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Mountain West Football Media Predicts 2023 Order Of Finish

Now that divisions are a thing of the past, the Mountain West football media predicts who will rise to the top two in 2023.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

A new environment means a new outlook.

Mountain West football media days began this morning at Circa Resort and Casino with the announcement of how the conference’s media projects the 2023 season will play out.

For the first time since 2012, conference play will take place without divisions, which means that Boise State and Air Force being predicted to play for the Mountain West championship in December is a groundbreaking forecast.

1. Boise State (28 first-place votes) — 433 points
2. Air Force (two first-place votes) — 364 points
3. Fresno State (five first-place votes) — 351 points
4. San Diego State (one first-place vote) — 338 points
5. San Jose State — 293 points
6. Wyoming — 281 points
7. Colorado State — 201 points
8. Utah State — 194 points
9. UNLV (one first-place vote) — 177 points
10. Hawaii — 102 points
11. Nevada — 92 points
12. New Mexico — 60 points

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Boise State is projected to come out on top for the tenth straight year, but Air Force’s road to that number-two spot may be a tough one since they’re separated from the fourth-place Aztecs by just 26 points.

Mountain West Football: MWwire’s 2023 Preseason Projected Order Of Finish

There also appears to be more of a difference in opinion than in years past, as well, with five different teams earning at least one first-place vote. The biggest surprise in that group is UNLV, predicted to finish ninth overall but with a new head coach in Barry Odom who comes into the job with expectations of a breakthrough.

#𝗠𝗪𝗙𝗕 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗣𝗢𝗟𝗟 pic.twitter.com/YrupPwRKwP

— Mountain West (@MountainWest) July 19, 2023

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Mountain West Football Media Projects Fresno State, Boise State as 2022 Division Winners

The Mountain West football media expects a rematch between the Bulldogs and Broncos in 2022’s championship game.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

Are the races that clear-cut?

The Mountain West football media days are underway today and, as usual, it kicked off with the announcement of how the conference’s media projects the 2022 season will unfold.

Football season is right around the corner 🏈

Here's a look at the 2022 #MWFB Predicted Order of Finish as voted on by the league's media ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/c5hgN259lK

— Mountain West (@MountainWest) July 20, 2022

Fresno State and Boise State are expected reach the Mountain West championship as the winners of the West division and Mountain division, respectively, in what will be the last year of their existence before a new schedule rotation debuts in 2023. It marks the ninth straight year that the Broncos are predicted to come out on top, while the Bulldogs are projected for a first-place finish for the first time since 2019.

West Division

1. Fresno State (20 first-place votes) — 160 points
2. San Diego State (eight first-place votes) — 148 points
3. San Jose State — 105 points
4. Nevada — 66 points
5. UNLV — 58 points
6. Hawaii — 51 points

Mountain Division

1. Boise State (14 first-place votes) — 252points
2. Air Force (10 first-place votes) — 136 points
3. Utah State (three first-place votes) — 122 points
4. Colorado State (one first-place vote) — 90 points
5. Wyoming — 60 points
6. New Mexico — 29 points

Interestingly, there are a couple differences between how the conference media foresees the season and our own staff’s predictions: The UNLV Rebels, for instance, are not projected to finish last in the West this season and the difference between those at the top of each division are much closer than we’d forecast them to be.

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