Wyoming beat San Diego State in a thrilling game in Laramie on Saturday, 34-33, and the result could be a huge deal for the Group of 5 New Year’s Six race.
Wyoming beat SDSU in a thriller, but the big winner might be Western Michigan
How a chaotic game in Laramie could send WMU to the Cotton Bowl.
First, what happened: Wyoming led by a touchdown on the last play of the game, but SDSU scored a touchdown, ostensibly to tie the game. Only the Aztecs decided to go for two points and the win, and Wyoming snuffed it out.
It’s worth appreciating the play that got us to this point. SDSU quarterback Christian Chapman found receiver Quest Truxton on a tipped-ball, 23-yard Hail Mary, of sorts. But officials initially weren’t sure Truxton had cleanly caught it.
It required a video review to give the Aztecs the TD, making the score 34-33, Pokes. SDSU coach Rocky Long was gutsy and called for the two-point try, and the fact that it didn’t work will make it questionable.
But mainly, it’s just a shame this weird touchdown went to waste. SDSU’s still going to win the Mountain West’s West Division without any real trouble.
The team that’s really hurt here is Boise State.
Boise State is 10-1 and 6-1 in the Mountain West. Bryan Harsin’s team came into the week ranked No. 20 by the College Football Playoff committee – one spot ahead of the next-highest-ranked Group of 5 team, Western Michigan.
So Boise had a somewhat clear path to the New Year’s Six, which reserves one spot (in the Cotton Bowl, this year) for the country’s top Group of 5 champion. But there’s always been a problem with that. Boise lost earlier this year to Wyoming, which also has one conference loss and shares the MWC Mountain with Boise.
That means Boise State needs a Wyoming loss, or else the Cowboys are going to win the Mountain on a head-to-head tiebreaker. And if Boise State doesn’t win its own division, it can’t be the Mountain West champion. And if that doesn’t happen, it can’t get the Group of 5 bid to the Cotton Bowl.
So the real winner here is Western Michigan.
P.J. Fleck’s team is still unbeaten. If WMU wins the MAC without losing another game – which is quite possible – and Boise State can’t somehow win its own division, that’s going to create a real problem for Boise. WMU, in such a situation, will be the only choice for the Cotton Bowl, and Boise will miss out.
Wyoming plays at New Mexico next week. No one will be rooting harder for the Lobos than a bunch of people in Idaho.
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