Predicted Order of Finish
1. Boise State- the bulk of the offense returns including junior RB George Holani (1,157 yards, 10 TD’s) and the defense will once again be led by 6-year senior LB and leading tackler DJ Schramm, sophomore QB Taylen Green must develop as a passer after the Broncos fell to 110th nationally in pass yards per game last year OVER/UNDER Total Wins 7.5
2. Fresno State- with 7 starters back, including leading tackler senior LB Levelle Bailey, the Bulldogs' defense should again be amongst the best in the MW and on offense the O-line is experienced, replacing both QB Jake Haener (2896 yards, 20 TD’s) and RB Jordan Mims (1,370 yards, 18 TD’s) is a tall task OVER/UNDER Total Wins 8.5
3. Air Force- the Falcons have won 10 plus games in the past 3 full seasons and return 7 starters from last year’s shutdown defense that ranked 3rd nationally in points allowed and 1st in yards allowed, losing 3-year starting QB Haaziq Daniels as well as FB Brad Roberts yards (1,728) could slow the triple-option attack OVER/UNDER Total Wins 8.5
4. Wyoming- on offense the Cowboys have plenty of talent in the backfield led by senior NIU transfer Harrison Waylee while on defense 9 starters return led by junior LB Easton Gibbs (121 tackles, 9 TFL), senior QB Andrew Presley must improve as a passer after throwing 9 INT’s last season to only 10 TD’s OVER/UNDER Total Wins 5.5
5. Colorado State- the Rams have a formidable 1-2 punch in sophomore QB Clay Millen who led FBS in completion percentage at 72.2 and senior WR Tory Horton (71 catches, 1,131 yards), the O-line ranked dead last in the nation in sacks allowed at 59 and will be breaking in 4 new starters this season OVER/UNDER Total Wins 4.5
6. San Diego State- dominant defenses have been a staple of the Aztecs program and this year should be no different with plenty of experience on the roster despite the loss of 7 starters from 2022, senior QB Jaylen Mayden, lacked consistency completing under 60 percent of his passes while tossing 10 INT’s last year OVER/UNDER Total Wins 6.5
7. San Jose State- the Spartans’ offense has the potential to be explosive behind senior dual threat QB Chevan Cordeiro, who led the MW in passing with 3,251 while posting 265 rushing yards, the defensive line must rebuild with the departure of DL’s Viliami Fehoko and Cade Hall who combined for 16.5 sacks in 2022 OVER/UNDER Total Wins 5.5
8. UNLV- before getting injured in early October, junior dual threat QB Doug Brumfield led the Rebels to a 4-1 start last year throwing for 1,223 yards and 15 total TD’s, the backfield lacks a workhorse RB to compliment Brumfield and the defense was hit hard with roster turnover losing its 2 top tacklers OVER/UNDER Total Wins 5.5
9. Utah State- senior QB Cooper Legas showed promise last season throwing for 521 yards and 3 TD’s against Air Force and Boise States’ top ranked pass defenses, the Aggies will have new coordinators on both sides of the ball and must make September road trips to Iowa, Air Force, and UConn OVER/UNDER Total Wins 4.5
10. Nevada- HC Ken Wilson hit the transfer portal hard bringing in a handful of Pac-12 castaways to bolster the Wolf Pack’s anemic offense (18.8 points per game in 2022), the O-line, which allowed 34 sacks last year must replace its top 2 tackles and the defense will miss standout DT tackle Dom Peterson OVER/UNDER Total Wins 4.5
11. Hawaii- returning junior QB Brayden Schager (2,348 yards, 13 TD’s) should have a handle on HC Timmy Chang’s run and shoot offense with a year of experience under his belt, the O-line must replace 4 starters and the defense must generate more takeaways after finishing with only 12 last season OVER/UNDER Total Wins 3.5
12. New Mexico- senior UAB transfer QB Dylan Hopkins is a proven commodity with 31 career TD’s and just under 4,500 passing yards in 2 plus years of playing experience, the pressure is on HC Danny Gonzales to right the ship winning just 7 games in 3 seasons while going win-less in Mountain West play last year OVER/UNDER Total Wins 3.5
Buy- Colorado State- HC Jay Norvell led Nevada to a 5-win improvement in his second season there and has the pieces to do the same in year 2 at Fort Collins
Sell- San Jose State- massive roster turnover on defense along with a loaded front end schedule will likely prevent a third bowl appearance in 4 seasons
Best Bet- Colorado State OVER total wins