2016 Mountain West Conference football season
The 2016 Mountain West Conference football season was the 18th season of college football for the Mountain West Conference. In the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season, the MW had 12 football members: Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State, and Wyoming.
Pre-season
Mountain West Media
2016 Mountain West Football Media Days were held on July 26 & 27 at the Cosmopolitan on the Las Vegas Strip.Preseason polls
Reference:| Place | Mountain Division | West Division |
| 1 | Boise State 172 | San Diego State 174 |
| 2 | Air Force 126 | Nevada 129 |
| 3 | Utah State 111 | San Jose State 122 |
| 4 | Colorado State 95 | Fresno State 76 |
| 5 | New Mexico 74 | UNLV 73 |
| 6 | Wyoming 31 | Hawai'i 35 |
- First place votes in parenthesis
Preseason All-Mountain West Teams
| Position | Player | Class | Team |
| QB | Brett Rypien* | SO. | Boise State |
| WR | Thomas Sperbeck* | SR. | Boise State |
| WR | Devonte Boyd** | JR. | UNLV |
| RB | Donnel Pumphrey* | SR. | San Diego State |
| RB | Brian Hill** | JR. | Wyoming |
| OL | Fred Zerblis** | SR. | Colorado State |
| OL | Nico Siragusa* | SR. | San Diego State |
| OL | Jake Simonich | SR. | Utah State |
| OL | Austin Stephens | SR. | Utah State |
| OL | Chase Roullier** | SR. | Wyoming |
| TE | Billy Freeman* | SR. | San Jose State |
| Position | Player | Class | Team |
| DL | Nik D'Avanzo | SR. | New Mexico |
| DL | Alex Barrett** | SR. | San Diego State |
| DL | Travis Seefeldt | GR. | Utah State |
| DL | Ricky Ali'ifua | SR. | Utah State |
| LB | Christian Tago** | SR. | San Jose State |
| LB | Calvin Munson* | SR. | San Diego State |
| LB | Dakota Cox | SR. | New Mexico |
| DB | Weston Steelhammer* | SR. | Air Force |
| DB | Damontae Kazee* | SR. | San Diego State |
| DB | Dameon Baber** | SO. | Nevada |
| DB | Andrew Wingard** | SO. | Wyoming |
| Position | Player | Class | Team |
| P | Hayden Hunt** | SR. | Colorado State |
| P | Michael Carrizosa* | JR. | San Jose State |
| PK | Tyler Rausa* | SR. | Boise State |
| KR | Rashaad Penny* | JR. | San Diego State |
- Preseason Offensive Player of the Year:
- Preseason Defensive Player of the Year:
- Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year:
Award watch lists
The following Mountain West players were named to preseason award watch lists.Maxwell Award:
- Jacobi Owens–Air Force
- Jeremy McNichols–Boise State
- Brett Rypien–Boise State
- Donnel Pumphrey–San Diego State
- Brian Hill–Wyoming
- Damontae Kazee–San Diego State
- Calvin Munson–San Diego State
- Jake Roh–Boise State
- Jarred Gipson–Nevada
- Billy Freeman–San Jose State
- Wyatt Houston–Utah State
- Jake Bennett–Colorado State
- Asotui Eli–Hawai'i
- Nathan Goltry–Nevada
- Arthur Flores–San Diego State
- Will Kreitler–UNLV
- Austin Stephens–Utah State
- Tyler Rausa–Boise State
- Brent Zuzo–Nevada
- Hayden Hunt–Colorado State
- Alex Boy–Nevada
- Michael Carrizosa–San Jose State
- Ethan Wood–Wyoming
- Weston Steelhammer–Air Force
- Tanner Vallejo–Boise State
- Calvin Munson–San Diego State
- Fred Zerblis–Colorado State
- Austin Corbett–Nevada
- Nico Siragusa–San Diego State
- Chase Roullier–Wyoming
- Roland Ladipo–Air Force
- Weston Steelhammer–Air Force
- Damontae Kazee–San Diego State
- Andrew Wingard–Wyoming
- Tanner Vallejo–Boise State
- Kevin Davis–Colorado State
- Calvin Munson–San Diego State
- Thomas Sperbeck–Boise State
- Hasaan Henderson–Nevada
- Jerico Richardson–Nevada
- Devonte Boyd–UNLV
- Zack Golditch–Colorado State
- Jeremy Maculey–Nevada
- Daniel Brunskill–San Diego State
- Tim Crawley–San Jose State
- Travis Seefeldt–Utah State
- Brett Rypien–Boise State
- Jacobi Owens–Air Force
- Paul Harris–Hawai'i
- James Butler–Nevada
- Donnel Pumphrey–San Diego State
- Devante Mays–Utah State
