LARAMIE — At least one Mountain West team jumped into the national rankings each season since the conference’s inception in 1999, according to the league.

UNLV’s chance of entering the national conversation took a big hit with a home loss in Week 0. North Dakota State, Hawaii and San Jose State also started the season a week early.

All 10 league teams are in action this weekend. Here’s this week’s Mountain West power rankings:

1. North Dakota State (Last week: 6)

The Bison (1-0 overall) started their Football Bowl Subdivision era with a dominant 33-7 win over visiting Jacksonville State. They are also the only MW team with a win, so why not slide them into the top spot?

ESPN’s Bill Connelly gave NDSU a 12.6% chance of making the College Football Playoffs in his SP+ projections this week. UNLV was the next MW team with a 7% chance.

NDSU has a tune-up game before facing Air Force in a critical conference opener next weekend. The Bison host Fordham at 1:30 p.m. Saturday as 41.5-point favorites.

2. UNLV (Last week: 1)

The Rebels’ (0-1) offensive line was gashed during a season-opening 27-21 home loss to Memphis last weekend. Quarterback Jackson Arnold was sacked six times. UNLV racked up 460 yards of total offense but finished 3-of-15 on third down.

The Rebels are still ESPN’s highest-rated MW team at No. 67 in its power index.

The Rebels travel to Hawaii for their conference opener at 8 p.m. Saturday. UNLV is a 3-point favorite.

3. New Mexico (Last week: 2)

The Lobos lost their starting quarterback last week before ever playing a game. Jack Layne, who followed head coach Jason Eck from Idaho to Albuquerque, was ruled out for the season with a right elbow injury.

Eck plans to use multiple quarterbacks in New Mexico’s season opener. The candidates include James Laubstein, Luke Moga and Toa Fa’avae.

The Lobos host Central Michigan at 8 p.m. Saturday as 10.5-point favorites.

4. Hawaii (Last week: 3)

The Warriors (0-1) opened the season by blowing a fourth-quarter lead last weekend. Hawaii led Stanford 27-23 with four minutes remaining before losing 37-27.

Quarterback Micah Alejado, the 2025 MW freshman of the year, didn’t return to the game for precautionary reasons after being strip-sacked in the final minutes. Stanford returned the fumble 31 yards for a touchdown, giving the Cardinal a 10-point lead with 1 minute, 12 seconds left.

5. Air Force (Last week: 4)

The Falcons are the fifth MW team in ESPN’s power index at No. 94, 20 spots ahead of the next team (San Jose State). They have the second-most returning starters in the conference with 11, including quarterback Liam Szarka.

The Falcons open their season by hosting Duquesne at 11 a.m. Saturday as 28.5-point favorites.

6. Wyoming (Last week: 5)

The Cowboys enter Jay Sawvel’s third year as head coach looking for a bounce-back season. With a new quarterback and offensive coordinator, the offense will be under a microscope after back-to-back losing campaigns.

Aaron Bohl’s defense is looking to replicate — or exceed — last year’s marks, as well.

The Cowboys visit Border War rival Colorado State at 4 p.m. Saturday as 3-point underdogs.

7. San Jose State (Last week: 8)

The Spartans (0-1) opened the season with an unsurprising 42-26 loss at No. 14-ranked Southern California. If there were any positives, nobody was in the stands to watch.

Hawaii transfer Luke Weaver had a decent outing at quarterback. He finished 21-of-32 for 234 yards and two touchdowns, adding one score on the ground. Most of that damage came after the Trojans built a 28-0 halftime lead.

The Spartans visit Eastern Michigan at 4:30 p.m. Friday as 3-point underdogs.

8. Nevada (Last week: 7)

Jeff Choate is also going into his third season as Nevada’s head coach. It’s prove-it time for Choate, who has won just six games with the Wolf Pack.

Nevada hosts Western Kentucky at 8:30 p.m. Saturday as 1.5-point underdogs.

9. Northern Illinois (Last week: 9)

The Huskies are ranked No. 125 out of 138 teams in ESPN’s power index. The bar is low for NIU after it lost its head coach in February to the NFL.

The Huskies travel to No. 22-ranked Iowa at 2:15 p.m. Saturday as 31.5-point underdogs.

10. Texas-El Paso (Last week: 10)

The Miners are the lowest-rated MW team in ESPN’s power index at No. 131. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, as UTEP has made just three bowls games since 2005 (all losses).

The Miners travel to No. 10-ranked Oklahoma at 6 p.m. Friday as 40.5-point underdogs.