial Stadium 29,181 18,483 18,781 26,623 24,023 17,837 19,112 24,001 148,860 21,265 72.9%

Bold – Exceed capacity
†Season High

References

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  1. ^ "2016 Mountain West Football Media Days". Mountain West Conference. Archived from the original on July 27, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  2. ^ "Boise State, San Diego State, Picked to Win 2016 Mountain West Football Divisional Titles". Mountain West Conference. July 26, 2016. Archived from the original on August 6, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  3. ^ "2016 Mountain West Football Preseason All-Conference Team". Mountain West Conference. July 26, 2016. Archived from the original on August 6, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  4. ^ "Maxwell Football Club Announces Maxwell And Bednarik Watch Lists for 2016". July 5, 2016. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  5. ^ "2016 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List" (PDF). July 6, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  6. ^ "Rimington Trophy Official Website:Trophy Watchlist". July 6, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  7. ^ "Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Announces 2016 Preseason Watch List". July 7, 2016. Archived from the original on July 18, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  8. ^ "2016 Ray Guy Award Preseason Watch List Announced". July 7, 2016. Archived from the original on July 18, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  9. ^ "College football: 2016 Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list announced". FWAA. July 8, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  10. ^ "2016 Outland Trophy Watch List Unveiled". July 8, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  11. ^ "2016 Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List". July 11, 2016. Archived from the original on August 7, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  12. ^ "The Butkus Award 2016 Collegiate Watchlist". July 12, 2016. Archived from the original on August 20, 2010. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  13. ^ "2016 Biletnikoff Award Watch List". July 13, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  14. ^ "College football: Wuerffel Trophy unveils record 2016 watch list". July 13, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  15. ^ "Davey O'Brien Award announces 30 players on Watch List". July 14, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  16. ^ "2016 Doak Walker Award Candidates Announced". July 14, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  17. ^ Al Carbone (July 15, 2016). "2016 Walter Camp Player of the Year Preseason Watch List". Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  18. ^ "43 Players Named to 2016 Paul Hornung Award Watch List". July 15, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  19. ^ "Mountain West Announces 2016 Football All-Conference Teams and Individual Honors" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. November 29, 2016. Archived from the original on November 30, 2016.
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