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Jul 25, 2002, 3:15
 | | Ute Fans Want a Title - Photo from YSites.com | Though this season promises nothing nearly as exciting as the "BYU for BCS" campaign that dominated last year's Mountain West race, the pieces are in place for several teams in the conference to have break-out years.
Colorado State has a schedule stacked with strong OOC foes including Virginia, Colorado, UCLA, Louisville, and Fresno State.
Utah follows the Rams lead picking up games against Indiana, Arizona, and Michigan.
And not to be outdone, both BYU and UNLV have OOC games against teams from the "Major Conferences." (BYU - Syracuse, Georgia Tech, UNLV - Wisconsin, Oregon State).So in a nutshell, what's in store for the conference for 2002? Look for UNLV, Colorado State, and Utah all to be bowling come December. With luck, BYU should join the crowd. And though Air Force will easily topple Army and Navy they will need some help and a decent amount of luck to become bowl eligible.
In conference, Utah will take it all followed closely by UNLV, Colorado State, and BYU. The Utes have been blessed with a Godsend of a schedule this season that features all of the league "heavies" (Air Force, Colorado St., UNLV, and BYU) at home and a few "patsies" (SDSU, New Mexico, and Wyoming) away. If Utah doesn't win at least 6 I'd be stunned.
If the Utes do somehow managed to stumble, UNLV should be right on their heels. Star QB Jason Thomas should return to the form he displayed in his sophomore season and give the Rebels every opportunity to steal the conference crown.
Colorado State and BYU are just a hair out of the picture and both will have ample opportunity to make their case once mid-October rolls around.
Team-by-Team
1. Utah - If Senior RB Marty Johnson is half as good as his predecessors (Hunter & Tate - 2300yds.) he'll be more than enough to give the Utes the power back they need. With an adequate QB, and a solid defensive front, the Utes have the goods necessary to win the league. If the Utes have an Achilles Heel, it is their secondary. Though manned with a solid pair of safties the cornerback position is largely untested. (Converted RB D'Shaun Crockett and Soph. Bo Nagashi.) In critical games against UNLV and BYU, a breakdown in coverage could prove disasterous.
2. UNLV - Our number two for the season could have been the top choice with a bit easier schedule. We look for the Rebels to rebound from a poor 2001 campaign and resume this year where 2000 left off. With QB Jason Thomas back to form, UNLV should challenge all season for the conference title.
3. Colorado State - The Rams barely missed the top two spots in our poll. This was largely due to a vicious six game OOC schedule that could have them worn before they even play their first conference game. If the Rams manage to come into their league schedule with a winning record, look for their confidence to be sky high and for them to be right in the thick of the conference race.
4. BYU - If this team had a Defense they'd be dangerous. The Cougars have to improve on the 30 ppg and 450 or so yards they yielded in every contest last year. Though their offense again looks to be high-powered, we don't see a 12 win season on the slate.
5. Air Force - Air Force should improve slightly over last year's 6-6 mark, but replacing talented starters on offense will be a challenge. The team lost four on the line, a QB, and a FB. That said, this is the same team that returned only seven starters last year and still finished respectably. Game one against Northwestern will provide a good barometer of where this team is.
6. New Mexico - New Mexico could be the biggest surprise of the Mountain West this season. If QB Casey Kelly can show the poise that guided the team to a 5-2 record in his seven starts, look for this team to challenge the top three teams in the conference. On the other hand, if the Lobos cannot shore up their running game, no amount of QB poise will help them leave the bottom half of the conference.
7. SDSU - With a new coach and a solid recruiting effort, the Aztecs look to rebound from a 3-8 season last year. Unfortunately, SDSU lost star RB Larry Ned to the draft and don't have much else in the way of offense (4 returning starters). Though they won't finish last, they don't look to do much better.
8. Wyoming - The hapless Cowboys need more help on defense than BYU. They surrendered nearly 34 points and 465 yards in every game last season. With another effort like that, Coach Koenning will still be winless in the MWC at the end of this season.
Care to disagree? Let me know in the forums here:
http://www.onlycollegefootball.com/forums/
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