Mountain West Football: Schedule Rotation Announced For 2023, 2024, And 2025 Seasons

The Mountain West Conference is dropping its two football divisions after 2022. This is what comes next.

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Mountain West Announces Schedule Rotation For 2023-25 Football Seasons

The Mountain West Conference is dropping its two football divisions after 2022. This is what comes next.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

A new normal in the conference.

After it was announced back in May that the Mountain West Conference would eliminate the Mountain and West divisions to better position themselves for New Year’s Six bowl contention in the future, the question became what would replace it. Now, we know.

The new format operates under what is called a “2-6” formation, meaning that each team will have two guaranteed opponents and then face six other teams who are shuffled in and out annually as part of the rotation. For example, Air Force will play Colorado State and Wyoming as its guaranteed opponent, securing the future of the Ram-Falcon trophy and an in-state rivalry at that. This is reflected in other guaranteed opponents, as well: The Border War, Valley Trophy, Ninth Island Showdown and Fremont Cannon are all part of this same category.

That change isn’t universal for all of the conference’s traditional rivalries, however. The contest for the Bridger Rifle between Utah State and Wyoming, for instance, won’t take place in 2023; the Battle for the Milk Can between Fresno State and Boise State has an off year in 2024, as well, and the contest for the Old Oil Can between Fresno State and San Diego State is off in 2025.

The upside? According to the Mountain West, this will enable every team in the conference to see each other more often overall as “all teams will face nine of 11 opponents at least twice, once at home and once on the road, and two opponents in each of the three years.” It also means the end of potentially lopsided division races, as in 2014 when a 6-8 Fresno State won the West while the Mountain division saw four teams win ten or more games and three finish with a better conference record.

Guaranteed Opponents For Each Mountain West Team

Air Force: Colorado State, Wyoming

Boise State: New Mexico, Utah State

Colorado State: Air Force, Wyoming

Fresno State: Nevada, San Jose State

Hawaii: San Diego State, UNLV

Nevada: Fresno State, UNLV

New Mexico: Boise State, San Jose State

San Diego State: Hawaii, New Mexico

San Jose State: Fresno State, New Mexico

UNLV: Hawaii, Nevada

Utah State: Boise State, San Diego State

Wyoming: Air Force, Colorado State

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Mountain West Football: 56 Players Named To Shrine Bowl 1000 List

The Shrine Bowl released a huge list of 2023 NFL Draft prospects it’ll keep an eye on, including a number of players from the Mountain West.

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Mountain West Football: 56 Players Named To Shrine Bowl 1000 List

The Shrine Bowl has released a list of 2023 NFL Draft prospects it’ll keep an eye on, including a number of players from the Mountain West.

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Lots of talent everywhere in the conference.

The East-West Shrine Bowl is one of the country’s longest-running all-star football showcases, a platform for aspiring professional athletes to make a case as to why they belong in the National Football League, and with that in mind the team behind the game revealed a list of prospects it intends to review throughout the 2022 season as it prepares for its part in the pre-draft process.

A very lengthy list.

Among the 1,000 names on the list — you read that right, one thousand — 56 hail from 11 Mountain West football programs. The largest cohort belongs to the Boise State Broncos, who have 11 different players on the list, followed by Fresno State with nine and then Colorado State and San Diego State with six each.

It is an interesting blend of obvious candidates, like Nevada defensive tackle Dom Peterson and Boise State safety JL Skinner, but there are some interesting selections among the group, as well, like Broncos defensive end Shane Irwin, who medically retired back in June, and UNLV long snapper Rex Goossen, who is one of just five players at his position here. The conference’s group of recent transfer portal arrivals like Cade Beresford, Gurvan Hall Jr., and Jordan Murray are also well represented.

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As to who will actually be selected to next winter’s Shrine Bowl, that comes later. The 97th iteration of the game is set to kick off on Thursday, February 2, 2023, at Las Vegas’s Allegiant Stadium.

