The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Week 12

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

The 2025 Mountain West Football season has been full of intrigue and surprise. Week 12 was no different with a crazy ending in Las Vegas and a torrential downpour impacting games in San Diego and Fresno. Week 12 also saw the official fall of the Mountain West giant and an unexpected leader rise to the top of the standings. Which teams rose to the occasion? Let’s take a look at the Good, Bad, and Ugly moments from week 12.

The Good

New Mexico

It was honestly one of New Mexico’s poorer showings of the season, but what matters most at this juncture of the season is surviving and advancing. The New Mexico offense sputtered at times, with Jack Layne struggling to compete passes, but an opportunistic defense and solid special teams play allowed the Lobos to keep their championship hopes alive. All 10 of New Mexico’s second half points came off of Colorado State turnovers and it was just enough for New Mexico to survive with a 20-17 win. This improved them to 4-2 in Mountain West play.

Nevada

Congratulations are in order! Nevada head coach Jeff Choate has his first win in Mountain West play. Choate and the Wolf Pack have shown glimpses of potential over the past two seasons. They have been close in a number of games, but youth and inconsistent play have plagued this program the past two seasons. The Wolf Pack deserve credit, they played this game like it was their Super Bowl. True freshman quarterback Carter Jones had the best performance of his young career and the defense was elite. Maybe this win will set things in motion for a program that has struggled mightily since the departure of Jay Norvell.

Fresno State

This team dealt with difficult elements and a physical football game. Matt Entz and his staff had to love what they saw from their football team on Saturday night. The Bulldogs have found a way to win and be a contender for a spot in the championship game despite a nonexistent passing attack. The Bulldog defense put on another clinic Saturday night, holding the Cowboy passing attack to eight completions and only 77 yards. This is a championship caliber offense Entz and his staff has built. The question is, can the offense be good enough to get the job done?

San Diego State

Coming off of a beat down in Hawaii, the Aztecs responded with an elite defensive performance in a rain-filled game in San Diego. Sean Lewis knew that if his squad was going to beat Boise State, they needed to dominate in the trenches and his team did just that. The Aztecs had the best rushing performance they have ever had against Boise State, running for 277 yards and averaging six yards per carry. The Aztecs controlled the clock for the majority of the game and were able to stay in front of the chains despite a non-existent passing game. The win moved the Aztecs to 5-1 in conference play and they now sit alone atop the Mountain West standings.

The Bad

Air Force

A puzzling season took another turn for the worse on Saturday morning when the Falcons traveled to Connecticut to take on the Huskies. The Falcons struggled in both aspects of the game, managing only 16 points. The defense wasn’t great, but they were good enough to give Air Force a chance to win this game. They held the Huskies to a respectable 347 yards. This season has been a bit puzzling for Air Force. When the offense plays well, the defense struggles and when the defense plays well, the offense struggles. The last few weeks will be about identifying young talent and seeing what direction this team will go moving forward.

The Ugly

Colorado State

Rams fans are wondering when this season is finally going to end so they can start looking to their future in the PAC 12. It was a messy game; the Rams benched their starting quarterback, turned the ball over four times, and managed only 0.5 yards per carry. Somehow, they still had every chance to win this football game. Like I stated above with Air Force, this program needs to start looking to the future. They are going to lose a lot of veteran players to the transfer portal and need to focus on identifying young talent that is invested in this program moving forward.

San Jose State

This was the worst performance of any team in conference play this season and I don’t think it is particularly close. The Spartans were a football team that had nothing to play for and it showed on the field. The Spartans managed only 270 yards of total offense. Their quarterbacks combined to throw four interceptions and special teams gave up big plays. I expected more from a team led by Ken Niumatalolo. This team had championship hopes entering the season, and those have completely crumbled. Are we sure this is the same team that upset Hawaii a few weeks ago?

Wyoming

This game might trigger change in Laramie. This was an abysmal offensive performance, and the trend of good defensive play and inept offense continues. Fresno State has a very good defense, but that performance was embarrassing. Wyoming’s quarterbacks combined to complete only 8 of 28 passing attempts for 77 yards. That’s an average of less that three yards per attempt. At some point, there needs to be a significant philosophical change in Laramie and that isn’t going to happen under the leadership of Jay Sawvel.

Boise State

This was an embarrassing stain on the Boise State football program. Not because they lost, but because of how they lost. Boise State approached this game with the most conservative game plan I have ever seen. It was clear they had absolutely no confidence in backup quarterback Max Cutforth, but the lack of offensive production eventually started to wear on the defense. It was a rough showing on both sides of the ball and a poor game plan by a coaching staff that needs to be held accountable. You’re better than this, Broncos. Can this team get it together and salvage this season? I’m skeptical.

Will the Aztecs run away with the Mountain West Championship? Is there another team that can sneak into the championship and beat them? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos