Cougars, now all alone atop MWC

Less that two weeks into the Mountain West Conference season and BYU is already alone in first place. With San Diego State losing Wednesday night to Wyoming, in Laramie, the Cougars are now the only unbeaten team in the league. That could change this weekend, of course, when they travel to Albuquerque to play in the Pit, a very difficult arena for road teams. But still, with the strange turn of events the past few days the Cougars are already in the league’s driver’s seat.
Every conference coach has warned at how equal and difficult the league is going to be this season. But even with those kind of statements, I still think many are surprised at what happened on Wednesday. The Aztecs beat Utah last weekend, then lose to a Wyoming team that Utah clobbered. Colorado State, a team that BYU clobbered in Ft. Collins, then upsets UNLV. The Rebels, picked in preseason to win the league, have already dropped two conference games.
The Cougars, if they can take care of business themselves now, have been helped greatly by Wyoming and CSU. In fact, I’d now say BYU’s biggest threats now are Utah and New Mexico, and that makes the Cougars next three games – against New Mexico, UNLV and San Diego State, crucial. But clearly, the Cougars now have ahold of the steering wheel and can determine their own destiny.