Air Force

Kyle Patterson, TE
Brad Roberts, RB

Boise State

Hank Bachmeier, QB
Cade Beresford, OT
Stefan Cobbs, WR
George Holani, RB
Shane Irwin, DE
Tyreque Jones, S
Tyric LeBeauf, CB
Scott Matlock, DT
John Ojukwu, OT
JL Skinner, S
George Tarlas, DE

Colorado State

David Bailey, RB
Cam’ron Carter, LB
Dequan Jackson, LB
Mohamed Kamara, LB
Gary Williams, TE
Dante Wright, WR

Fresno State

Dontae Bull, OT
Jalen Cropper, WR
Elijah Gates, CB
Jake Haener, QB
Jordan Mims, RB
Leonard Payne Jr., DT
David Perales, DE
Nikko Remigio, WR
Evan Williams, S

Hawaii

Ilm Manning, OT
Jordan Murray, TE

Nevada

Aaron Frost, OT
Dom Peterson, DT
Toa Taua, RB

San Diego State

Braxton Burmeister, QB
Jordan Byrd, RB
Jesse Matthews, WR
Caden McDonald, LB
Patrick McMorris, S
Tyrell Shavers, WR

San Jose State

Elijah Cooks, WR
Viliami Fehoko, DE
Cade Hall, DE
Kyle Harmon, LB
Tre Jenkins, S
Nehemiah Shelton, CB

UNLV

Cobe Bryant, G
Rex Goossen, LS

Utah State

Logan Bonner, QB
Alfred Edwards III, OT
Gurvan Hall Jr., S
Byron Vaughns, DE
AJ Vongphachanh, LB

Wyoming

Frank Crum, OT
Cole Godbout, DT
Titus Swen, RB

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Mountain West Football: Boise State, Fresno State Lead The Way In Preseason F+ Projections

The Boise State Broncos and Fresno State Bulldogs lead the Mountain West in efficiency projections for the 2022 college football season.

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Mountain West Football: Boise State, Fresno State Lead The Way In Preseason F+ Projections

The Boise State Broncos and Fresno State Bulldogs lead the Mountain West in efficiency projections for the 2022 college football season.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

Big things are expected from the teams at the top.

Football Outsiders announced the release of its latest annual book this morning which, in addition to its primary focus on providing a perspective of the National Football League rooted in analytics, included a breakdown of the upcoming college football season in terms of F+.

The term F+ refers to the combination of Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings, which are a way of measuring play-by-play efficiency and are adjusted for tempo and opponent, and Brian Fremeau’s FEI metric, which provide a similar perspective but on a drive-by-drive basis. They are not, as Connelly frequently notes, a resume ranking but a reflection of which teams are seen as the likeliest to do things most strongly connected with winning games: create explosive plays, generate a strong havoc rate by getting into the backfield for sacks and tackles for loss, and so on.

As to how that pertains to the Mountain West in particular, the Boise State Broncos and Fresno State Bulldogs are out in front as the two teams projected to be the most efficient in the conference. A disappointing 7-5 campaign in 2021 hasn’t dissuaded the pair of measurements from taking a rosy view of the Broncos, who come in at 35th overall between LSU and Nebraska thanks largely to a defense that projects to be potent: Spencer Danielson’s unit has a defensive F+ projection that puts them at 19th, while the offense lands at 62nd.

The opposite is true of Fresno State, who won ten games last year and look to aim higher now that head coach Jeff Tedford is back on the sidelines after two years away. The Bulldogs check in at #42, wedged between Louisville and UCLA, with a much more balanced projection on both sides of the ball: 47th on offense and 45th on defense.

Lest you think there’s a big gap between those two teams and everyone else, however, the Air Force Falcons also project to be a top 50 team, checking in at 47th between another pair of strong Group of 5 teams, Appalachian State and SMU. The only other team in the top half of the F+ projection is San Diego State, who are 59th overall because of a massive forecasted split between the Aztecs offense (113th) and defense (11th).