- Brian Hill–Wyoming
- Brett Rypien–Boise State
- Donnel Pumphrey–San Diego State
- Rashaad Penny–San Diego State
- Tim Crawley–San Jose State
Coaches
| Team | Head Coach | Years at School | Overall Record | Record at School | MW Record |
| Air Force | Troy Calhoun | 10 | 67–50 | 67–50 | 40–32 |
| Boise State | Bryan Harsin | 3 | 28–11 | 21–6 | 12–4 |
| Colorado State | Mike Bobo | 2 | 7–6 | 7–6 | 5–3 |
| Fresno State | Tim DeRuyter | 5 | 30–23 | 29–23 | 21–11 |
| Hawaii | Nick Rolovich | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Nevada | Brian Polian | 4 | 18–20 | 18–20 | 11–13 |
| New Mexico | Bob Davie | 5 | 53–57 | 18–32 | 9–23 |
| San Diego State | Rocky Long | 8 | 108–92 | 43–23 | 30–9 |
| San José State | Ron Caragher | 4 | 59–44 | 15–22 | 11–13 |
| UNLV | Tony Sanchez | 2 | 3–9 | 3–9 | 2–6 |
| Utah State | Matt Wells | 4 | 25–16 | 25–16 | 18–6 |
| Wyoming | Craig Bohl | 3 | 110–50 | 6–18 | 4–12 |
Rankings
Championship game
The Championship Game was played between the San Diego State Aztecs, champions of the West Division, and the Wyoming Cowboys, champions of the Mountain Division, on December 3, 2016, at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyoming. The Aztecs won 27–24, repeating as champions. Running back Rashaad Penny of San Diego State was the offensive MVP, and defensive back Damontae Kazee of San Diego State was the defensive MVP.Bowl games
| Bowl Game | Date | Stadium | City | Television | Team Matchups | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Score |
| New Mexico Bowl | December 17 | University Stadium | Albuquerque, NM | ESPN | New Mexico vs. UTSA | New Mexico | 23 | UTSA | 20 |
| Las Vegas Bowl | December 17 | Sam Boyd Stadium | Whitney, NV | ABC | Houston vs. San Diego State | San Diego State | 34 | Houston | 10 |
| Poinsettia Bowl | December 21 | Qualcomm Stadium | San Diego, CA | ESPN | BYU vs. Wyoming | BYU | 24 | Wyoming | 21 |
| Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | December 22 | Albertsons Stadium | Boise, ID | ESPN | Idaho vs. Colorado State | Idaho | 61 | Colorado State | 50 |
| Hawai'i Bowl | December 24 | Aloha Stadium | Honolulu, HI | ESPN | Hawai'i vs. Middle Tennessee | Hawai'i | 52 | Middle Tennessee | 35 |
| Cactus Bowl | December 27 | Chase Field | Phoenix, AZ | ESPN | Boise State vs. Baylor | Baylor | 31 | Boise State | 12 |
| Arizona Bowl | December 30 | Arizona Stadium | Tucson, AZ | ASN | South Alabama vs. Air Force | Air Force | 45 | South Alabama | 21 |
Mountain West vs Power Conference matchups
Records against other conferences
2016 records against non-conference foes:Regular Season
| Power 5 Conferences | Record |
| ACC | 0–0 |
| Big Ten | 0–6 |
| Big 12 | 0–1 |
| Pac-12 | 3–6 |
| SEC | 0–0 |
| Notre Dame | 0–1 |
| Power 5 Total | 3–14 |
| - | |
| Other FBS Conferences | Record |
| American | 1–2 |
| C-USA | 1–0 |
| MAC | 3–3 |
| Sun Belt | 4–3 |
| Independents | 3–0 |
| Other FBS Total | 12–8 |
| - | |
| FCS Opponents | Record |
| Football Championship Subdivision | 11–0 |
| - | |
| Total Non-Conference Record | 26–22 |
Post Season
| Power Conferences | Record |
| Big 12 | 0–1 |
| Power 5 Total | 0–1 |
| - | |
| Other FBS Conferences | Record |
| American | 1–0 |
| C–USA | 2–0 |
| Sun Belt | 1–1 |
| Independents | 0–1 |
| - | |
| Total Bowl Record | 4–3 |
Awards and honors
All Conference teams
- Offensive Player of the Year: Donnel Pumphrey, SR., RB, San Diego State
- Defensive Player of the Year: Damontae Kazee, SR., DB, San Diego State
- Special Teams Player of the Year: Rashaad Penny, JR., KR, San Diego State
- Freshman of the Year: Logan Wilson, LB, Wyoming
- Coach of the Year: Craig Bohl, Wyoming
Defense:
Honorable Mentions:
- Air Force: Haji Dunn, Sr., LB; Tim McVey, Jr., KR; Colin Sandor, Sr., OL; Dylan Vail, Sr., OL.
