Hike's Peak: The Weekly Mountain West Podcast

Mountain West Connection
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  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to "Hike's Peak", a Mountain West Connection podcast. Visit the mountain every Tuesday for a brand new episode covering everything Mountain West related! Find us on Twitter @MWCConnection or on our website mwcconnection.com !

  1. Sacramento St. joins the MAC?! What the move REALLY means for the Mountain West? CBB Resume Recap for all 12 teams! Who's going dancing? Who's staying home?

    2D AGO

    Sacramento St. joins the MAC?! What the move REALLY means for the Mountain West? CBB Resume Recap for all 12 teams! Who's going dancing? Who's staying home?

    Welcome back everyone to the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! One week after the Mountain West announced the addition of North Dakota State, the conference realignment dominoes continued to fall with Sacramento State joining the MAC? We’re going to break that move down, but mainly we’ll focus on why the Mountain West didn’t go after the Hornets, and what these last two weeks tell us about the future of the conference. After that, we’ll dive back into basketball talk, and with only three weeks left in the regular season, we’re going over every team’s resume to this point, complete with their chances of making it to March Madness. Fun episode this week, let’s dive in! Show notes: Sacramento State joins the MAC: Financials, Precedent of Pay to Move Up, & moreCBB Resume Recap for all 12 teamsCream of the Crop: Utah State, San Diego StateMarch Madness Bubble: New Mexico, Nevada, Grand CanyonDon't count them out: UNLV, Boise State, Colorado StateNot their year: Fresno State, WyomingReally not their year: San Jose State, Air ForceIf you enjoy the episode, consider rating it 5 stars, leaving a review on Apple Podcast/Spotify, or sharing the podcast with one friend who you think would enjoy it! It would help us immensely if you took the time out of your day to help the show! Our CFB transfer portal tracker is now LIVE, find that here and keep an eye out for daily updates (North Dakota State is now included!). Make sure to check out the depth chart tracker for football and basketball, available to all for free and updated as soon as news breaks! Thank you for coming back to the mountain, and we hope you’ll make the trek back up here for the rest of the football offseason and home stretch for basketball!

    13 min
  2. North Dakota State joins Mountain West football! How the deal got done, Bison FCS domination, Pros/Cons, future expansion targets for MW, & much more!

    FEB 10

    North Dakota State joins Mountain West football! How the deal got done, Bison FCS domination, Pros/Cons, future expansion targets for MW, & much more!

    Welcome back everyone to the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! We have to take a quick break from talking basketball, as the Mountain West has officially welcomed their 10th member for the 2026 football season, which is none other than the giant killers themselves North Dakota State! We’ll break down how this agreement came to be, complete with financials and the specifics of when the Bison will be eligible for postseason play, and then we’ll dive into the story of how North Dakota State got so dominant, that the Mountain West had to make them their first ever FCS call-up. It’s a story of stardom, familiar faces, and most importantly, a whole lot of winning, and after giving the program their flowers, we’ll finish the show with the pros and cons of this addition from the conference’s perspective, as well as discussing what this means for the next round of expansion. Massive episode this week, let’s dive right in! Show Notes: How the deal was reached: Financials, transition period, no postseason w/o waiver until 2028North Dakota State: How the Bison took over the FCS for two decadesIntroducing NDSU head coach Tim PolasekPros & Cons of NDSU addition from the Mountain West's perspective (w/ likely targets for next round of expansion)If you enjoy the episode, consider rating it 5 stars, leaving a review on Apple Podcast/Spotify, or sharing the podcast with one friend who you think would enjoy it! It would help us immensely if you took the time out of your day to help the show! Our CFB transfer portal tracker is now LIVE, find that here and keep an eye out for daily updates (North Dakota State will be added later this week). Make sure to check out the depth chart tracker for football and basketball, available to all for free and updated as soon as news breaks! Thank you for coming back to the mountain, and we hope you’ll make the trek back up here for the rest of the football offseason and home stretch for basketball!

