The Mountain West went 7-5 against their Power 5 neighbors, the Pac-12 from top to bottom, and look to crush their spirit so much that they invite them to join their conference in 2024. The top of this conference is as competitive as any, so much so, that they won't be able to crack any New Year's bowl games, but nobody wants to see them at any point in the season.
2022 will be the final season for the divisions in the Mountain West as they will turn to a rotation schedule and offer the championship to the top two teams. The MWC is the only Group of 5 conference that has a positive Power Index at +2 with 5 schools in the Top 5. Here's a look at the best conference west of the Rocky Mountains.
Mountain:
Boise State:
Head Coach: Andy Avalos (2nd Season, 7-5)
Last Year Rank: 49 (7-5)
Preseason Rank: 36
Prediction: 9-3
It was a bit of a down year for the Broncos in 2022 and they didn't get a chance to add to their win total after pulling out of the Arizona Bowl due to COVID issues on the team. It was the second time in the last four seasons that they weren't able to play in their bowl (2018, lightning). Is this the year that quarterback Hank Bachmeier breaks out and leads the Broncos back to their dominating performances prior to his arrival? The non-conference is light and their toughest games will all be played on the blue turf in Boise.
Utah State:
Head Coach: Blake Anderson (2nd Season, 11-3)
LYR: 18 (11-3)
PR: 45
Prediction: 8-4
The Aggies' shocking season began with an upset of Washington State and finished with a Mountain West Championship and a victory over Oregon State in the LA Bowl. Logan Bonner returns behind center and his workhorse running back Calvin Tyler looks to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark this season. The schedule is much tougher than other top-tier conference schools as Utah State leaves the comfort of home to take on Alabama, BYU, and Boise State.
Air Force
Head Coach: Troy Calhoun (16th Season, 111-75)
LYR: 23 (10-3)
PR: 44
Prediction: 8-4
Another stunner in the Mountain West was the Falcons who rattled off four wins to close out the season, including a win over an ACC school (Louisville) in their bowl game. Troy Calhoun remains a steady hand as one of the longest-tenured coaches in college football. The triple-option was near unstoppable as Brad Roberts ran for over 1,300 yards and quarterback Haaziq Daniels added another 800 on the ground and threw for nearly 1,200 yards.
Wyoming:
Head Coach: Craig Bohl (9th Season, 40-50)
LYR: 55 (7-6)
PR: 82
Prediction: 3-9
The Cowboys went from winning a bowl game to losing most of their important starters to either graduation or the transfer portal. Wyoming put out ads looking for a quarterback and may have found one in Andrew Peasley who comes over from Utah State, but the schedule is brutal and they have a lot of question marks this season.
Colorado State:
Head Coach: Jay Norvell (1st Season)
LYR: 110 (3-9)
PR: 99
Prediction: 5-7
In what seemed like a lateral move, Jay Norvell left Nevada to head north and take the vacancy left by Steve Addazio. Norvell did very well for himself guiding the Wolfpack to several bowl games. He inherits a program in disarray and he has just one returning starter on offense.
New Mexico:
LYR: 112 (3-9)
PR: 126
Prediction: 2-10
The Lobos have been terrible since Gonzales took over, especially on offense where they ranked dead last in the nation. Fortunately, no one really returns and the defense brings back some studs in the secondary, but it looks like another losing season in the desert.
West:
Fresno State:
LYR: 20 (10-3)
PR: 25
Prediction: 9-3
The Jeff Tedford era returns after he won a school-best 12 games in 2018, but had to resign due to health reasons the following season. Unlike the first time when the Bulldogs won just one game the season before, the 2021 Bulldogs won ten games and finished with six wins in their final seven games. Quarterback Jake Haener was a big reason for that success and he gets some big weapons at his disposal once again. They'd love to embarrass USC and Oregon State, but they need to look out for the trap game in their opener as Cal Poly has 5 wins over FBS schools since 1997.
San Diego State:
Head Coach: Brady Hoke (5th Season, 29-18)
LYR: 8 (12-2)
PR: 37
Prediction: 9-3
The Aztecs were feeling good about their bowl dreams when Utah State snatched the MW Crown and they settled for a Frisco Bowl win against the equally surprising UTSA. There are not a lot of offensive starters returning, but the defense brings some big names back and linebacker Caden McDonald welcomes his brother Cooper from Washington. Can they make it back-to-back seasons with wins against Utah and Arizona? Stay tuned.
Nevada:
Head Coach: Ken Wilson (1st Season)
LYR: 48 (8-5)
PR: 84
Prediction: 4-8
The Wolfpack looked lost without head coach Jay Norvell in their bowl game against Western Michigan and it may look the same in year one of Ken Wilson's tenure. Toa Taua and Deonte Lee provide great stability at the running back position, but they're about the only known things on offense. The defense will also have a lot of new faces and if Nevada doesn't start 3-0 against a soft non-conference schedule before heading into Iowa in Week 4, then it's going to be a really long season in Reno.
San Jose State:
LYR: 93 (5-7)
PR: 90
Prediction: 5-7
The Spartans took a major step back from their breakout season and will have to rebuild the offense with Hawaii transfer Chevan Cordeiro at QB and Nevada transfer Elijah Cooks hoping to find his 2019 success in the backfield. The defense is stacked with talent including the 2020 MWC Defensive Player of the Year Cade Hall.
Hawai'i:
Head Coach: Timmy Chang (1st Season)
LYR: 82 (6-7)
PR: 110
Prediction: 4-9
After the team turned on head coach Todd Graham towards the end of last season it was time for a change in Honolulu. Enter a very familiar face to Rainbow Warriors fans and anyone watching college football in the early 2000s, Timmy Chang. Chang set NCAA records for passing yards, attempts, and completions during the glory days of the WAC. To this date, no one has thrown more passes (2,436) or interceptions (80) than Chang. He was a gambler looking to make big plays in college and now with limited coaching experience, it will be interesting if the team takes on that persona. He'll have to build from scratch as most of the starters are gone from last season, but at least the view is nice.
UNLV:
LYR: 118 (2-10)
PR: 124
Prediction: 3-9
The Rebels looked to be headed towards another losing season and at one point carried the nation's longest losing streak before they snapped it with back-to-back wins against New Mexico and Hawaii. They nearly made it three straight with a 28-20 loss to San Diego State before having no way of stopping the Air Force option in the last week. They've got a lot of transfers coming in at key positions and the quarterback role is not 100 percent certain.
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