One potential surprise? The Nevada Wolf Pack, who underwent a great deal of roster upheaval early in the off-season but have shored up their ranks on both sides of the ball thanks to the transfer portal and sneak into the top 100 just ahead of the San Jose State Spartans, who are themselves a popular pick to rebound from last year’s letdown. At the bottom of the Mountain West’s projections, the New Mexico Lobos must work to have an offense better than the one projected dead last in all of college football for 2022.

You can get a PDF copy of the Football Outsiders Almanac right now with the purchase of a FO+ subscription or you can wait to purchase a hard copy when it becomes available on Amazon at week’s end.

35. Boise State — #62 offense, #19 defense
42. Fresno State — #47 offense, #45 defense
47. Air Force — #40 offense, #60 defense
59. San Diego State — #113 offense, #11 defense
80. Utah State — #71 offense, #91 defense
88. Colorado State — #107 offense, #66 defense
92. Wyoming — #109 offense, #67 defense
96. Nevada — #95 offense, #92 defense
97. San Jose State — #118 offense, #65 defense
112. UNLV — #105 offense, #106 defense
115. Hawaii — #103 offense, #118 defense
125. New Mexico — #131 offense, #90 defense

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Mountain West Conference: 3 Season Win Totals to Consider

Mountain West Conference: 3 Season Win Totals to Consider Air Force, San Jose State and UNLV still offer some appealing odds Contact/Follow @MWCwire Picking a few of the win totals As we head into the middle of the summer, some will begin counting …

Mountain West Conference: 3 Season Win Totals to Consider

Air Force, San Jose State and UNLV still offer some appealing odds

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Picking a few of the win totals

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As we head into the middle of the summer, some will begin counting down the days to the start of college football. One of the more intriguing conferences this year will be the Mountain West, and with as many as four teams vying for a legitimate claim to the conference championship, the season is expected to be competitive throughout.

For those watching the Mountain West with a betting eye, as sports betting continues to be legalized across the country, Regular Season Win Totals offer a months-long opportunity for wagering that many may be attracted to. One can avoid the surprises that may spring up in a single game in favor of the season-long view, where the quality of the team (for better or worse) is predicted to find itself. In this article, we’ll look at three Mountain West teams that offer some interesting perspectives on their season and odds that may still offer value to the betting public.

First, a disclaimer about the odds presented: these odds are available as of the time of this writing. Odds and lines will vary across sportsbooks, including the actual number of season wins. Please look across as many options as available to look for the most favorable odds and prices before placing your wagers. With that in mind, here are three Mountain West teams that you may want to consider.

Mountain West Football: Circa Sports Reveals 2022 Championship Odds

Air Force Falcons

Odds Available: (At Caesars) Over 8.0 -125; Under 8.0 -105 (At DraftKings) Over 8.5 -110; Under 8.5 -110

The Falcons come into this season off a 9-3 record, return their starting quarterback, and feature an offensive line expected to be among the Top 20 in the nation. The defense returns at least six starters and should remain among the top half of the conference in 2022. The schedule is extremely favorable, including seven home games and a neutral site game versus Army in Arlington, TX. They will play Boise State at home, San Diego State on the road and avoid Fresno State altogether. Overall, the Falcons are expected to be favored in almost every game this year. That schedule, along with the returning experience on this team, makes the Falcons one of the top teams in this conference, expected to vie for the conference championship game in December.

