2026 Week 1 Mountain West College Football Previews

San Jose State at Eastern Michigan

Friday, September 4
3:30 PM PT, ESPN+

Line: Eastern Michigan –3.5
Over/Under: 56.5

Both teams kicked things off last week with different results.

The Spartans gave up the most points of any team nationally in their Week 0 loss to USC, losing to the Trojans 42-26 in the opener. The 23 fourth-quarter points made it look more respectable on the scoreboard.

The Eagles opened the season with a conference win over new MAC foe Sacramento State 28-17.

Obviously, we cannot glean too much from those results as the opposition was vastly different.

The issue for the Spartans in the opener was the Trojans’ ability to move the ball at will through the air, and with a lot of first-year players on the receiving end of the majority of the passing yards.

While SJSU does not have to face Jayden Maiava again, EMU has an experienced QB of their own.

Noah Kim has played plenty of high-level college football. The grad student began at Michigan State, starting half a season for the Spartans before splitting time at Coastal Carolina.

Kim threw for 279 yards in the opener, connecting on 71.1% of his passes.

The Spartans only saw the ball hit the ground six times as USC torched them through the air. The passing defense will need to be a lot better in Ypsilanti this week.

The EMU ground game was non-existent last week, so if San Jose State can make the Eagles one-dimensional and concentrate on slowing the air attack, they could even their record.

On defense, the Eagles’ weak spot is against the run, and SJSU does not normally commit too much to the ground game. That could play into the home team’s hand in this one.

EMU has not opened a season 2-0 since 2018. For the third time in four seasons, the Spartans will open the season with consecutive losses.

Winner: Eastern Michigan
ATS: San Jose State
O/U: Under 

UTEP at No. 10 Oklahoma

Friday, September 4
5:00 PM PT,  SEC  Network

Line: Oklahoma –42
Over/Under: 50.5

The Miners’ first game as a Mountain West program will be a challenge as Scotty Walden takes his squad north to meet SEC opponent Oklahoma.

The last time we saw the Sooners, they were falling apart in a painful meltdown against Alabama on their home field in a Playoff loss.

This season, the Sooners figure to be much better.

UTEP will look to fine-tune their go-go offense ahead of their new conference challenges.

These teams have met five times prior, with the Sooners winning each meeting by a combined 248-41 score.

This one probably won’t be as close. If UTEP’s high-octane offense is producing, it could slow down the Sooner pass rush and keep the defense gassed.

That is a big ask, however, and should the offense get hampered with three-and-outs, the UTEP defense will be getting worked.

The more likely outcome is that the Oklahoma front four spends a ton of time in the UTEP backfield, and the Miners struggle to gain 50 yards rushing.

On the other side of the ball, John Mateer will put up big numbers and get into a good rhythm before facing Michigan in Week 2.

Winner: Oklahoma
ATS: Oklahoma
O/U: Over

Wyoming at Colorado State

Saturday, September 5
3:00 PM PT, USA Network

Line: Colorado State –3.5
Over/Under: 46.5

For just the second time ever, a Colorado State head coach will open his tenure in Fort Collins against the Wyoming Cowboys.

Jim Mora Jr will join Julius “Hans” Wagner as the only CSU coaches to start their tenure with the Border War. Back in 1942 it was Wagner and the Rams opening 1-0. Will we see history repeat itself this weekend?

The two former conference foes will approach the season-opening rivalry slightly differently, at least, in announcing a starting QB.

Jay Sawvel has decided on Tyler Hughes under center. At William & Mary, Hughes became the first QB in program history with at least 2,000 passing yards and 600 rushing yards in the same season.

The Cowboys hope he finds that same dual-threat magic this season.

Jim Mora Jr has made it clear that he has no intention of announcing the winner of the battle between UConn transfer K’saan Farrar and Oklahoma State transfer Hauss Hejny before kickoff.

Both are raw, without much experience at their prior schools, but whoever starts will have the benefit of Juice Vereen at TE. The transfer from UConn is a talented playmaker who should be a big weapon in the Rams’ offense.

The Cowboys will look to run the ball and play solid defense. The Rams were 127th against the run in 2025 and will need to improve. This will be a good test to see where they stand.

