Ohio went 7-6 last year in what was a disappointing season to most Bobcats fans. Ohio returned seven offensive starters from a group that averaged 445 yards per game in 2012. They managed to gain only 379 yards per game last year.
The Akron Zips took a huge step in the right direction in 2013. The Zips football program had been way down in the dumps. From 2010 through 2012, Akron went 1-11 in three consecutive seasons. Terry Bowden’s team jumped to five wins last season.
Bowling Green rolled to a ten-win season last year under Dave Clawson. The team surprised Northern Illinois in the MAC Championship Game thanks to 574 yards of total offense. Despite being the underdog in that game, Bowling Green won 47-27.
Utah State Aggies head coach Matt Wells has reason to smile after this past season. Not only did his team go 7-1 in conference en route to a 9-5 record overall, but he won the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference, earning a spot in the conference title game against then-ranked No. 24 Fresno State.
Their last year in the Mountain West TCU won 11 games. It took them two seasons to reach that total in the Big 12 as things have not gone all that smoothly for the Horned Frogs.
In a relatively newly-formed conference that’s seen plenty of new faces and upheaval, the ECU Pirates are a model of stability – one that’s carried over from the mostly dismantled Conference USA.
The Wyoming Cowboys are coming off of a 5-7 season that saw them finish fourth in the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference. They’re looking to improve upon that showing under new head coach Craig Bohl.
Entering the 2014 college football season, the Fresno State Bulldogs are far and away the favorites for the top spot when it comes to the West Division of the Mountain West Conference.
The New Mexico Lobos went 3-9 in 2013, but the bigger concern is that they only managed to win one conference game—a 45-37 defeat over Air Force.
This season will really test what Mike Gundy has been building in Stillwater. In three of the last 4 season they have won 10 or more games but there is a lot of turnover this year so the question is whether they have been recruiting the kind of depth that will let them reload instead of rebuild.
The Colorado State Rams finished the 2013 college football season as a clear No. 3 seed in the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference, and if we’re being more specific, they were a near finisher at the No. 2 spot ahead of Boise State.
The San Jose Spartans went 6-6 last season finishing third in the West Division of the Mountain West Conference, but the conference as a whole is expected to be down this year, and San Jose is no exception.
The Hawaii Warriors have not been a good football team under head coach Norm Chow. That said, he’s only completed two years with the institution up to this point, and we should see some improvements in Year 3 even if they’re minimal.
The Air Force Falcons walked away 2-10 in 2013, and while you shouldn’t expect them to be a contender for a Mountain West championship—let alone a Mountain Division title—you shouldn’t be surprised when they show improvements during the upcoming college football season.
Just a few months ago, it looked as if head coach Bobby Hauck would have quite the task ahead of him during the 2014 college football season. Despite seeing improvements in 2013, this group could have dealt with motivation issues this upcoming year.
Last year the Red Raiders wilted big time, losing their final 5 regular season games against the better teams in the league before a surprising win against Arizona State.