    12 min
  3. One Month Sprint to the Title! Aggies bests Aztecs for biggest win yet! Nevada steals OT win from Grand Canyon! Three team tie for 1st Place! Award Race Check-In!

    FEB 3

    One Month Sprint to the Title! Aggies bests Aztecs for biggest win yet! Nevada steals OT win from Grand Canyon! Three team tie for 1st Place! Award Race Check-In!

    Welcome back everyone, to the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! The race for the regular season title is heating up, with three teams now knotted together in first place! Utah State secured their biggest win of the year against San Diego State, while Nevada pulled off one of the most improbable comebacks of 2026 against Grand Canyon. We’ll break both of those games down, as well as the latest standings and March Madness projections, before ending the show with a rundown of the award races, complete with the players that have my vote with a month left in the season. Fun episode this week, let’s dive in! Show Notes: Utah State gets biggest win of the season vs San Diego State3 teams knotted together at 1st place, 2 teams right behind themMarch Madness projections for Utah State, San Diego State, & New MexicoNevada miraculously beats Grand Canyon in OTAward Race Check-InPlayer of the YearCoach of the YearDefensive Player of the YearFreshman of the YearNewcomer of the Year6th Man of the YearAll-Mountain West 1st TeamIf you enjoy the episode, consider rating it 5 stars, leaving a review on Apple Podcast/Spotify, or sharing the podcast with one friend who you think would enjoy it! It would help us immensely if you took the time out of your day to help the show! Our CFB transfer portal tracker is now LIVE, find that here and keep an eye out for daily updates. Make sure to check out the depth chart tracker for football and basketball, available to all for free and updated as soon as news breaks! Thank you for coming back to the mountain, and we hope you’ll make the trek back up here for the rest of the football offseason and home stretch for basketball!

    16 min
  4. Top Tier of MW Basketball gets more crowded! Grand Canyon beats Aztecs in controversial ending! Utah State struggles, Lobos outlast Wolf Pack! Revisiting preseason Top Ranked Transfers!

    JAN 27

    Top Tier of MW Basketball gets more crowded! Grand Canyon beats Aztecs in controversial ending! Utah State struggles, Lobos outlast Wolf Pack! Revisiting preseason Top Ranked Transfers!

    Welcome back, hikers, to the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! Mountain West basketball continues to deliver constant madness, as we have plenty to go over this week. Grand Canyon continues to roll, handing San Diego State their first in-conference loss in a controversial finish, while Utah State drops a second straight game at home to UNLV and just scrapes by Colorado State. New Mexico also notches another key victory over Nevada, staying undefeated at The Pit. We’ll also take a look back at our top five incoming and outgoing transfers from the preseasons, and see how our highest ranked players have performed so far in 2026. Fun episode this week, let’s dive in! Show Notes: Grand Canyon beats San Diego State in controversial finishUtah State drops second straight to UNLV, scrapes by Colorado StateNew Mexico bests Nevada to stay undefeated at The PitRevisiting the Top 5 Transfers from the preseasonOutgoing: Donovan Dent, Dedan Thomas Jr, Obi Agbim, Nick Davidson, & Nick BoydIncoming: Kimani Hamilton, Deyton Albury, Garry Clark, Jake Heidbreder, & Howie Fleming JrIf you enjoy the episode, consider rating it 5 stars, leaving a review on Apple Podcast/Spotify, or sharing the podcast with one friend who you think would enjoy it! It would help us immensely if you took the time out of your day to help the show! Our CFB transfer portal tracker is now LIVE, find that here and keep an eye out for daily updates. Make sure to check out the depth chart tracker for football and basketball, available to all for free and updated as soon as news breaks! Thank you for coming back to the mountain, and we hope you’ll make the trek back up here for the rest of the football offseason and home stretch for basketball!