Mora’s UConn squad was not much better against the run in 2025, ranking 124th.

Both programs struggled last season, and this is probably a make-or-break year for the Cowboys. I think UW is much improved, and this one will be an indicator of the progress being made.

Winner: Wyoming
ATS: Wyoming
O/U: Under

UNLV at Hawai’i

Saturday, September 5
7:00 PM PT, The CW

Line: UNLV –3
Over/Under: 58.5

Our lone league game of the week features a pair of teams I feel could be battling for the conference crown.

It also features a pair of teams that had disappointing losses to open the season last weekend, despite my predictions to the contrary.

Last week I said the Warriors would need to shut down Micah Ford and the Stanford ground attack, and they certainly did not do either. Despite a furious comeback, Hawaii came up short.

In Las Vegas, the Rebels struggled to stop the Memphis ground attack in a 27-21 loss.

So, how do they rectify the opening week woes? Well, simply put, both teams need to limit their opponents’ rushing game.

UNLV looks to have the edge there as the Warriors would not be able to muster much on the ground at all against Stanford. UNLV produced much more rushing, but did not seem fluid.

Jackson Arnold excelled through the air and on the ground in his debut, but the Rebels need to do a better job of protecting him. The six sacks allowed last week were the high for the week.

UNLV also had too many empty trips in the Red Zone in Game One. Hawaii could have the edge in that area, but will need to be tougher up front at the line.

I was leaning toward the Rainbow Warriors, but the more I break it down, I think this one goes the way of UNLV. The Rebels get the early leg up in the MW race.

Winner: UNLV
ATS: Hawai’i
O/U: Under

Central Michigan at New Mexico

Saturday, September 5
7:00 PM PT,  FS1

Lines: New Mexico –10.5
Over/Under: 46.5

As the conference race gets underway on the Islands, the other key player in the conference race gets its season going against Central Michigan.

New Mexico will open with uncertainty at QB, a spot that seemed like a strength just days ago. Jack Layne will miss the season with an injury, which opens the door for one of the trio of senior James Laubstein, junior Luke Moga, and sophomore Toa Fa’avae.

Expect all three to see action against the Chips as the battle for the starting spot will likely continue throughout the game.

The loss of Layne is certainly big, but the Lobos still have a lot of talent on the roster and the best defender in the Mountain West. Jaxton Eck will anchor a defense looking to limit a CMU squad with a bruising offensive line.

Couple a good veteran offensive line with a suddenly injury-riddled Lobos outfit, and this contest offers some intrigue—and puts UNM on upset alert.

This could be a good test for New Mexico. It will be interesting to see who emerges from the QB battle, and how long it takes to decide the clear winner.

CMU was way too inconsistent last season, and they still have a number of the same issues this season. I think the Lobos should pull away late as the offense will be able to produce.

Winner: New Mexico
ATS: New Mexico
O/U: Under

Western Kentucky at Nevada

Saturday, September 5
7:30 PM PT, CBS Sports Network

Lines: Western Kentucky –2.5
Over/Under: 52.5

Western Kentucky seems like a team poised to take C-USA by storm, and Tyson Helton has them coming off a 9-4 season and New Orleans Bowl win.

But the 2026 version of the Hilltoppers has several holes to fill from the 2025 version. And starting things off with a long road trip is never an easy task for a team looking to gel.

That could be a good sign for Nevada. The Wolf Pack looks to make a big jump in Year Three of the Jeff Choate era. Last season, the Pack traveled to WKU and fell 31-16. They hope to flip the script to open 2026.

If Nevada is, in fact, to make a big jump this season, they will have to get it done on the defensive side of things, and will be tested early by the Tops.  WKU averaged 400+ yards per game in 2025 with a balanced attack.

And while they have some holes to fill, Rodney Tisdale has a year under his belt running the offense and will be a dual-threat playmaker under center.

If Nevada is to open with a win, they will have to force mistakes from the QB and create turnovers, which was an issue in 2025. Last season, Nevada was among the worst in the nation in turnover margin and takeaways.

Western Kentucky will spoil the season opener in Reno.

Winner: WKU
ATS:  WKU
O/U: Under