Prediction: Over 8.0 -125 (available at Caesars Sportsbook)

San Jose State Spartans

Odds Available: (At Caesars) Over 5.5 -125; Under 5.5 -105 (At DraftKings) Over 6.5 +125; Under 6.5 -145

In short, San Jose State will be an interesting team this year; a mid-tier team seeking to bring in a few new pieces while gaining ground within the conference. New quarterback Chevan Cordeiro comes to the Spartans from Hawaii and is expected to lead the offense as a

dual-threat QB, while also adding wide receivers via the transfer portal to quickly improve the passing game. It can be a daunting task, but a defense ready to prove itself returns starters at every level. The Spartans are expected to be favored in six or seven games this year, and will face Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State all on the road. Still, if you believe in the additions on offense, the schedule should allow San Jose State to get to six wins and a bowl game once again.

Prediction: Over 5.5 -125 (available at Caesars Sportsbook)

UNLV Rebels

Odds Available: (At Caesars) Over 3.5 -125; Under 3.5 -105 (At DraftKings) Over 4.5 +110; Under 4.5 -130

If you like to get anxious about a wager, one that you’ll need to keep an eye on all season, this is one to watch. UNLV will be looking for a new quarterback this offseason, with returning starters Doug Brumfield and Cameron Friel competing with transfer Harrison Bailey to lead an offense looking for more balance overall. The defense brings back a number of starters, and while that may not sound promising for a team that finished 2-10 in 2021, the experience at all levels should help.

The schedule is tough, including a brutal four-game stretch over five weeks (Air Force, at Notre Dame, at San Diego State, Fresno State) before finishing at Hawaii and against Nevada at home to finish the season. If UNLV can get early wins against Idaho State and North Texas at home, then New Mexico, there is a chance they can get to four wns by beating either Hawaii or Nevada in November. Even with some eventual stability at quarterback, this is a tough Over to recommend. But if you’re willing to stare into the abyss that is the UNLV offseason, this one could be too good to pass up.

Prediction: Over 3.5 -125 (available at Caesars Sportsbook)

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Mountain West Football: Jake Haener Leads Pro Football Network Preseason Quarterback Rankings

Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener is very highly regarded among his FBS peers in the eyes of football writer Cam Mellor.

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Mountain West Football: Jake Haener Leads Pro Football Network Preseason Quarterback Rankings

Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener is very highly regarded among his FBS peers in the eyes of one football writer.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

How does the conference measure up nationally?

Cam Mellor, the senior director of college football and NFL Draft coverage at Pro Football Network, unveiled his top-to-bottom ranking of the nation’s best quarterbacks this morning. To no one’s surprise, Fresno State’s Jake Haener tops the list among signal callers in the Mountain West.

What might be a surprise, however, is just how high he is within Mellor’s rankings. Haener comes in at ninth overall, ahead of USC’s Caleb Williams and just behind Utah’s Cameron Rising, where Mellor notes that “[he] has a tremendous arm and incredible strength from an unassuming frame … [and] is tough, both physically and mentally, shaking off mistakes with ease and continuing a high level of play no matter the situation.” Haener finished second in the Mountain West last year with a 67.1% completion rate and 4,096 passing yards, throwing 33 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Haener isn’t out on an island by himself, however, as Boise State’s Hank Bachmeier also comes in at 18th. According to Mellor, “it could be argued that no other Mountain West QB meant more to his team than Bachmeier did last year”, especially after he played through injuries to throw for 3,020 yards and 20 touchdowns, with just eight interceptions.

Further down the list, both Utah State’s Logan Bonner and Air Force’s Haaziq Daniels also landed in the top 50 at 31st and 47th, respectively. That duo engineered two of the top offenses in the Group of 5 last year: Bonner set single-season program records for passing touchdowns and passing yards while Daniels’s Falcons finished in the top 11 nationally by points per drive and available yards percentage earned.

The only other projected starter to land in the top half of the rankings, interestingly enough, is San Diego State’s Braxton Burmeister. The Virginia Tech transfer battled injuries throughout 2021 and completed just 55.7% of his throws, but he also managed 7.7 yards per attempt, knew how to take care of the ball in throwing for 1,960 yards, 14 touchdowns, and only four interceptions, and added 514 rushing yards.