- Boise State: Steven Baggett, Sr., OL; Mason Hampton, Jr., OL; Tanner Vallejo, Sr., LB; Cedrick Wilson, Jr., WR.
- Colorado State: Nick Callender, Sr., OL; Nick Stevens, Jr., QB; Paul Thurston, Sr., OL.
- Fresno State: Stratton Brown, Sr., DB; KeeSean Johnson, So., WR; Kody Kroening, Jr., P.
- Hawai'i: Trayvon Henderson, Jr., DB; Marcus Kemp, Sr., WR; Leo Koloamatangi, Sr., OL; Meffy Koloamatangi, Jr., DL; Jalen Rogers, Sr., DB; Rigoberto Sanchez, Sr., PK/P.
- Nevada: James Butler, Jr., RB; Wyatt Demps, Jr., WR; Asauni Rufus, So., DB.
- New Mexico: Dakota Cox, Sr., LB; Daniel Henry, Sr., DB; Aaron Jenkins, So., OL; Jason Sanders, Jr., PK.
- San Diego State: Kyle Kelley, Sr., DL; Quest Truxton, Jr., PR.
- San Jose State: Michael Carrizosa, Jr., P; Isaiah Irving, Sr., DL; Jeremiah Kolone, Jr., OL; Maurice McKnight, Jr., DB; Christian Tago, Sr., LB.
- UNLV: Troy Hawthorne, Sr., DB; Mike Hughes, Jr., DL; Nathan Jacobson, So., OL; Will Kreitler, Sr., OL; Torry McTyer, Sr., DB.
- Utah State: Austin Albrecht, Sr., OL; Ricky Ali'ifua, Sr., DL; Wyatt Houston, Sr., TE; Jake Simonich, Sr., OL; Austin Stephens, Sr., OL.
- Wyoming: Lucas Wacha, Sr., LB
Home game 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 | 46,692 | 34,128 | 24,173 | 43,063 | 18,756 | 29,132 | 23,467 | 23,556 | 196,275 | 28,039 | 60.1% |
| Boise State | Albertsons Stadium | 36,387 | 36,163 | 36,602 | 33,448 | 34,575 | 31,863 | 32,989 | — | 205,640 | 34,273 | 94.2% |
| Colorado State | Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium | 32,500 | 20,673 | 26,718 | 33,500 | 32,387 | 23,187 | 29,133 | — | 165,598 | 27,600 | 84.9% |
| Fresno State | Bulldog Stadium | 41,031 | 31,817 | 23,273 | 24,731 | 25,197 | 26,951 | 20,991 | — | 152,960 | 25,493 | 62.1% |
| Hawaii | Aloha Stadium | 50,000 | 23,900 | 23,503 | 31,287 | 23,964 | 22,731 | 22,739 | — | 148,124 | 24,687 | 49.4% |
| Nevada | Mackay Stadium | 30,000 | 19,138 | 20,457 | 22,411 | 18,877 | 16,730 | 13,390 | — | 111,003 | 18,501 | 61.7% |
| New Mexico | University Stadium | 39,224 | 20,221 | 19,852 | 20,090 | 18,099 | 17,290 | 16,698 | — | 112,250 | 18,708 | 47.7% |
| San José State | Spartan Stadium | 30,456 | 13,210 | 16,041 | 16,837 | 15,161 | 15,733 | 15,533 | — | 92,515 | 15,419 | 50.6% |
| San Diego State | Qualcomm Stadium | 54,000 | †46,486 | 42,473 | 33,296 | 25,613 | 41,644 | 34,223 | — | 223,735 | 37,289 | 69.1% |
| Utah State | Maverik Stadium | 25,513 | 23,008 | 21,091 | 23,104 | 15,067 | 17,332 | 15,212 | — | 114,814 | 19,136 | 75.0% |
| UNLV | Sam Boyd Stadium | 35,500 | 18,575 | 17,229 | 17,811 | 18,362 | 14,790 | 23,569 | — | 110,336 | 18,389 | 51.8% |
| Wyoming | War Memorial Stadium | 29,181 | 18,483 | 18,781 | 26,623 | 24,023 | 17,837 | 19,112 | 24,001 | 148,860 | 21,265 | 72.9% |
Bold – Exceed capacity
†Season High