# 2013 Mountain West Conference football season

The 2013 Mountain West Conference football season was the 15th season of college football for the Mountain West Conference (MW). In the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season, the MW had 12 football members: Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawaiʻi, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State, and Wyoming.
This was the third consecutive year in which the Mountain West saw changes in membership. In 2011, two of the conference's charter members, BYU (WCC and football independent) and Utah (Pac-12), left, while Boise State joined from the WAC. The following year, the MW lost TCU, members since 2005, to the Big 12, while gaining new all-sports members Fresno State and Nevada and football-only member Hawaii from the WAC. For 2013, the MW lost no schools, while adding two new full members from the WAC in San Jose State and Utah State. This brought the conference membership in football to 12, allowing the MW to split into divisions and launch a championship game.

## Preseason
### Award watch lists

The following Mountain West players were named to preseason award watch lists.

### Mountain West media days
#### All–Conference Team
## Coaches

NOTE: Stats shown are before the beginning of the season
| Team | Head coach | Years at school | Overall record | Record at school | MW record |
| Air Force | Troy Calhoun | 7 | 49–41 | 49–41 | 29–27 |
| Boise State | Chris Petersen | 8 | 92–12 | 92–12 | 57–6 |
| Colorado State | Jim McElwain | 2 | 11–14 | 11-14 | 8-8 |
| Fresno State | Tim DeRuyter | 2 | 20–5 | 20–5 | 14–2 |
| Hawaiʻi | Norm Chow | 2 | 3-20 | 3-20 | 1-14 |
| Nevada | Brian Polian | 1 | 4-8 | 4-8 | 3-5 |
| New Mexico | Bob Davie | 2 | 42-43 | 42-43 | 2-14 |
| San Diego State | Rocky Long | 2 | 89–83 | 89-83 | 17–6 |
| San José State | Ron Caragher | 1 | 50-28 | 50-28 | 5-3 |
| UNLV | Bobby Hauck | 3 | 93–54 | 93-54 | 10–21 |
| Utah State | Matt Wells | 1 | 8-4 | 8-4 | 7-1 |
| Wyoming | Dave Christensen | 4 | 27–35 | 27–35 | 16–23 |
*first year as conference member, ^achieved as head coach of New Mexico from 99–08

## Rankings

Legend :
| | Increase in ranking |
| | Decrease in ranking |
| | Unranked the previous week |
| RV | Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll |
| | | Pre | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Wk 16 | Final |
| Air Force | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Air Force | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Air Force | Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | | | |
| Air Force | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | | |
| Boise State | AP | 19 | RV | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Boise State | C | 19 | RV | RV | RV | | | | RV | RV | | | | | | | | |
| Boise State | Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | RV | | | | | | | | |
| Boise State | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | | |
| Colorado State | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Colorado State | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Colorado State | Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | | | |
| Colorado State | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | | |
| Fresno State | AP | RV | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 23 | 21 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 24 | 21 | RV |
| Fresno State | C | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 22 | 20 | RV |
| Fresno State | Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 22 | 20 | |
| Fresno State | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 17 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 23 | 20 | |
| Hawaiʻi | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hawaiʻi | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hawaiʻi | Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hawaiʻi | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | | |
| Nevada | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Nevada | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Nevada | Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | | | |
| Nevada | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | | |
| New Mexico | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| New Mexico | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| New Mexico | Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | | | |
| New Mexico | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | | |
| San Diego State | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| San Diego State | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| San Diego State | Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | | | |
| San Diego State | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | | |
| San José State | AP | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| San José State | C | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| San José State | Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | | | |
| San José State | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | | |
| UNLV | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| UNLV | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| UNLV | Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | | | |
| UNLV | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | | |
| Utah State | AP | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | RV |
| Utah State | C | RV | RV | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | RV |
| Utah State | Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | | | |
| Utah State | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | | |
| Wyoming | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wyoming | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wyoming | Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wyoming | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | | |

## Bowl games

The Mountain West Conference will have agreements with the following bowls for 2012–13:
* The MW champion will receive an automatic berth in one of the five BCS bowl games if they are the highest ranked non-automatic qualifying conference champion and either of the following:
** Ranked in the top 12 of the BCS Rankings. (Utah qualified under this criterion in 2004-05 and 2008–09, and TCU in 2009-10 and 2010–11.)
** Ranked in the top 16 of the BCS Rankings and its ranking is higher than that of an automatic qualifying conference champion.
| Pick | Name | Location | Opposing Conference | Opposing Pick |
| 1 | Maaco Bowl Las Vegas | Las Vegas, Nevada | Pac-12 | 5 |
| 2 | Poinsettia Bowl | San Diego, California | BYU (2012), Army (2013) | – |
| 3 | Armed Forces Bowl | Fort Worth, Texas | C-USA (2012), Navy (2013) | 3, – |
| 4 | New Mexico Bowl | Albuquerque, New Mexico | Pac-12 | 7 |
| 5 | Hawai'i Bowl | Honolulu, Hawaii | C-USA | 2 |

## Regular season

* Index to colors and formatting
* Mountain West member won
* Mountain West member lost
* Mountain West teams in bold
All dates, times, and TV are tentative and subject to change.
The Mountain West has teams in 3 different time zones. Times reflect start time in respective time zone of each team (Mountain—Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, New Mexico, Wyoming; Pacific—Fresno State, Nevada, San Diego State, UNLV; Hawaii-Aleutian—Hawaiʻi). Conference games start times are that of the home team.