At the bottom of the rankings, the presence of Colorado State quarterbacks Clay Millen and Giles Pooler might be something of a surprise, especially given the former’s strong performances throughout spring. As Mellor notes, however, “it has to be proven on the field. Unfortunately for both redshirt freshman quarterbacks, their high school senior seasons were marred during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and each of these two hasn’t played meaningful snaps in at least two years.”

9. Jake Haener, Fresno State
18. Hank Bachmeier, Boise State
31. Logan Bonner, Utah State
47. Haaziq Daniels, Air Force
54. Braxton Burmeister, San Diego State
77. Chevan Cordeiro, San Jose State
84. Harrison Bailey, UNLV
105. Brayden Schager, Hawaii
109. Nate Cox/Shane Illingworth, Nevada
110. Isaiah Chavez/Miles Kendrick, New Mexico
126. Andrew Peasley/Hank Gibbs, Wyoming
130. Clay Millen/Giles Pooler, Colorado State

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UNLV AD Erick Harper Looking At Rebels Options

UNLV AD Erick Harper Looking At Rebels Options Just like everyone else, Rebels are scrambling to understand Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire What a time to be a new athletic director UNLV’s athletic director Erick Harper has been on the job …

UNLV AD Erick Harper Looking At Rebels Options

Just like everyone else, Rebels are scrambling to understand

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

What a time to be a new athletic director

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UNLV’s athletic director Erick Harper has been on the job for just over six months and is now trying to manage a massive bombshell of USC and UCLA going to the Big Ten and shaking up college athletics.

Harper’s first move was to get in touch UNLV president Keith Whitfield per the Las Vegas Sun. Whitfield and Harper need to be on the same page and they are looking at everything to see what is the best option for the Rebels.

“We’re making sure we are paying attention to the landscape, because it can change in 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours,” Harper said via the Las Vegas Sun. “In this day and age, rumors are going to be swirling continuously. Obviously, the rumors started right away about what the Pac-12 is going to do and what the Big 12 is going to do.”

Mountain West Should Not Be Too Worried About Losing Members

There are a lot of unknowns about what is next for conference shuffling. UNLV doesn’t have the advantage of an amazing brand as the football team is not an elite program The basketball is nowhere near what it was 30-ish years ago and is not even what it was a decade ago when Lon Kruger and Dave Rice were consistently taking the team to the NCAA Tournament.

The Rebels do not have the strength or first option to really make a move. UNLV will, unfortunately, be an afterthought or a last option if they are to join a new league.

UNLV does reside in a decent but not great No. 42 TV market that is growing with high school football talent and the Rebels play in Allegiant Stadium which is the home of the Las Vegas Raiders. So, there are some positives that other larger leagues could be looking at when it comes to the UNLV Rebels.

Harper had to get out and say something publicly to reassure and give fans an update that the Rebel athletic program is aware of the new landscape for college sports and what they are planning to do.

Odds are that UNLV, and the rest of the Mountain West will remain untouched and the league will continue with its current membership.

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PODCAST: What Does UCLA, USC Going To Big Ten Mean For Mountain West?

PODCAST: What Does UCLA, USC Going To Big Ten Mean For Mountain West? More realignment! Contact/Follow @MWCwire What happens to the Mountain West? Jeremy and Matt have an emergency podcast to discuss how the massive news about USC and UCLA packing …

PODCAST: What Does UCLA, USC Going To Big Ten Mean For Mountain West?

More realignment!

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

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What happens to the Mountain West?

Jeremy and Matt have an emergency podcast to discuss how the massive news about USC and UCLA packing up their bags and going to the Big Ten for the 2024 season. This clearly makes the Pac-12 lesser of a league with the biggest brand of USC leaving town and a big market team in UCLA. The Mountain West has options and it might be best to just stand pat and not be extremely aggressive.

If the conference is going to add teams, it likely would come from Pac-12 and/or Big 12 leftovers. Those two leagues are likely to be fighting it out for survival, so the Mountain West could see what is left over, or perhaps just not make a move.

