Mountain West basketball power rankings: Aztecs, Aggies in rightful place

Mountain West Basketball power rankings: Utah State, Nevada rises on up

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 11: Matt Mitchell #11 of the San Diego State Aztecs cuts a piece of the net after defeating New Mexico Lobos 82-59 in a game at Viejas Arena on February 11, 2020 in San Diego, California. San Diego State Aztecs moves to 25-0 for the season and clinched a share of the Mouintain West Championship. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

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FORT COLLINS, CO – FEBRUARY 06: Colorado State mascot, CAM the Ram (Photo by Timothy Nwachukwu/Getty Images) ***Local Caption*** /

5. Colorado State (-3)

Their drop in the rankings might make it seem like this was an awful week, but at this point in the rankings, it doesn’t take much for a team to drop a few spots. This just happens to be where a completely separate tier of the conference begins where teams 2-5 can end up in any order from week to week, but won’t move from those four spots. In the case of Colorado State, impressive play from the other three teams in this tier, a lack of schedule strength, and a loss to one of the teams in front of them has led to them falling to the back of the pack.

That loss came at home against Utah State and was their second of the year to the Aggies. That loss was sandwiched between wins over Fresno State and Wyoming, but those wins just weren’t enough to offset taking a home loss to a team in this tier.

The Rams do have an opportunity to boost their standing a bit before the season ends. They have two very winnable home games against Air Force and San Jose State and have two road games that would be impressive additions to their Mountain West resume. The first is at UNLV, which is really a pick ’em matchup at this point and the other is at SDSU. That one will obviously be a daunting task, but a win would be a major feather in their cap.

They’re going to need some help from the teams in front of them, but if CSU can finish the year with a 3-1 run then they could definitely see themselves rise in the power rankings.