## Home attendance

| Team | Stadium | Capacity | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Game 6 | Game 7 | Total | Average | % of Capacity |
| Air Force | Falcon Stadium | 52,480 | 32,095 | 32,716 | 35,389 | 17,280 | 44,672 | 36,512 | 29,898 | 228,562 | 32,652 | 62.22% |
| Boise State | Bronco Stadium | 37,000 | 33,293 | 36,069 | 35,356 | 35,843 | 33,992 | — | — | 174,553 | 34,911 | 94.35% |
| Colorado State | Hughes Stadium | 34,400 | 14,146 | 19,517 | 26,022 | 21,133 | 15,234 | — | — | 96,052 | 19,210 | 56.5% |
| Fresno State | Bulldog Stadium | 41,031 | 33,098 | 33,260 | 41,031 | 37,604 | 41,031 | 41,031 | — | 227,055 | 37,843 | 92.23% |
| Hawaiʻi | Aloha Stadium | 50,000 | 39,058 | 28,755 | 27,146 | 29,752 | 28,530 | — | — | 153,241 | 30,648 | 61.30% |
| Nevada | Mackay Stadium | 29,993 | 27,052 | 23,240 | 24,545 | 32,521 | 20,737 | — | — | 128,095 | 25,619 | 85.42% |
| New Mexico | University Stadium | 38,634 | 26,311 | 23,639 | 29,749 | 19,739 | 21,833 | 19,376 | — | 140,647 | 23,441 | 60.67% |
| San Diego State | Qualcomm Stadium | 71,294 | 42,978 | 32,133 | 22,475 | 32,707 | 35,890 | 33,161 | — | 199,344 | 33,224 | 46.60% |
| San José State | Spartan Stadium | 30,456 | 13,136 | 10,533 | 16,123 | 17,932 | 16,876 | — | — | 74,600 | 14,920 | 48.99% |
| UNLV | Sam Boyd Stadium | 36,800 | 26,950 | 10,981 | 13,017 | 22,755 | 15,837 | 15,062 | — | 104,602 | 17,434 | 47.38% |
| Utah State | Romney Stadium | 25,513 | 25,513 | 25,513 | 25,513 | 21,428 | 20,284 | — | — | 118,251 | 23,650 | 47.3% |
| Wyoming | War Memorial Stadium | 34,000 | 22,030 | 19,091 | 22,853 | 24,953 | 15,700 | 12,227 | — | 116,854 | 19,476 | 57.28% |

## Awards and honors
### All Conference teams

* Offensive Player of the Year: Derek Carr, SR., QB, Fresno State
* Defensive Player of the Year: Shaquil Barrett, SR., LB, Colorado State
* Special Teams Player of the Year: Carlos Wiggins, SO., KR, New Mexico
* Freshman of the Year: Tyler Winston, WR, San Jose State
* Coach of the Year: Matt Wells, Utah State
Offense:
| Pos. | Name | Yr. | School | Name | Yr. | School |
| First Team | First Team | First Team | First Team | Second Team | Second Team | Second Team | Second Team |
| QB | Derek Carr | SR. | Fresno State | David Fales | SR. | San Jose State |
| WR | Davante Adams | SO. | Fresno State | Josh Harper | JR. | Fresno State |
| WR | Chandler Jones | SR. | San Jose State | Devante Davis | JR. | UNLV |
| RB | Jay Ajayi | SO. | Boise State | Kasey Carrier | SR. | New Mexico |
| RB | Kapri Bibbs | SO. | Colorado State | Tim Cornett | SR. | UNLV |
| TE | Crockett Gillmore | SR. | Colorado State | Marcel Jensen | SR. | Fresno State |
| OL | Charles Leno | SR. | Boise State | Matt Paradis | SR. | Boise State |
| OL | Weston Richburg | SR. | Colorado State | Ty Sambrailo | JR. | Colorado State |
| OL | Austin Wentworth | SR. | Fresno State | Bryce Quigley | SR. | San Diego State |
| OL | Joel Bitonio | SR. | Nevada | Nicholas Kaspar | SR. | San Jose State |
| OL | Tyler Larsen | SR. | Utah State | Brett Boyko | JR. | UNLV |
| PK | Jared Roberts | JR. | Colorado State | Austin Lopez | SO. | San Jose State |
| PR/KR | Carlos Wiggins | SO. | New Mexico | Isaiah Burse | SR. | Fresno State |
Defense:
| Pos. | Name | Yr. | School | Name | Yr. | School |
| First Team | First Team | First Team | First Team | Second Team | Second Team | Second Team | Second Team |
| DL | DeMarcus Lawrence | JR. | Boise State | Tyeler Davison | JR. | Fresno State |
| DL | Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe | SR. | Boise State | Beau Yap | JR. | Hawai'i |
| DL | Brock Hekking | JR. | Nevada | B.J. Larsen | JR. | Utah State |
| DL | Eddie Yarbrough | SO. | Wyoming | A. J. Pataili'i | SR. | Utah State |
| LB | Shaquil Barrett | SR. | Colorado State | Ejiro Ederaine | SO. | Fresno State |
| LB | Keith Smith | SR. | San Jose State | Kyler Fackrell | SO. | Utah State |
| LB | Jake Doughty | SR. | Utah State | Zach Vigil | JR. | Utah State |
| DB | Derron Smith | JR. | Fresno State | Donte Deayon | SO. | Boise State |
| DB | Nat Berhe | SR. | San Diego State | Jeremy Ioane | JR. | Boise State |
| DB | Bené Benwikere | SR. | San Jose State | Shaq Bell | SR. | Colorado State |
| DB | Nevin Lawson | SR. | Utah State | Marqueston Huff | SR. | Wyoming |
| P | Ben Skaer | SR. | New Mexico | Chase Tenpenny | SR. | Nevada |