This also has a shift in college football with super league coming together sooner than later as this is a big money grab for UCLA and USC.

You can find the Mountain West Wire podcast below or subscribe to the show via Stitcher Radio, TuneIn, Spotify, iTunes, and more. Listen in, subscribe and rate it and let us know what you think!

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Will Pac-12 Add Mountain West Teams?

Will Pac-12 Add Mountain West Teams? What will happen to the Pac-12? Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire Will Mountain West membership take a hit? The Big Ten pulled one of the biggest heists off in college football history by taking USC and UCLA …

Will Pac-12 Add Mountain West Teams?

What will happen to the Pac-12?

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Will Mountain West membership take a hit?

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The Big Ten pulled one of the biggest heists off in college football history by taking USC and UCLA from the Pac-12. This is going to cause some massive ripple effect with the Big Ten going to 16 teams, and possibly more.

This move seems more like shuffling at the top and not teams being able to climb the ladder.

On a seismic day in college athletics, @PeteThamel draws comparisons to the last time the college world was turned this upside down.

(Hint: it was less than 365 days ago) pic.twitter.com/hmjWy4gCpT

— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) June 30, 2022

If the Pac-12 were to add teams and they can’t raid the Big 12. Then they might turn to the Mountain West and try to keep that prestigious name of the conference.

The teams that would be mentioned are the usual suspects of Boise State and San Diego State as they have been winning the most within the Mountain West over the past five-plus years.

pic.twitter.com/6e6CEH0bTX

— Alex Kirry (@AlexKirryKSL) June 30, 2022

They are clearly no USC or UCLA, however, the Aztecs have won their fair share of games against the Pac-12 with wins over UCLA, Arizona, Utah, and others.

Also, the Aztecs have their brand new SnapDragon Stadium that is opening up this year and wouldn’t look out of place among the majority of the other Pac-12 teams.

The Broncos have the big brand name among non-power teams and even though they haven’t been in the running for a New Year’s Six game in a while, but they have been in conference title games.

The Pac-12 can’t be picky so they need to take quality teams and maybe take a step back with their academic requirements.

Colorado State is really invested in football with its new-ish stadium and they spent money on bringing in Jay Norvell to be the head coach. The big next step is to start winning at a high level and Norvell could be that guy.

An out-of-the-box move is UNLV as they play in the Las Vegas Raiders stadium which is world-class and they are a growing metropolis with high-quality high school programs in the area.

Could Mountain West and Pac-12 Teams?

On the flip side, could the Mountain West add any Pac-12 teams? Never say never, and anything can happen. Two names that could join the Mountain West would be some leftovers with Oregon State and Washington State to get the team to 14.

It makes a lot of sense as the four California schools could be in the Big Ten and/or Oregon and Washington. Those teams would fit in just fine.

Below is a list of some ideas of who could end up where and it makes a lot of sense, and it includes the Cougars and Beavers to the Mountain West.

My uneducated guess on what happens to the Pac-12

Arizona- Big 12
Arizona St- Big 12
Cal -Independent/Big Ten
Colorado- Big 12
Oregon- Big Ten
Oregon St – Big 12/MWC
Standford -Independent/Big Ten
UCLA- Big Ten
USC- Big Ten
Utah – Big 12
Washington – Big Ten
Wazzu – Big 12/MWC

— Kevin Wade (@KwadeSays) June 30, 2022

Adding those two could make the Mountain West a touch better than where the league is right now and put them above the AAC. Who knows what the pecking order really is among the leagues but if we are still using Group of Five terms the Mountain West would be at the top.

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UNLV Rebels Top 10 Players: College Football Preview 2022

Who are the top 10 UNLV players going into the 2022 college football season?

