Conference Breakdown: Mountain West
5 things to know about the Mountain West
Biggest game: Boise State at Air Force, Nov. 25
Players to always watch: The MWC returns three of the country's top 10 rushing-receiving producers: Boise State's Jeremy McNichols, SDSU's Donnell Pumphrey, and Wyoming's Brian Hill.
Team nobody wants to play: New Mexico
Coach who really needs wins: Fresno State's expectations are much higher than the last two seasons, and Tim DeRuyer is the conference's highest-paid coach.
Don't be surprised if ... The Aztecs start slow, then cruise ... again.
Bill Connelly's Power Rankings
Tier 1
Boise State
"I was wrong about BSU last year," Bill writes below. "Can a more experienced team hit the standard?"
San Diego State
SDSU has a chance to establish itself as a long-term mid-major power.
Tier 2
Air Force
The Falcons and their fussy, underrated coach should win big again.
Tier 3
Colorado State
CSU is investing big in its football future, but 2016's a retooling year.
Tier 4
San Jose State
SJSU's big-time recruiting is gonna pay off big at some point soon.
UNLV
A former high school coach passed every test in year one. Now do it again.
Tier 5
Wyoming
The Cowboys have improved only once in 10 years, but Craig Bohl's taking no shortcuts.
Hawaii
Click to gawk at the September travel schedule, stay to read about a tough rebuild.
