College Football '09: A look at the Mountain West Conference

Does the Mountain West Conference make BCS noise again in '09? Who is the candidate for '09? How does the conference breakdown in '09 for MWC?

• The MWC is ranked #10 by Jeff Sagarin among the FBS conferences



• No non-BCS conference team has ever played in the BCS Title Game and not likely anytime soon

• The MWC in '08 put into question a little the viewpoint: Why does the Big East have automatic BCS bowl slot compared to the MWC this year?

• Will there be another BCS bid in '09 for the WAC?

Ranked teams in the AP and Coaches' preseason polls:

• TCU at #17
• Utah at #19 and #18, respectively
• BYU at #20 and #24, respectively

Preseason magazines like other MWC teams in the Top 25 preseason:

none, but the 3 Top 25 are well liked by most magazines too

Teams rebuilding in the MWC in '09

• Colorado State

Teams in the MWC not ready for prime time in 2009?

• San Diego State
• Wyoming
• New Mexico

Will the MWC finish this way in 2009??

1. Utah * (8-0 in '08) (11-3 in bowls)
2. TCU (7-1) (11-13-1)
3. BYU (6-2) (9-17-1)
4. Air Force (5-3) (8-10-1)
5. UNLV (2-6) (3-0)
6. Colorado State (4-4) (5-7)
7. New Mexico (2-6) (3-7-1)
8. San Diego State (1-7) (1-4)
9. Wyoming (1-7) (5-6)

denotes 2008 MWC champs (source for above list)

Last BCS bowl participant

• Utah went 12-0 during the 2008 regular season (W, Sugar over Alabama 31-17)

Kickoff Game of the Season

Thursday, September 3rd

Utah State @ Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah at 9:00 PM CT

TV: Mountain

Final Look at the MWC teams, using the preseason Jeff Sagarin NCAA football ratings:

1. Utah (#12 in Sagarin ratings) - Coach Kyle Whittingham lead the Utes to their first BCS bowl, since the '04 season under former coach Urban Meyer. Whittingham is entering his 5Th season in '09 after finishing 13-0 last season. The Utes return 54 letterwinners, with 5 OFF and 7 DEF from last year's team that beat Alabama 31-17 in the Sugar. Utah opens the '09 season vs. Utah State, @ San Jose State, @ Oregon and vs. Louisville before a bye week and opening MWC play @ Colorado State.
2. TCU (#16) - Coach Gary Patterson is entering his 9Th season at the helm for the Horned Frogs after finishing 11-2 last year. The Horned Frogs return 46 letterwinners, including 6 OFF and 4 DEF plus both kickers from last year's team that beat Boise State 17-16 in the Poinsettia. The Horned Frogs don't open until week 2 of the season when they open @ Virginia, vs. Texas State, @ Clemson and vs. SMU before opening MWC play @ Air Force.
3. BYU (#23) - Coach Bronco Mendenhall enters his 5Th year at the helm for the Cougars after finishing 10-3 last season. The Cougars return 45 letterwinners, with 4 OFF and 8 DEF plus PK from a club that lost 21-31 to Arizona in the Las Vegas. The Cougars open '09 with a big game vs. Oklahoma in Arlington (Dallas Cowboy's new stadium), @ Tulane, vs. Florida State, vs. Colorado State to open MWC play, then close OOC play vs. Utah State.
4. Air Force (#55) - Coach Troy Calhoun enters his 3rd season at the helm for the Falcons after finishing 8-5 last year. The Falcons return 44 letterwinners, with 6 OFF and 6 DEF from the squad last year that lost to Houston 28-34 in the Houston. The Falcons open the '09 season vs. Nicholls State, @ Minnesota, @ New Mexico and vs. New Mexico to open MWC play, returning to OOC play @ Navy. Air Force concludes OOC play vs. Army in November.
5. New Mexico (#74) - The Lobos welcome new coach Mike Locksley to Albuquerque. Locksley is the former OC from Illinois. The Lobos return 44 letterwinners, with 6 OFF and 3 DEF plus both kickers from a squad last season that finished 4-8. The Lobos open '09 play in the OOC @ Texas A&M, vs. Tulsa, then open MWC play vs. Air Force, then back in OOC play vs. New Mexico State and @ Texas Tech.
6. Colorado State (#79) - Coach Steve Fairchild enters his 2nd season at the helm for the Rams. The Rams finished 7-6 last year and return 45 letterwinners, with 7 OFF and 5 DEF from a squad that beat Fresno State 40-35 in the New Mexico. The Rams open '09 season in the OOC @ in-state rival Colorado, vs. Weber State, vs. Nevada, then open MWC play @ BYU, before finishing OOC play @ Idaho.
7. Wyoming (#98) - First year coach Dave Christensen enters Laramie after holding the OC position at Missouri. The Cowboys return 43 letterwinners, with 8 OFF and 8 DEF plus both kickers from a squad that finished 4-8 last year. The Cowboys open '09 play in the OOC vs. Weber State, vs. Texas, @ Colorado, before opening MWC play vs. UNLV. Wyoming closes in the OOC @ Florida Atlantic.
8. UNLV (#104) - Coach Mike Sanford enters his 5Th season at the helm for the Rebels. The Rebels return 46 letterwinners, with 7 OFF and 7 DEF plus PK from a squad that finished the season 5-7 last year. The Rebels open the '09 season in the OOC vs. Sacramento State, vs. Oregon State, vs. Hawaii before opening MWC play @ Wyoming. UNLV is @ Nevada to finish OOC play in '09.
9. San Diego State (#110) - New coach Brady Hoke moves over from leading Ball State for '09. Hoke replaces Chuck Long for the Aztecs. The Aztecs return 48 letterwinners, including 8 OFF and 7 DEF plus both kickers from a team that finished last year at 2-10. The Aztecs open the '09 season in the OOC @ UCLA, vs. Southern Utah, @ Idaho, before opening MWC play @ Air Force. They finish OOC play vs. New Mexico State followed by a bye week before resuming the heart of the MWC schedule.

A look back at last year's statistics in the MWC.

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