Utah State got a pair of first-place votes and wound up with 150 points for second place in the Mountain Division poll, followed by Colorado State (108), Air Force (90), Wyoming (64) and New Mexico (41).
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Defending Mountain West champion and preseason No. 21 Boise State, returning 17 starters from its 12-2 team in 2014, is the media’s pick to repeat as the conference champion, the MWC announced Tuesday at its annual media days in Las Vegas.
Utah State had the third highest number of players named to the All-MWC teams with only San Diego State (four) and Boise State (five) ahead of it. Colorado State wide receiver Rashard Higgins was named preseason Offensive Player of the Year.
“When you talk about the Mountain Division, I think it’s solid again”, USU head coach Matt Wells said in an interview with 1280 AM sports talk radio host David James earlier this week. He is also a Phil Steele and Athlon Sports first-team all-Mountain West selection. “There’s a lot of players back on all four of those teams, and I think that the expectations for the Mountain Division to play that well are there again this year”.
ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE)- While some national publications are picking the University of New Mexico football team for a bowl and turnaround year, the Mountain West Media doesn’t feel the same way.
This marks the third season of divisional play for the Mountain West, which moved to the two, six-team divisional format in 2013 following the additions of San José State and Utah State. At season’s end, the Aggies received 11 top-25 votes in the final Associated Press poll and eight votes in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ poll to rank 32nd and 34th, respectively.
One of those leading returnees for USU’s defense is senior linebacker Kyler Fackrell, who was selected the Mountain West Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
Following the 2013 season, the 6-foot-5, 250-pounder was named an honorable mention Sophomore All-American by College Football News and earned second-team all-Mountain West honors as he finished the year ranking first on the team with 13.0 tackles for loss, tied for first with two forced fumbles and second with his 5.0 sacks, while ranking fourth on the team with 82 total tackles (37-solo, 45-assist).
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San Diego State was chosen to finish atop the West Division with 27 first-place votes and 177 points. Perennial power Boise State is picked to win. Furthermore, USU has played in four-straight bowl games, winning each of its last three, both of which are school records. Fresno State finished in second with 141 points (three first-place votes).