    14 min
  5. Air Force fires Joe Scott! Grand Canyon knocks off Utah State + off-court shenanigans! Aztecs outlast New Mexico! CSU's struggles continue!

    JAN 20

    Air Force fires Joe Scott! Grand Canyon knocks off Utah State + off-court shenanigans! Aztecs outlast New Mexico! CSU's struggles continue!

    Welcome back everyone, to the Hike’s peak podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! We have a wild week of basketball to go over, with there being more chaos off of the court than on it! The most shocking news came from Air Force, who fired head coach Joe Scott for his “treatment of cadet-athletes”. We’ll dive into his tenure in Colorado Springs to try and find out what went wrong, and we’ll then talk about big time wins for San Diego State and Grand Canyon, though the Lopes upset of Utah State wasn’t without its own outside controversy. To end the show, we’ll talk about the coldest team from the last week, who is unfortunately one of the three teams we tagged last episode. Lots of show to get through, let’s dive right in! Show notes: Air Force fires Joe Scott for "treatment of cadet-athletes"Grand Canyon knocks off Utah State, off-court drama included!Aztecs outlast New Mexico, Miles Byrd saves the dayColorado State continues to flounderIf you enjoy the episode, consider rating it 5 stars, leaving a review on Apple Podcast/Spotify, or sharing the podcast with one friend who you think would enjoy it! It would help us immensely if you took the time out of your day to help the show! Our CFB transfer portal tracker is now LIVE, find that here and keep an eye out for daily updates. Make sure to check out the depth chart tracker for football and basketball, available to all for free and updated as soon as news breaks! Thank you for coming back to the mountain, and we hope you’ll make the trek back up here for the rest of the football offseason and home stretch for basketball!

    11 min
  6. Mountain West Basketball heating up! Who's hot, who's not? 6 teams that are rising fast or sliding down, complete w/ scouting reports & analysis!

    JAN 13

    Mountain West Basketball heating up! Who's hot, who's not? 6 teams that are rising fast or sliding down, complete w/ scouting reports & analysis!

    Welcome back everyone to the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! We’re finally switching over to basketball, as Mountain West play is kicking into high gear. It’s been a few weeks since we last discussed the contenders that were emerging, so let’s now go over who’s hot and who’s not? Some teams, like Utah State, are off to historically fast starts, while others, like Boise State, are about to hit the panic button. I’ve identified the three hottest squads in the conference, as well as three that have trouble brewing under the surface, complete with all the information you’ll need if you’re just catching up with Mountain West basketball now. No time to waste hikers, let’s dive right in! Show notes: Who's Hot?Utah StateSan Diego StateNew MexicoWho's Not?Boise StateColorado StateWyomingIf you enjoy the episode, consider rating it 5 stars, leaving a review on Apple Podcast/Spotify, or sharing the podcast with one friend who you think would enjoy it! It would help us immensely if you took the time out of your day to help the show! Our CFB transfer portal tracker is now LIVE, find that here and keep an eye out for daily updates. Make sure to check out the depth chart tracker for football and basketball, available to all for free and updated as soon as news breaks! Thank you for coming back to the mountain, and we hope you’ll make the trek back up here for the rest of the football offseason and home stretch for basketball!

    12 min
  7. Interview w/ New Mexico star LB Jaxton Eck! MW DPOY on Lobo fans, family, & staying in New Mexico! Portal Update for ALL 12 TEAMS!

    JAN 6

    Interview w/ New Mexico star LB Jaxton Eck! MW DPOY on Lobo fans, family, & staying in New Mexico! Portal Update for ALL 12 TEAMS!

