College Football kicks off on Saturday, with the annual Week 0 games, spotlighting both FCS and FBS Group of 5 programs

Saturday, August 25th
Duquesne at UMass	4:30 pm	ELVN / NESN+
#6 Jacksonville State vs. #14 North Carolina A&T	6:00 pm	ESPN
Prairie View at Rice	6:00 pm	$espn+ Video
Hawaii at Colorado State	6:30 pm	CBSSN
Wyoming at New Mexico State	9:00 pm	ESPN2

Four Group of 5 programs and two FBS Independents kick off the 2018 College Football season on Saturday, including the MWC opener between Hawaii (3-9, 1-7 MWC West in '17) and Colorado State (7-6, 5-3 MWC Mountain in '17) from Fort Collins, CO.

Power 5 programs will be eyeing several of these openers, since UMASS (4-8 in '17) is Boston College's season home opener on 9/1. Boston College (7-6 in '17) is coming off a 27-20 loss in the Pinstripe Bowl to the Iowa Hawkeyes (8-5). Other Power 5 programs with an eye on Week 0:

• Washington State (9-4) will be Wyoming (8-5), who host the Cougars on 9/1 in Laramie
• Minnesota (5-7) will be eyeing New Mexico State (7-6), since the Golden Gophers will host the Aggies on Thursday night in TCF Bank Stadium for the season opener
• Colorado (5-7) will be eyeing Colorado State, as they kickoff the state rivalry game in Denver

This first Saturday in College Football has become popular for a Top 25 FCS showdown, as #6 Jacksonville State (10-3 in '17) and #14 North Carolina A&T (12-0 in '17) kickoff the season.

Looking at the Mountain West Conference heading into 2018. Stassen Composite has the West and Mountain divisions trending as follows:

• West Division break down for 2018

1. San Diego State
2. Fresno State - the defending champs in the West, after Aztecs took 2015 and 2016 division!
3. UNLV
4. Nevada
5. Hawaii
6. San Jose State

• Mountain Division break down for 2018

1. Boise State - the defending champions are projected #21 by Stassen in the Top 25!
2. Wyoming
3. Utah State
4. Colorado State
5. Air Force 
6. New Mexico

College Football '09: A look at the Western Athletic Conference

Does the Western Athletic Conference make any BCS noise in '09? Who would the candidate be for '09? How does the conference breakdown in '09 for WAC?

• The WAC 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

• Two WAC teams have made BCS bowls in the past three years

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

Ranked teams in the AP and Coaches' preseason polls:

• Boise State at #14 and #16, respectively

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

• Nevada

Teams rebuilding in the WAC in '09

• Hawaii

Teams rated below the FBS mark of #120 in 2009?

• Utah State
• New Mexico State
• Idaho

Will the WAC finish this way in 2009??

1. Boise State * (8-0 in '08) (5-4 in bowls)
2. Nevada (5-3) (3-6)
3. Fresno State (4-4) (10-8)
4. Louisiana Tech (5-3) (2-2-1)
5. Hawaii (5-3) (5-4)
6. San Jose State (4-4) (5-3)
7. Utah State (3-5) (1-4)
8. New Mexico State (1-7) (2-0-1)
9. Idaho (1-7) (1-0)
   * denotes 2008 WAC champs (source for above list)

Last BCS bowl participant

• Hawaii went 12-0 during the 2007 regular season (L, Sugar to Georgia 10-41)

Kickoff Game of the Season

Thursday, September 3rd

Oregon at Boise State

Boise, Idaho at 9:15 PM CT

TV: ESPN

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

1. Boise State (# 19 in Sagarin ratings) - Coach Chris Peterson enters his 4Th season after leading the Broncos to a 12-1 season last year. The Broncos return 39 letterwinners, including 6 OFF and 5 DEF plus both kickers from a team that lost 16-17 to TCU in the Poinsettia. Huge opener vs. Oregon to open '09, followed by vs. Miami-OH, the WAC opener @ Fresno State, then @ Bowling Green and vs. UC-Davis to close out OOC.
   
