Mountain West Conference 2024 Preview: NCAA Football Predictions & Team Insights

Let’s delve into one of my beloved G5 conferences in the nation, the Mountain West Conference. This league boasts one of the largest preseason favorites to clinch the entire conference. However, could there be other teams vying for this title?

Although the Boise State Broncos are not officially ranked, they are widely favored to emerge as champions in the MWC and are considered approximately 28th nationwide. At first glance, it appears that no other teams are poised to challenge them for the title, but a significant amount of football still remains. Last year, the teams were highly competitive with each other, all 12 ranking between 6-2 and 2-6 in conference play. The UNLV Rebels fell to Boise in the MW Championship, a match-up likely to be repeated this year.

Check out our full NCAA Football 2024 Preview!

Odds to Win Mountain West Championship

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• Boise State -150
• UNLV +350
• Fresno State +600
• Air Force +1200
• Wyoming +1600
• Colorado State +1800
• Hawaii +3300
• San Diego State +5000
• Utah State +5000
• San Jose State +5000
• Nevada +15000
• New Mexico +20000

Boise State is undeniably a frontrunner in their conference, only falling behind Liberty in the C-USA (-225) as the most likely to win. The Broncos are on a quest to secure a back-to-back victory in the Mountain West Championship and make it to their third consecutive MW Championship game. The realignments did not affect this conference, resulting in fewer unexpected twists compared to other leagues.

Let’s delve in to discover a Mountain West Champion!

Check out our Big 12 Conference 2024 Preview!

Mountain West is Boise’s to Lose

Following Spencer Danielson’s successful leadership, which resulted in a 3-1 record and a Mountain West Title for the Broncos, Boise State assigned him the full-time role for the 2024 season. He took over from Andy Avalos in early November. Danielson managed to steer the Broncos back to success and clinched the conference title. However, they were defeated by UCLA in the LA Bowl.

Maddux Madsen, a sophomore, secured the starting QB position over USC Transfer Malachi Nelson, and he has an excellent supporting team. Running Back Ashton Jeanty achieved over 1,200 yards on the ground with an additional 500 yards in the air, and he scored 19 touchdowns. The team is bringing back four out of their five offensive linemen and boosted their receiver line-up by adding a few transfers. Although their defense may not be spectacular, they are not lacking in talent. With Defensive End Ahmed Hassanein tallying 12.5 sacks during the previous season and Andrew Simpson leading the linebackers, they have a solid team.

The issue I have with Boise is that their four most challenging games will all be away games.

Boise plays:

• @ Oregon
• @ UNLV
• @ Wyoming
• @ Colorado State

They are steering clear of Fresno State, but at the same time, they are welcoming the overlooked teams of the Pac-12, namely Washington State and Oregon State. Boise is the host for all the lower-tier teams of the Mountain West, and their most challenging matches will be away games, which could prove intimidating in this league.

Who Can Hold Off Broncos?

UNLV Rebels

The Rebels appear to be the commonly agreed upon favorite to potentially upset the strongly favored Broncos. Following a season with nine wins, UNLV’s promising freshman quarterback transferred to USC. In response, UNLV recruited two senior standouts to vie for his position. Regardless of who wins the role, they will have the support of returning receiver Ricky White III, who recorded an impressive 81-1,386-7 score last year and is eager to avenge the previous defeat to Boise.

There are undoubtedly uncertainties about the UNLV defense, but Head Coach Barry Doom has bolstered the team with 10 transfers on defense, including Safety Jalen Catalon from Texas. If this defense can devise a strategy to prevent conceding 28.6 points per game as they did last year, the Rebels might pose a challenge to Boise. Their match this season will be in Las Vegas, providing the Rebels with home field advantage. UNLV will have home advantage against their two most formidable conference adversaries, but they face a tough hurdle with an early season game against #22 Kansas.

Fresno State Bulldogs

Following the promotion of former assistant Tim Skipper to interim coach for the 2024 season, the Bulldogs are aiming for a start as successful as the previous year. Despite beginning with an impressive 8-1 record, they missed out on the Mountain West Title game due to three consecutive losses in November. The team boasts numerous returning starters, including offensive players Mikey Keene (QB) and Malik Sherrod (RB), who are accompanied by receivers Jalen Moss, Mac Dalena, and Josiah Freeman. In addition, four out of five offensive linemen are returning from the previous season. There is no doubt the offense is well-prepared for the upcoming season.

The defense had difficulty stopping the run last year, surrendering 200 yards on the ground in MW play. However, the addition of USC transfer Korey Foreman this year should help improve that situation. Furthermore, with CB Cam Lockridge returning from injury after participating in only 4 games last year, there should be notable improvement in the secondary. While Fresno doesn’t have to face Boise State in conference play, they do have challenging games ahead, including trips to Michigan, UNLV, and Air Force – arguably the toughest games on their schedule.

Colorado State Rams

I’m really bullish on the Colorado State Rams this season, and here’s why. Their quarterback, Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, who threw for 3,400 yards and 22 touchdowns last season, has decided to stay with the Rams despite lucrative six-figure NIL Deals. It’s obvious that he has a lot of trust in Head Coach Jay Norvell and is committed to the team. I’m all in with him. In addition, Tory Horton, a standout receiver, is back for his final season. The Rams also have 3 Offensive Linemen returning, as well as their Running Back, Justin Marshall, who demonstrated great strength in his last few games.

The Rams have six starters returning on defense and boast one of the top secondaries in the conference. They kick off the season in Austin against #4 Texas and will face their rival, Colorado, early in the season. I anticipate the Rams defeating the Buffalos this year and dominating in the Mountain West. This season, Colorado State avoids matches against Boise and UNLV, but they will face Air Force and Fresno on the road. Given their potential, I predict a 2-3 loss Colorado State team reaching the Mountain West Championship if they maintain their performance.

Final Mountain West Predictions

• #1 Boise State
• #2 Fresno State
• #3 Colorado State
• #4 Air Force
• #5 UNLV
• #6 Wyoming
• #7 Hawaii
• #8 San Diego State
• #9 Utah State
• #10 San Jose State
• #11 New Mexico
• #12 Nevada

Check out our SEC 2024 Preview!

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For additional NCAA Football excitement, refer to the following pages.

• NCAA Football 2024 Preview
• ACC 2024 Preview
• SEC 2024 Preview
• Big Ten Preview
• Big 12 Preview
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