We have reached the end of the roundtable, which means we have reached the end of the offseason. The Mountain West is in action tomorrow for Week 0. This week’s question is short and to the point: which team will win the Mountain West Conference this season?
Mike: In my mind, there are three teams that have a shot to compete for a Mountain West championship this season. Obviously, other teams could get in the mix, but it would definitely qualify as a surprise. San Jose State features a rebuilt offense
that looks dynamic on paper, with some stars on defense. UNLV has as much talent as anyone in the Mountain West, but is full of unknowns and question marks until games are played. Boise State is the biggest known commodity of the bunch. They lose their best player on both sides of the ball, but return key contributors at quarterback, tight end, offensive line, linebacker, and cornerback. The running back room should lead the offense once again and if they can solve their issues in the secondary, the Broncos should be at the top of the conference standings once again. I think Boise State wins the championship in their last season in the Mountain West.
Zach: Boise State is the pick until someone beats them. The Broncos return four of five starters on the offensive line, have an experienced quarterback, and depth of defense. The only teams that have a legitimate shot at challenging the Broncos are UNLV and San Jose State. The loser of the Boise State and UNLV game will be hoping that the Spartans drop a game that they will be favored in. The fact that the Spartans don’t have to play UNLV or Boise State is a huge plus. But I don’t think either team quite has what it takes to dethrone the Broncos.
Dom: Until a team dethrones Boise State, it’s Boise State. The depth on both sides of the ball is still there, and although Ashton Jeanty is gone, the offense has too much experience to take a bad regression. Like my fellow writers have said, UNLV and San Jose State will be the biggest threats, with the Spartans having an easier path since they’ll miss both the Broncos and Rebels in the regular season. Either way, Boise State has been picked every year for a reason, and until a team actually makes those projections disintegrate, it’s looking all Boise State in its final season in the Mountain West. Matt: While I’d absolutely love to go full homer and say that the Bulldogs will win again, the smart money is all with Boise State. Even without Jeanty, there’s too much talent and experience across both sides of the ball for the Broncos to fall off. While it might not result in another Playoff spot, Boise should be the favorite for the Mountain West crowd. Outside of the trip to Notre Dame in October, it’s tough to see another game where the Broncos won’t be favored. The game against App State could be really exciting G5 showdown, and UNLV is likely to be the 2nd best MW team this season, but there’s question marks across the rest of the conference that Boise just seems to avoid.
Matt: While I’d absolutely love to go full homer and say that the Bulldogs will win again, the smart money is all with Boise State. Even without Jeanty, there’s too much talent and experience across both sides of the ball for the Broncos to fall off. While it might not result in another Playoff spot, Boise should be the favorite for the Mountain West crowd. Outside of the trip to Notre Dame in October, it’s tough to see another game where the Broncos won’t be favored. The game against App State could be really exciting G5 showdown, and UNLV is likely to be the 2nd best MW team this season, but there’s question marks across the rest of the conference that Boise just seems to avoid.
Zane: Boise State is the frontrunner, that’s for sure. Boise State has all the momentum, they won the conference last year and made the CFP. They have so much talent all throughout the roster. The offense is explosive, the defense is experienced, and they have a top tier coaching staff to round up the roster. It’s hard to see them not winning the conference. I would love to see UNLV or San Jose State give Boise State a run for their money, but it seems unlikely. Boise State has set the standard for the conference, and in their final year it’s their conference to lose. They don’t want to go out without leaving their final impact.
Aaron: The Championship is Boise’s to lose, I’m guessing they’ll win the Mountain West for the third straight year. They’ll likely have the best offense in the conference, few would be surprised if they have the best defense, and their special teams can’t be worse than last year when they won it. That being said, winning a conference three times in a row is rare. Since 2000, only seven FBS schools have three straight years winning their conference outright, with TCU as the only Mountain West team to have done it (2009 – 2011). Not only does that require having a great combination of talent and coaching for an extended time, you need luck in avoiding injuries and the ball going your way in close games. I’m in the same boat as everyone else that San Jose and UNLV are in the best position to take advantage of Boise should they have some problems.