2. Hawaii (# 67) - Coach Greg McMackin enters his 2Nd year at the helm for the Rainbow Warriors and likely a rebuilding year, after finishing 7-7 last year, with a loss to Notre Dame 21-49 in the Hawaii. The Warriors will return 50 letterwinners, with 7 OFF and 2 DEF. Hawaii opens the '09 season at home vs. Central Arkansas, @ Washington State, @ UNLV, a bye week, then they open WAC play. They close out the OCC at the end of the season vs. Navy and vs. Wisconsin.
3. Fresno State (# 71) - Coach Pat Hill enters his 13Th year at the helm of the Bulldogs program, who finished last year at 7-6. The Bulldogs return 44 letterwinners, with 7 OFF and 8 DEF plus both kickers from a team that lost 35-40 to Colorado State in the New Mexico. The Bulldogs open the '09 season vs. UC-Davis, @Wisconsin, then the WAC opener vs. Boise State, followed by @ Cincinnati. They close the OOC at the end of the season on 12/5 at Illinois.
4. Nevada (# 77) - Coach Chris Ault is in his third stint in Nevada and his 25Th year as head coach. The Wolf Pack finished last year at 7-6, with a 35-42 loss to Maryland in the Humanitarian. The Wolf Pack return 45 letterwinners, with 7 OFF and 7 DEF plus punter from last year's squad. The Wolf Pack open the '09 season @ Notre Dame, bey week, @ Colorado State, vs. Missouri and vs. UNLV before opening WAC play vs. LA Tech.
5. Louisiana Tech (# 107) - Coach Derek Dooley enters his 3Rd season at the helm for the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs finished last year 8-5 with a 17-10 win over Northern Illinois in the Independence. The Bulldogs return 37 letterwinners, with 9 OFF and 7 DEF. They open the '09 season @ Auburn, @ Navy, vs. Nicholls State, a bye week, then open WAC play vs. Hawaii. A game @ LSU on 11/14 closes OOC play for the Bulldogs.
6. San Jose State (# 109) - Coach Dick Tomey enters his 5Th year as head coach of the Spartans. The Spartans return 53 letterwinners, including 8 OFF and 7 DEF plus punter from a squad that finished 6-6. The Spartans open the '09 season @ USC, vs. Utah, @ Stanford, vs. Cal Poly, before a bye week and the WAC opener vs. Idaho.
7. Utah State (# 131) - The Aggies welcome new coach Gary Anderson, the former Utah DC, who was 4-7 in one season coaching for a FCS school. The Aggies return 48 letterwinners, with 9 OFF and 7 DEF plus PK/PT from a squad that finished 3-9 last season. The Aggies open @ Utah, bye week, @ Texas A&M, vs. Southern Utah, @ BYU before opening WAC play @ New Mexico State.
8. New Mexico State (# 144) - The other Aggies of the WAC welcome a new coach as well as DeWayne Walker moves over after serving three years as UCLA's DC. He is 0-1 as a head coach, after leading UCLA as interim coach for the 2007 bowl game. The Aggies return 44 letterwinners, with 5 OFF and 5 DEF plus PK/PF from a squad that finished 3-9 last season. The Aggies open the '09 season in the WAC vs. Idaho. Next, the OOC opponents are vs. Prairie View A&M, vs. UTEP, @ New Mexico and @ San Diego State.
9. Idaho (# 164) - Coach Robb Akey enters his 3Rd season at the helm for the Vandals. The Vandals return 44 letterwinners, with 7 OFF and 6 DEF from a squad that finished 2-10 last year. The Vandals open the '09 season in the WAC @ New Mexico State, then in the OOC @ Washington, vs. San Diego State, @ Northern Illinois and vs. Colorado State before returning to WAC play.
   

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

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Will the WAC continue to carry the banner for the Non-BCS world?

The Western Athletic Conference has carried the non-BCS banner the past two seasons. Will 2008 continue to be the case for the non-BCS conferences? Will the baton be passed to another non-BCS conference in '08, like the MWC, or dropped all together, like in 2005?

Who steps up in the WAC in 2008, within the conference and nationally, if at all?

Last year, Hawaii carried the torch for the WAC. Two years ago, it was Boise State carrying the banner. Who will carry the banner in '08. Will the Western Athletic Conference continue to be the top non-BCS conference in '08?

Two teams from the WAC were listed among three Top 25 ratings among this year's preseason previews. Boise State and Fresno State will try to carry the torch in '08 for the WAC.

The Top 15 OOC games for WAC in '08:

1. Wisconsin at Fresno State
2. Boise State at Oregon
3. Fresno State at Rutgers in the season's opener
4. Texas Tech at Nevada
5. Washington State at Hawaii
6. Fresno State at UCLA
7. Mississippi State at Louisiana Tech in the season's opener
8. Hawaii at Oregon State
9. San Jose State at Stanford
10. Idaho at Arizona in the season's opener
11. Nevada at Missouri
12. New Mexico State at Nebraska
13. Hawaii at Florida in the season's opener
14. San Jose State at Nebraska
15. Louisiana Tech at Kansas

The popular match ups with Pac Ten or Big Twelve opponents for the WAC in '08

So, who will lead the race for the WAC title in '08?

1. Fresno State Bulldogs (6-2 in '07) open their 12th season under one of the more interesting WAC coaches, Pat Hill... with two big opening games for the WAC nationally.
2. Boise State Broncos (7-1 in '07) will open their 3rd season under coach Chris Petersen and will look to make it three in a row vs. Pat Hill's Bulldogs in '08.
3. Nevada Wolf Pack (4-4 in '07) are lead by the dean of the WAC coaches, with coach Chris Ault, who will look to get back on top of the WAC, after two years out of the top spot.
4. Hawaii Rainbows (8-0 in '07) went undefeated in the regular season last year in route to a BCS bowl... losing to Georgia, 10-41 in the Sugar, and losing head coach June Jones to SMU , who is being replaced by former DC Greg McMackin.
5. San Jose State Spartans (4-4 in '07) will enter their fourth year under coach Dick Tomey and will work to get back to another bowl, after falling off in '07, after a strong '06 and bowl bid.
6. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (4-4 in '07) enter their 2nd year under coach Derek Dooley... a program that hasn't bowled, since '01... and clearly represents the eastern front of the WAC.
7. New Mexico State Aggies (1-7 in '07) will begin year four under Hal Mumme and will likely continue the longest bowl draught among WAC teams that goes back to 1960.
8. Idaho Vandals (0-8 in '07) enter their 2nd year under Robb Akey and the 10 year mark since their last and only bowl bid.
9. Utah State Aggies (2-6 in '07) will enter their fourth year under Brent Guy... the Aggies haven't bowled since 1997.

• Biggest Game and Rivalry in the WAC: Nov. 28 - Fresno State at Boise State (Friday game)
• Next Biggest Game: Oct. 4 - Hawaii at Fresno State
• Coach of the Year: Dick Tomey, San Jose State

It should be another Wacky year in the WAC in '08. Fresno State hasn't won a share of the WAC title, since 1999. Time is running out in this decade.

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