    Welcome back everyone, to the Hike’s peak podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! We have a very, very special episode for you all today, as we will be joined by none other than Mountain West defensive player of the year and New Mexico star linebacker Jaxton Eck! We got his thoughts on the Lobos legendary 2025 campaign, the allure of the transfer portal, coach Jason Eck versus dad Jason Eck, and his expectations for their 2026 season. If you stick around until after the interview, we’ll dive into the biggest portal storylines from all 12 teams, but we’ve got bigger fish to fry first. Without further ado, here is our exclusive interview with one of the Mountain West’s most dominant defenders, Jaxton Eck. Show notes: Interview w/ New Mexico star Jaxton EckHow confident were the Lobos entering the 2025 season?Did Jaxton see his Defensive Player of the Year award coming?Coach Jason Eck vs. Dad Jason EckDid Jaxton ever consider re-entering the portal for his senior year?Unsung heroes of New Mexico's defense this season?New Mexico's expectations for 2026Portal Update for all 12 teamsMountain West 1st teamers continue to find P4 homes (Danny Scudero, Trey White, Jackson Harris, & many more)Nevada re-signs stars with incredible efficiencyColorado State, San Diego State talent exodus continuesEVERY new transfer mentioned!If you enjoy the episode, consider rating it 5 stars, leaving a review on Apple Podcast/Spotify, or sharing the podcast with one friend who you think would enjoy it! It would help us immensely if you took the time out of your day to help the show! Our CFB transfer portal tracker is now LIVE, find that here and keep an eye out for daily updates. Make sure to check out the depth chart tracker for football and basketball, available to all for free and updated as soon as news breaks! Thank you for coming back to the mountain, and we hope you’ll make the trek back up here for the rest of the football offseason and home stretch for basketball!

    17 min
  8. Complete Bowl Recaps! Hawaii stuns Cal, Fresno State thumps Miami (OH), while UNLV, New Mexico, & San Diego State come up short! Portal heats up w/ FOUR 1st Team entries!

    12/30/2025

    Complete Bowl Recaps! Hawaii stuns Cal, Fresno State thumps Miami (OH), while UNLV, New Mexico, & San Diego State come up short! Portal heats up w/ FOUR 1st Team entries!

    Welcome back everyone, to the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! We’ve reached the end of the Mountain West’s 2025 football season, with the final five bowl games going down over the past week. We’ll go over the positives, with Hawaii pulling off a miraculous comeback to beat Cal in the Hawaii Bowl and Fresno State thumping Miami of Ohio to win the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl, as well as the negatives, with New Mexico and San Diego State coming up just short in their bowl games, and UNLV falling flat against Ohio in the Frisco Bowl. After recapping all of the bowl games, we’ll dive into the latest news from the transfer portal, which is absolutely on fire! You’ll hear the top names to announce their departures in the past few days, along with some trends that I’ve discovered as this portal cycle has gotten underway. No time to waste, let’s dive right in! Show Notes: Hawaii completes improbable 21 point comeback to beat Cal in Hawaii Bowl, 35-31Fresno State's defense shines, Matt Entz secures first bowl win in Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl, beating Miami (OH) 18-3San Diego State shows life offensively, but can't stop North Texas' top ranked offense, falls 49-47New Mexico battles Minnesota for five quarters, loses 20-17 in heartbreaking fashion UNLV's offense no-shows the Frisco Bowl, dropped by Ohio 17-10PORTAL MADNESS: Anthony Colandrea shockingly enters, along with three other 1st team members. Startling trend beginning to emerge this cycle...If you enjoy the episode, consider rating it 5 stars, leaving a review on Apple Podcast/Spotify, or sharing the podcast with one friend who you think would enjoy it! It would help us immensely if you took the time out of your day to help the show! Our CFB transfer portal tracker is now LIVE, find that here and keep an eye out for daily updates. Make sure to check out the depth chart tracker for football and basketball, available to all for free and updated as soon as news breaks! Thank you for coming back to the mountain, and we hope you’ll make the trek back up here for the rest of the football offseason and home stretch for basketball!

    15 min
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Welcome to "Hike's Peak", a Mountain West Connection podcast. Visit the mountain every Tuesday for a brand new episode covering everything Mountain West related! Find us on Twitter @MWCConnection or on our website mwcconnection.com !

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