| AccuScore Conference Previews - Mountain West |
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The Mountain West isn’t a BCS conference, but its teams sure do like to try and crash the party. Every year pundits wonder which team outside of the big six conferences will make a run a major bowl game, and every year the Mountain West has a strong candidate. This year’s favorite to play the role of darkhorse is BYU. Bronco Mendenhall’s squad is currently riding a 16 game conference winning streak, and 10 straight overall. The Cougars will feature eight returning starters from a team that ranked in the top 25 in total offense last season including a real star at quarterback. Max Hall shined in his first season as a starter throwing for 3,848 yards and 26 touchdowns. The junior will be joined in the backfield by bruising running back Harvey Unga who quietly had a spectacular season in 2007 rushing for 1,227 yards with 17 total touchdowns. The defense lost several key players to graduation, but this program has consistently shown the ability to replace and reload from within. BYU however will not go unchallenged for conference supremacy, and will face strong teams in Utah and TCU. The Cougars will have to travel on the road to face both squads. All three schools could push for 10 win seasons, and if one can run the table it will likely find itself in the coveted BCS. The annual season ending showdown between BYU and Utah could have huge national implications that would befit the stature of a major conference. The Mountain West has shown the ability to beat bigger schools consistently going 9-10 as a whole against BCS schools last year including wins over Notre Dame, Louisville, Virginia, and UCLA (twice). It also went 4-1 in bowl games. Clearly, the Mountain West has proven its worth on the football field. Team on the Rise: New Mexico Bottom Feeders: San Diego State, Colorado State Trackback(0)
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Jonathan Lee AccuScore Analyst
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