Week 5 Lessons Learned

Week 5 produced plenty of excitement, with a couple of close games and an upset. What did we learn from this weekend's action?

1 - TCU defense continues to impress
The Horned Frogs might have the best defense in the Mountain West. Playing on the road against a Colorado State team that recorded almost 500 yards the week before, TCU's defense took control of the game. The Frogs limited Colorado State to 161 yards offense, and allowed only 45 yards rushing on 26 carries. In addition, they forced two fumbles, and sacked QB Pete Thomas 4 times.

2 - Air Force can win the conference title
While many consider the Mountain West race a two-horse race between TCU and Utah, Air Force continues to win games.

The Falcons defeated archrival Navy 14-6, to take the inside track on winning the Commander-in-Chief Trophy. Air Force has quietly compiled a 4-1 record, with the loss coming at Oklahoma by a field goal. With QB Tim Jefferson, FB Jared Tew, and HB Asher Clark leading the nation's leading rushing offense, the Falcons could add the Mountain West title to its collection as well.

3 - BYU will miss the postseason
BYU started the season with a convincing win over Washington. Despite losing their next three games, the Cougars had an excellent chance to play in a bowl game with a solid finish to the season.

Utah State essentially ended these postseason hopes, beating BYU 31-16. The Cougars still have to play at conference heavyweights TCU and Utah. Assuming they do not upset either of those teams on the road, BYU will need to beat both San Diego State and Wyoming just to finish 6-6.

4 - New Mexico will go winless
After losing 38-20 to UTEP, New Mexico will likely finish the season winless. The Lobo defense simply cannot stop anyone, yielding an average of 52.6 points per game. If New Mexico continues to surrender points, it will not only finish last in the conference, but also perhaps earn the moniker "worst team in FBS".

Please follow me on Twitter @TPJCollFootball.