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G5 Conference News Original Content
MWC
No conference in the non BCS world of the last decade has carried as much prestige and demanded as much respect as the Mountain West Conference has. Led by perennial power Boise State, the MWC was the gold standard by which all of the other non BCS conferences measured themselves by. The last few years however, has found the MWC in the midst of some unaccustomed growing pains. With a major coaching change to its flagship program, an unpredictable maze of FBS conference realignment and increased competition from the newly formed AAC Conference , its understandable why the Mountain West may feel a bit off center of late.
Any idea or hope however, from the other G5 Conferences that the MWC is planning to somehow quietly fade into the background is unwarranted. The MWC continues to be one of the top two conferences in the G5 world in spite of some new challenges the conference faces. Schools like San Diego State,Air Force, Fresno State, Boise State and Colorado State, all provide the MWC with both regional and national footprints. The league still sports some of the most loyal fans in all of College Football and the MWC continues to do what it has always done, play very good football.
Because of some of the recent MWC challenges, picking a winner this year for the MWC has proven to be the most difficult out of all of the G5 Conferences.( for other G5 Conference predictions click here:Conference USA prediction, SunBelt prediction, AAC prediction) The difficulty comes as an unusual number of MWC programs are going through some serious transitioning or rebuilding. Having said this however, my pick for the 2014 MWC Champion is Boise State.
BOISE STATE
I am not a band wagon kind of guy and I looked for every reason not to pick Boise to win the MWC this year. But when you examine what Boise State has coming back this year, including 12 starters from last years 8-5 record, it is hard to justify not picking them to win the MWC for 2014.
Here is what I like about Boise State this year:
* One of the leagues best backs in Jay Ajayi( let's hope he has put his fumbling issues behind him)
* Good talent at WR including returning starters Matt Miller and Shane William Rhodes.
* One of the best secondaries in the MWC
All is not perfect in Bronco country though as they have some issues that have the potential to derail their Championship hopes this year. The Broncos for example begin the season with a very average D line and an Oline that has some major question marks including having only two starters return from last years squad.
Perhaps the biggest unknown for Boise State this year however, is new head coach Bryan Harsin. After a successful year as head man at Arkansas State, Coach Harsin returns to Boise State as team leader. Harsin knows the Bronco program well as he spent 9 years on the Boise State staff from 2001-2010. While I think Harsin is one of the best young coaches in the country, it will be a tall order for him to replace the highly successful and much loved Chris Peterson. Let's take a wait and see approach to see how this works out for both Boise State and Bryan Harsin.
In addition to Boise State this year, look for Fresno State and Utah State to have strong seasons. If Boise State falters, either of these schools, especially UTah State with the ubber talented Chuckie Keeton, will be more than happy to be crowned league champ. I think it is highly likely that all three of these teams will be in the running for the MWC Championship for much of the season.
CONCLUSION
The MWC continues to be a strong and competitive football league. With a great lineup of football centered schools and a superb winning tradition, don't expect for the MWC growing pains to last long. It also seems highly likely that the MWC will be battling the AAC for the top G5 Conference spot for many years to come. Stay tuned.
2014 MWC CONFERENCE PREDICTIONS
Boise State MWC Conference Champion
MOUNTAIN DIVISION
Boise State
Utah State
Colorado State
Wyoming
Air Force
New Mexico
WEST DIVISION
Fresno State
San Diego State
Nevada
UNLV
San Jose State
Hawaii
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