Mountaintop View 10-19-26. College Football Playoff Expansion, Bison Bowl-eligible, and more from the weekend.

It’s Monday, and we are back at it! Football season is firing on all cylinders, and we have you covered. As always, check out our original coverage and what we can find on the World Wide Web below.

Falcons top the Rebels

Air Force has not missed a beat since starting quarterback Liam Szarka went out for the season. In fact, the triple option appears to be in full force despite almost completely abandoning the passing game. They actually completed two passes this week, but the 430 rushing yards allowed them to run right over UNLV’s defense. Medders accounted for 3 rushing TDs and Rocco Conti and Owen Allen were around 100 yards on the ground with TDs as well. The Falcons look as good as anyone right now.

Beavers roll over Cougars

Oregon State continues to embarrass teams, with Washington State being the latest to be no match for OSU. The star players were doing star things: quarterback Brady Atkinson threw for over 300 yards and 3 TDs, and Jesse Legree found the end zone twice while catching over 100 yards. AJ Newberry joined him in the scoring and went over 100 yards on 5 catches. The Cougars found some offense, putting up 30 points, but half of that was in the third quarter.

Bison are bowl-eligible

This isn’t a surprise, but North Dakota State is bowl-eligible for their first year in the Mountain West at the FBS level. How they got there was a bit of a surprise, leading Nevada by a mere touchdown entering the fourth quarter. The Bison were aided by a touchdown return off of a missed field goal by the Wolf Pack just before halftime. Nathan Hayes bounced back from last week with 2 touchdowns to lead a balanced offensive attack, while the defense forced 2 interceptions and held Nevada to under 100 yards rushing.

Aztecs take the Oil Can.

In a Pac-12 rivalry game, San Diego State bounced back from their last embarrassing defeat to capture the Old Oil Can in the game against Fresno State. They were in control from the start, going up 10-0 and up 16-10 at halftime. The Bulldogs kept battling back, but SDSU used a steady ground game, paced by the return of Lucky Sutton and his 110 rushing yards. The game also saw Jayden Denegal go down with an injury, so two other QBs came in, including Bert Emanuel Jr., who only threw one pass, but it ended up being a touchdown. The Aztecs sealed the victory with a game-winning field goal from Cooper DiLeva, his fourth of the game.

College Football Playoff Expansion: What we know.

While not official yet, many key details have been reported about what CFP expansion will look like. The Athletic says that it will feature the long-assumed 24 teams. The CFP will bring in over an additional $300 million per year, with ESPN retaining its exclusive rights. The five auto bids will remain, going to four power conference champs, plus the highest G6 team, with the rest being at-large spots. The top 8 get a bye, while teams 9-16 host teams 17-24. Conference championships are expected to be eliminated, although the schedule is still being finalized. In addition to scheduling, the biggest question remaining is do P4 teams need to play 10 or more P4 teams to qualify for an at-large berth? And if so, does that mean a G6 team could never get an at-large bid? Love it or hate it, the expanded playoff is coming because teams are spending so much money on rosters and need some proof that there is a return on investment by making the 24 team field.

On the horizon:

Today: Mountain West Players of the Week: Week 7

Today: Pac-12 Players of the Week: Week 7

Today: Mountain West Rankings: Week 7

Today: Pac-12 Rankings: Week 7

Today: A new Recruiting Roundup

Tuesday: Hike’s Peak Podcast: Episode 175

Tuesday: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: Week 7

Wednesday: Bowl Projections: Week 7

Wednesday: What the expanded CFP means for the Group of 6.

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