2026 Week 2 Mountain West College Football Previews

UNLV at North Texas

Saturday, September 5
12:45 PM PT,  ESPNU

Line: UNLV –3.5
Over/Under: 57.5

For the second time this season the Rebels will tangle with an opponent from the American.

After falling at home to Memphis in the opener, UNLV will now take their 1-1 record to Denton, Texas for a meeting with North Texas.

The Mean Green have an entirely different roster in the first season under former West Virginia head coach Neal Brown. They opened at defending champion Indiana last week, falling by a big number, but holding their own for a large portion of the game.

North Texas looked like they belong and certainly will not be without confidence entering their home opener.

Jackson Arnold is coming off a big game against Hawaii, a huge conference win for the Rebels. In the win, the QB ran for 89 yards but only managed 116 yards through the air on 8-of-16 passing.

The Mean Green did a good job of bottling up what should be a good Indiana ground attack, but did give up a big run late to the Hoosiers’ backup QB due to a blown assignment.

If UNT can’t shore up their assignments against the QB run, Arnold could make them pay.  I think the Mean Green will be more disciplined this week, and the late-game errors could prove to be a good learning experience moving forward.

Similar to UNLV with Arnold, North Texas has a QB with Power 4 experience in Tayven Jackson, who started his career at Tennessee before moving to Indiana and UCF.

Jackson is athletic with a live arm and could do some damage against the Rebels with his legs and his arm.

UNLV would like to carry momentum into their open week, but I think it is North Texas that pulls the upset this week.

Winner:  North Texas
ATS:  North Texas 
O/U: Under

Northern Colorado at Wyoming

Saturday, September 5
1:00 PM PT,  MW+

Line: Wyoming –23.5
Over/Under: 48.5

UNC is 0-2 following a tight loss to Weber State in Week 0 and falling to FCS power South Dakota last week.

The Cowboys are coming off a difficult opener at Colorado State in a game in which I thought they would perform much better.

The Bears could prove to be the elixir to fix what ails UW.  The Pokes are 53-12-1 all-time in non-conference home openers and that 80% win percentage should get even better this season.

Despite the opening loss to CSU, Wyoming had some bright spots.

Esaia Bogar’s 11 tackles were the third-most for a Cowboy defensive lineman since 2012. Ethan Stuhlsatz tallied 15 tackles in the opener, third-most per game nationally in this very young season.

The Cowboys will need more consistency on offense this season, and I expect a better performance from Tyler Hughes in this one.

Winner:  Wyoming
ATS:  Wyoming
O/U: Under

Cal Poly at San Jose State

Saturday, September 5
6:00 PM PT, MW+

Line: San Jose State –20.5
Over/Under: 57.5

San Jose State picked up a big win over Eastern Michigan last weekend. Cal Poly has shown they can knock off FBS opponents with five wins all-time over the upper division of college football.

The Mustangs have not knocked off one of the big boys since 2012; however, the Spartans do not look like they will be victim No. 6.

The Spartans might run away with this one after the passing attack came to life last week against Eastern Michigan. Luke Weaver looked really good in the win, throwing for 316  yards on an efficient 23-39 through the air.

The SJSU signal-caller should be able to carve up the Mustangs, and San Jose State’s depth will shine.

Look for more connections between Weaver and Cooper Hoch this weekend.

Winner:  SJSU
ATS: SJSU
O/U: Under

North Dakota State at Air Force

Saturday, September 5
7:00 PM PT, FS1

Line: North Dakota State –2.5
Over/Under: 47.5

The Mountain West era for North Dakota State gets underway in full this week with a conference visit to Air Force.

If the Bison are to crash the MW party this season and shock the world with a conference crown in Year One, this is a must-win. NDSU faces all four of the perceived top teams in the conference on the road, including this visit to Colorado Springs.

Both teams are coming off shutout wins over FCS opponents; for the Bison, this is game three as they also picked up a Week 0 win over Jacksonville State.

NDSU has looked pretty dominant in its first two wins as an FBS member, and the Bison look like they might continue their dominance in many games.

Air Force certainly got their running game going early, rushing for 431 yards on 71 carries in the blowout win over Duquesne.

Running the ball will not be as easy against the Bison, who have limited opponents to just 52 yards per game on the ground this season. But NDSU has not seen a running game like the Falcons’ this season.

The Falcons will get their yards on the ground, but I think NDSU will also move the ball on Air Force. NDSU will pick up a critical road win in their first Mountain West game.

This one stays tight, but look for the Bison to get the win.

Winner:  NDSU
ATS:  NDSU
O/U:  Under

Montana State at Nevada

Saturday, September 5
7:30 PM PT, The CW

Line: Montana State –3.5
Over/Under: 50.5

Okay, Montana State is a power at the FCS level. Nevada has struggled recently, but the Wolf Pack are coming off a huge win over a solid Western Kentucky squad.

Yet, here we are with the Bobcats installed as the three-and-a-half-point favorites on the road. And that number is even down a bit from the opening line of 5.5. That says quite a bit about this matchup.

Jeff Choate had a big part in building the Bobcats into a powerhouse while guiding MSU. Now he hopes to do the same thing in Reno.

Montana State is coming off a national title last season and returns 12 starters and multiple All-Americans. The Bobcats have won their opening two games by a combined 105-24.

But Nevada has a 35-point win over an FBS opponent under their belt. This one has to go the way of the home team, right?

Well, for me it comes down to the way the Pack beat the Hilltoppers, and it was done on the ground. Nevada ran for 323 yards at 7.7 yards per carry against WKU.

That was a physically dominant performance.

If a team can run the ball like that, it says a lot about their dominance up front. And that is where Nevada will have the edge; as talented as the Bobcats are, the depth will just not be there.

Nevada will grind out the win in this one.

Winner:  Nevada
ATS:  Nevada
O/U: Under

New Mexico State at Hawai’i

Saturday, September 5
9:00 PM PT  MW+

Line: Hawaii –7
Over/Under: 49.5

Turnovers have told the tale for these two teams early in the season.

The Aggies are 1-1 this season with a loss at Florida State, but NMSU is +2 in the turnover department, while Hawaii is winless and has a turnover margin over –2.

This seems like the game Micah Alejado gets things going.  The Aggies allowed an FSU team that seems offensively challenged to throw for 202 yards and complete 63% of their passes in the Week 0 matchup.

A Timmy Chang-led offense should feast on the Aggie secondary.

The big hiccup for the Warriors in the opening two games has been the run defense. UH is among the worst in the nation at stopping the run in this young season. This is an area they need to improve in a hurry if they are to make waves in the MW this season.

The Aggies were not able to move the ball on the ground with any effectiveness against the Seminoles, going for just over two yards per carry in the opener. Against Mercyhurst, they ran for 200+ yards, but Hawaii has a lot more athletes on defense than the Lakers.

The Warriors have a get-right game at the expense of the Aggies.

Winner:  Hawaii
ATS:  Hawaii
O/U: Under