A team-by-team look at the story lines from around the Mountain West.

Air Force Falcons
When Air Force leads the nation in rushing and ranks next-to-last in passing, you know the offense is at the top of its game. Senior QB Chance Harridge runs the option as well as anyone in AFA history and scored 22 rushing TD last season -- a NCAA record for a quarterback. With the offense in his capable hands, the team's big concern is on defense, where three new starters in the secondary could be vulnerable. If the Falcons win the MWC, they will have to do it on the road. They travel to BYU, Colorado State and New Mexico.

BYU Cougars
Were Luke Staley and Brandon Doman that good? In one year, the Cougars fell from 1st to 87th in scoring offense, and from 12 wins to just five. Coach Gary Crowton will need to live up to his reputation as an offensive wizard to get BYU back in contention for the conference title, and it all starts with QB play. Matt Berry must improve after being ineffective against good competition last year. The Cougars are optimistic that the defense will be much better thanks to 11 returners with starting experience. The first big test comes Sept. 6 at USC.

Colorado State Rams
Three previous times under Sonny Lubick, the Rams have had a senior returning starter at QB. All three times, the result was a 10-plus win season. In the past at CSU, that was something to be excited about, but any fewer than 10 wins would probably be a disappointment to this team. Seventeen returning starters make goals much larger than another MWC title and Top-25 ranking. The opener versus Colorado could set the pace for the season, but the Rams also have a score to settle with recent nemesis Fresno State in October.

New Mexico Lobos
The Lobos entered last season with questions at running back, and they were answered by freshman DonTrell Moore. But even with Moore's 1,134 rushing yards, UNM still ranked 102nd nationally in total offense. The passing game must do a better job of moving the chains to take pressure off the Lobo defense. But if that unit picks up where it left off in 2002, it may not require a great deal of support. New Mexico allowed just 232 yards per game over its last five, which is the type of resistance that can win a championship.

San Diego State Aztecs
Under first-year head coach Tom Craft, the Aztecs looked much better than their 4-9 record last season would indicate. SDSU had a winning record in Mountain West games, and was only outgained by one of its non-conference opponents (even though it lost all six non-conference games). Craft is replacing two 1,500-yard receivers, but he feels like depth at that position is actually improved. His emphasis this year will be jump starting an anemic running game, so that the defense doesn't spend nearly as much time on the field in 2003.

UNLV Rebels
The reality of replacing your entire starting offensive backfield is usually enough to erase all expectations, but head coach John Robinson has great confidence in what he still has to work with. A committee of tailbacks will run behind three returning starters on the line, and the new QB carries the confidence of having led his team to victory at Colorado State last November. Any shot at bowl eligibility this season rests on four non-conference games that could go either way. The Rebels must win early if they expect to play late.

Utah Utes
It would be easy for the Utes to look back on last season's five losses of eight points or fewer and wonder what might have been. But the fact remains that they went 5-6 and now have a new head coach in Urban Meyer. Even though Ron McBride left good talent behind, don't expect Meyer to utilize it in the same fashion. The 2003 offense will be up-tempo and sometimes without a huddle -- a far cry from the power running game of recent years. If Meyer's track record is any indication, the team's wins and losses should go in a different direction, as well.

Wyoming Cowboys
The Cowboys have won just a single conference game over the last three seasons, but they hope new coach Joe Glenn will resuscitate the program. His first order of business is to shore up one of the worst defenses in college football. Wyoming's offense can put up points, but it tends to finish on the wrong side of some shootouts. QB Casey Bramlet is one of the best in the conference, averaging 316 yards passing with 16 touchdowns in seven Mountain West games last season. With seven starters back on each side, the team should be noticeably better.

Brad Edwards is a researcher for ESPN.