Breaking down the Mountain West's story lines.
Air Force Falcons
It's hard to be down on Air Force and wily head coach Fisher DeBerry, who should be on any short list of the nation's best coaches. He's finished .500 or better during 16 of his 18 years at the Academy. But the lack of experience on the offensive and defensive lines stands out. DeBerry is high on new quarterback Chance Harridge, but the junior probably will take his licks this season. A strong linebacking corps anchors the defense. Seven home games are good; visits from Northwestern and Notre Dame are bad.
BYU Cougars
BYU lost its best two offensive players, running back Luke Staley and quarterback Brandon Doman, as well as outstanding tight end Doug Jolley, yet coach Gary Crowton's system puts points on the board. Quarterback Bret Engemann and tailback Marcus Whalen should be adequate replacements. The question is the defense, which was egregious last year, surrendering nearly 450 yards per game. Hawaii hung 72 points on the Cougars, ending their shot at an undefeated season. Jernaro Gilford is an outstanding cornerback, but this will be a young unit with no senior starters.
Colorado State Rams
Colorado State should be able to run the ball, particularly if Cecil Sapp returns to his 2000 form when he was first-team all-conference. Quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt needs to improve his passing but he's one of the nation's best running quarterbacks. Henri Childs, who ran for 841 yards last year while Sapp recovered from the removal of a tumor in his heel, could see time at H-back. The Rams linebackers are outstanding, but the defensive backfield is a question.
New Mexico Lobos
The Lobos return seven starters on both sides of the ball from a team that won five of its last seven games last year, which coincided with Casey Kelly becoming the starting quarterback. Kelly will need to mature as a passer because, while his receivers and line are solid, there is no experience at running back. Another downer: three-year starting center Rashad McClure quit the team. The defense, which allowed just 310.8 yards per game (ranked 10th nationally) last year, returns most of its core talent but lost key leaders like defensive end Brian Johnson and linebacker Gary Davis. The talent is here for New Mexico to produce just its sixth winning season since 1979.
San Diego State Aztecs
Mascot Monty Montezuma is gone -- a victim of our culturally sensitive times -- as is coach Ted Tollner, a victim of college football's "Win Now!" culture. New coach Tom Craft's charge is to avoid San Diego State's first four-year run of losing since 1957-60. Craft, a former Aztecs quarterback, installed a one-back, spread offense with a no-huddle component this spring, and Adam Hall appears to be ahead of Lon Sheriff at quarterback. J.R. Oliver is an NFL prospect at receiver, while highly touted freshman running back Frederick Collins could jump ahead of a logjam at running back to replace Larry Ned. End Akbar Gbaja-Biamila leads six returning defensive starters, though there are gaping vacancies in the defensive backfield.
UNLV Rebels
An 0-4 start killed high expectations a year ago, and no one suffered worse than quarterback Jason Thomas. He went from Heisman Trophy candidate to the Mountain West's lowest rated passer. If the Rebels can replace four linemen adequately, Thomas and company could produce a potent offense. The backfield, led by Joe Haro, will be solid. A pair of Pac-10 transfers, Larry Croom (Arizona) and Deon Burnett (Washington State), provide talented depth. The defense has six starters back, topped by end Ahmad Briggs, but its best two players from a year ago, cornerback Kevin Thomas and defensive lineman Anton Palepoi, are in the NFL.
Utah Utes
With eight starters back from a defense that ranked 13th in the nation in scoring a year ago, Utah figures to be hard to push around. Linebacker Sheldon Deckart, defensive tackle Garrett Smith, end Jason Kaufusi and safety Antwoine Sanders are among the conference's best. The question is whether gaping holes at running back and on the offensive line can be adequately filled. Quarterback Lance Rice, the MWC second-highest rated passer last season, returns and his receivers are solid. If running backs Marty Johnson and J.R. Peroulis pack a punch, the Utes will be fighting for the conference title.
Wyoming Cowboys
The Cowboys have won just three games the past two seasons, so coach Vic Koenning surely is feeling some heat. With just six starters back from last year's rotten defense, the 'Pokes will have to score a bunch of points. That means quarterback Casey Bramlet will have to do more than pile up passing yards. He threw for 3,069 yards last season but tossed 20 interceptions with just nine touchdowns. The offensive line is solid and the receivers are outstanding, but the recent suspension of running back Derek Armah after he was arrested for assaulting a police officer doesn't help.
Ted Miller covers college football for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