UNLV might be missing the star power compared to most of the other Mountain West teams, and they need a few key parts to rise up and rock on the lines, but there’s just enough experience returning in Year Three under head coach Marcus Arroyo to change some of those close-call competitive battles of 2021 into wins.

However, the team needs more difference-makers to emerge.

The Rebels lost a ton of options through the transfer portal and didn’t bring in a ton of new parts, but they landed a few good ones who should be able to change things around in a hurry – at least that’s the hope.

The hope is for the defensive front to find a few possible all-stars, but there are only two returning players off the 2022 All-Mountain West teams,

As long as the skill players get time to work, this should be a stronger season.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

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UNLV 2022 Preview | UNLV Schedule

UNLV Football: Ranking 2022’s Opposing Quarterbacks

The Rebels will have to tangle with a few talented quarterbacks in their climb back to respectability.

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UNLV Football: Ranking 2022’s Opposing Quarterbacks

The Rebels will have to tangle with a few talented quarterbacks in their climb back to respectability.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS and @MWCwire

Not an easy slate to deal with.

12. Idaho State – Hunter Hays or Tyler Vander Waal or Sagan Gronauer

A messy quarterback situation was just one reason why head coach Rob Phenicie lost his job. The trio above combined to complete just 52.8% of their passes in 2021, averaging a mere 6.1 yards per attempt while throwing 13 interceptions and just 11 touchdowns, so whether it’s good news or bad news that all three are back to compete under new coach Charlie Ragle might depend on who you ask.

11. New Mexico – Miles Kendrick or Isaiah Chavez or CJ Montes

The Rebels had little trouble dispatching the Lobos in 2021 and a major reason for that was a quarterback room that had no reliable answer once Terry Wilson was lost to injury. Will that be the case again this fall?

Both Chavez and Montes could improve if they can stay healthy and upright behind a retooled offensive line, but Kendrick has a real chance to win the job after doing decent work in his time at Kansas. Whoever comes out on top is almost guaranteed to improve upon the 5.3 yards per attempt New Mexico averaged a year ago.

10. Hawaii – Brayden Schager or Cammon Cooper

It seems likely that the Warriors offense under new head coach Timmy Chang and offensive coordinator Ian Shoemaker will be a wide-open one, but the operator of said offense remains to be seen. Schager had his moments in three weeks as a starter last year, but Cooper has the more extensive background in a run-and-shoot from his time at Washington State.

9. Nevada – Nate Cox or Shane Illingworth

The Wolf Pack are certainly fond of tall quarterbacks, huh? The 6-foot-9 Cox and 6-foot-6 Illingworth figure to battle it out throughout fall camp, but both will have a high standard to meet following Carson Strong’s departure: In three career games against UNLV, Strong threw for 1,118 yards and seven touchdowns.

8. Cal – Jack Plummer

The Golden Bears haven’t exactly been known for explosive offenses in recent years, but the Purdue transfer Plummer might actually change that. In three seasons with the Boilermakers, he completed 319 of 492 attempts for 3,405 yards and 26 touchdowns, adding a reasonable 2.0% interception rate that Cal head coach Justin Wilcox surely appreciates.

7. San Diego State – Braxton Burmeister

Burmeister’s lone full season as the starter at Virginia Tech was definitely a mixed bag. On the one hand, he finished second on the team with 514 rushing yards and chipped in two touchdowns on the ground while also averaging 7.7 yards per attempt through the air with a 1.5% interception rate, but he also completed just 55.7% of his passes, too. The potential to lead the Aztecs back to another Mountain West championship game is there, but it could just as easily be a frustrating offense to watch.

6. North Texas – Austin Aune

Aune has tantalized in 12 career starts for the Mean Green, but he hasn’t yet put it all together after two years. He completed 60% of his passes in just two games last season and averaged only 6.8 yards per attempt while throwing nine touchdowns and nine interceptions, so it isn’t out of the question he gets pushed for the QB1 job by incumbent backup Jace Ruder or Memphis transfer Grant Gunnell.

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