The upcoming 2010 season is a huge one for the Mountain West Conference. In a strange twist of fate, what happens outside of the league could be just as important as what happens within it as the conference heads into a new era in 2011.
The TCU Horned Frogs enter the season as heavy favorites to win another MWC title. Last season, the Frogs made a trip to the BCS for the first time, and with the return of pre-season all-conference pick Andy Dalton at quarterback, and game breaking wide out Jeremy Kerley, their offense promises to be prolific. Head Coach Gary Patterson is known for churning out great defenses, so even with the loss of first round draft pick Jerry Hughes, very few Horned Frog supporters are worried about any sort of drop off on that side of the ball. Click here for the TCU season preview.
TCU Horned Frogs Examiner Stephen Francis breaks down his first three players to watch this season:
LB Tank Carder
Receiver Jeremy Kerley
QB Andy Dalton
Dalton has been mentioned as a Heisman candidate, and is already on the Davey O’Brien pre-season watch list. Kerley reminds people of former Missouri wide receiver and current Philadelphia Eagles standout Jeremy Macklin. He has that kind of ability as a pass catcher and a kick returner.
TCU’s success this season will be only half the story. The other half involves future MWC member Boise State, and whether or not the Broncos can post another unbeaten season that lands them in a BCS game. If somehow both the Frogs and Broncos could crash the BCS party in 2010 as they did last season, things would look very promising for the MWC to gain that automatic BCS berth by 2012.
First, there’s a season to play. Utah is still around, and the Utes, the league’s original BCS buster, have designs on making their last season in the MWC a memorable one. Running back Eddie Wide will be the workhorse back, running behind a seasoned offensive line. The Utes get to host both TCU and BYU, so the league schedule is favorable. The Utes have an intriguing non-conference schedule as well, opening up against Big East favorite Pitt in Salt Lake City, before mid-season road trips to face Iowa State and Notre Dame. Before departing for the Pac 10 (12?) the Utes will try to capture their fifth MWC title and win a 10th straight bowl game.
Like Utah, BYU is one of several conference teams breaking in a new quarterback, and that guy could be the incoming freshman with tons of hype, Jake Heaps. The loss of workhorse running back Harvey Unga (who left school early for disciplinary reasons and is now a member of the Chicago Bears) will hurt, especially if it puts more burden on Heaps.
Fans should find out early how ready the Cougars offense is. They got pasted at home by Florida State last season, and this year they get to travel to Tallahassee in mid-September to face an even better version of the Seminoles.
One of the more fascinating non-conference games this season sees the Air Force Falcons taking their option offense into Norman to face the Oklahoma Sooners. What will Barry Switzer be thinking if the revamped Sooner defense gets gashed by the Falcon’s option? It could happen.
AFA returns more than 95% of its offensive production from last season, and they should be hard to stop. But the story last year was the emergence of the Falcon defense, which shackled Houston’s Case Keenum in the Armed Forces Bowl a year ago. After picking off six Keenum passes in the season ending win, the Falcons finished the year with the 10th-best scoring defense in the country. They have to replace six starters, but the ball hawking secondary returns three of four first teamers. Click here for the Air Force Academy season preview.
Watch out for Wyoming. In his first year, Head coach Dave Christensen and his Cowboys won a bowl game with a freshman quarterback. Austyn Carta-Samuels at the helm. The coach who made a superstar out of Chase Daniels at Missouri plans to expand his play book this season, and wants even more from his signal caller. Wyo may have the leagues toughest non-conference slate. After a week two trip to Austin to face Texas, the Pokes return to Laramie to face Boise State. Ouch. Click here for the Wyoming season preview.
Brady Hoke did some amazing things as the head coach at Ball State…so it shouldn’t come as any surprise that he has San Diego State on the rise in just his second year on the Mesa. Behind quarterback Ryan Lindley, the Aztecs put up some good offensive numbers a year ago, and have most of their weapons back. Getting to a bowl game is a reachable goal for Hoke’s team. Click here for the San Diego State season preview.
Most people feel like Colorado State is a year away. For the first time in his three years at the helm, Head coach Steve Fairchild will not be turning to a fifth year senior as his first time starter. This time around, a pair of freshman – redshirt Nico Ranieri and true frosh Pete Thomas – will battle for the starting job in the preseason. CSU has a stable of running backs, but whether or not a very green offensive line can create any holes for them is the big question. Click here for the CSU season preview.
This year, it’s UNLV that’s breaking in a new head coach. Bobby Hauck brings a history of success with him from Montana, but he has a big task in front of him. While eight starters return on both sides of the ball, the defense gave up 35 or more points five times last season, including a 63-28 drubbing by in-state rival Nevada. This year’s schedule is tough and getting off to a good start will be tough to do. If dual threat QB Omar Clayton can live up to his promise, the Rebels could make some noise. Click here for the UNLV season preview.
Things can only get better for Mike Locksley at New Mexico. The Lobos won only a single game on a last second field goal last season, and there were off the field issues between Locksley and his coaching staff as well. On the bright side, there is no where to go but up. Click here for the New Mexico season preview.
Locksley’s second team will have a new quarterback – one of five candidates – and will have to be much more effective in the no-huddle spread attack. On defense, it will take a huge improvement up front to slow down enemy offenses that racked up 36 points per game against the Lobos last season.
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