The Mountain West predicted order of finish is out. How did Boise State fare in voting?
The Mountain West opened media days in Las Vegas with the release of its predicted order of finish Wednesday, and Boise State was picked to win the Mountain Division or a conference title for the 11th year in a row.
The Broncos have made four consecutive appearances in the conference championship game, including last season when they fell to San Jose State, which won its first Mountain West title in program history. Boise State has been picked to win its division every year since the league went to a two-division format in 2013, and it has won four conference championships since 2011.
Boise State received 23 of 25 first-place votes this year in the conference media poll. Wyoming was picked to finish second and earned two first-place votes. Air Force was picked to finish third, followed by Colorado State, Utah State and New Mexico.
Nevada was picked to win the West Division with 19 first-place votes. Defending conference champion San Jose State earned five first-place votes and was picked to finish second. San Diego State was picked to finish third, followed by Fresno State, even though the Bulldogs picked up one first-place vote. Hawaii was picked to finish fifth in the West, followed by UNLV.
In a season that was shortened to seven games last fall because of COVID-19, Boise State went 5-2, but the team voted not to play in a bowl game because of the pandemic.
The Broncos have the bulk of last year’s roster back, including eight super seniors, who took the NCAA up on its offer of an extra year of eligibility, and quarterback Hank Bachmeier, who is set to begin his third season as the starter — assuming he fends off USC transfer Jack Sears in fall camp.
After joining the team last year, Sears looked impressive in his debut as the starter — racking up 280 passing yards and four total touchdowns against Air Force — but he suffered an apparent head injury on the first drive of the Broncos’ game the following week against BYU, and he missed the rest of the season.
Running back George Holani looks like he’s back to full health after a knee injury he sustained last fall at Air Force derailed the rest of his season. Holani burst onto the scene as a freshman when he racked up 1,014 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns.
The Broncos are likely going to have to go through San Jose State or Nevada to win a conference title. The Spartans return 19 starters from last year’s squad, including quarterback Nick Starkel — who joined the team after stops at Texas A&M and Arkansas — and 2020 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, defensive end Cade Hall, who led the conference last year with 10 sacks.
Nevada has plenty of firepower back on offense, including quarterback Carson Strong, who led the conference last season with 2,858 passing yards and 27 touchdowns through the air and is getting preseason hype as the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He has a talented pair of wide receivers to target in Romeo Doubs and Dante Wright, and the Wolf Pack added former four-star receiver Marquis Spiker this season when he transferred from Washington.
This story was originally published July 21, 2021 at 9:14 AM.
