Boise State received 27 of the 29 first-place votes earning the preseason nod for mountain division champs.
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Las Vegas – With football realignment once again lurking in the background, the Mountain West Conference holds its annual preseason football media event this week at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. Air Force (2) 126 3.
“There was a point past year where I think we were close to 0-21 in nonconference games over two consecutive weekends, but probably 15 of those games were on the road against opponents against more than likely we would be challenged with and we just can’t continue to do that”. Boise State and Colorado State are the two MW schools most frequently mentioned in the Big 12 conversation. This year, we’ve got the guys to do it. “It all matters at the end of the year”, Broncos coach Bryan Harsin said.
The Broncos lost three of their five games against Mountain Division foes last season, one that Sperbeck called “kind of disappointing”. “It doesn’t mean anything right now because we haven’t done anything”.
“A lot of people say we couldn’t do it, but my mentality is, ‘Make them put us in there, ‘” he said. So will commissioner Craig Thompson, who will likely be asked the same questions as a few years ago, when Utah, TCU and BYU left the conference and Boise State and San Diego State considered it. He helped CSU to a third consecutive bowl game appearance by blocking for an offense that ranked third in the Mountain West with 417.0 yards per game, and was among the nation’s leaders for tackles for loss allowed (4.62 per game; 11th), sacks allowed (1.17 per game; 22nd), third-down conversions (46.0 percent, 20th), fourth-down conversions (58.8 percent, 36th), first downs (23.15 per game, 33rd) and red-zone offense (87 percent, 44th). There is also no reason to block Mountain West teams from leaving as Thompson has given permission for the Big 12 to talk to Mountain West schools.
“We’re not settled with going to a bowl game”, Cox said. I loved what the coaches were trying to do – how they were trying to build the program.
Sanchez said the MW needs several strong teams to raise its profile.
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On expansion – The Big 12 has made the headlines with its designs on conference expansion and Thompson said two schools have notified the conference they have expressed interest in joining that Power Five conference – the conference commissioner did not confirm, but they are believed to be Boise State and Colorado State – and others that haven’t informed the conference but expressed an interest in moving up. Harsin addressed the dismissal of three players after a sexual assault investigation for the first time, supporting the university’s process, saying “there is a way we will do things that will not be compromised”. What else would you expect from the man who contrived the famed Fiesta Bowl-winning Statue of Liberty play in 2007, when the Broncos went 13-0. “But I understand the dynamics and the reality of it all”, Thompson said. “I’ve been able to be part of that at certain times. But I don’t think that’s going to happen”.
