Mountain West

MATT HAYES' TAKES

Colorado State coach Sonny Lubick can preach all he wants about the running game, but if QB Justin Holland can't take care of the ball and be more efficient, the Rams will struggle again.... Check out Wyoming NG Dusty Hoffschneider. He's 5-10,257 pounds (that's being generous), but he plays like a 6-6,330-pounder. He's a fire hydrant of a run stuffer who goes hard every play.... A quick scouting report on new Utah QB Brian Johnson, from a guy who probably knows something about him: "He has incredible poise;' says Florida coach Urban Meyer, who led the Utes to the Fiesta Bowl last season.... RBs Lonta Hobbs and Robert Merrill are a fantastic combo, but if TCU coach-defensive guru Gary Patterson doesn't figure out a way to stop teams, the Horned Frogs will fall further in a significantly tougher league.... Easy, BYU fans. Bronco Mendenhall is the right man for the program. Just enjoy fabulous WR Todd Watkins for one more five- or six-win season, and things will begin to turn around in 2006.... The more I think about our pick of Air Force as No. 7 in the league, the more nervous I get. An experienced offensive line and a motivated coach usually translate to wins.

UNIT
RANKINGS

                                    OFFENSE

PROJECTED                         Wide
FINISH              Backfield   receivers   Line   Overall

1. Utah                 8           8        6        8
2. Wyoming              7           4        3        5
3. TCU                  2           5        5        3
4. Colorado State       3           3        4        2
5. New Mexico           5           6        1        4
6. BYU                  1           2        2        1
7. Air Force            4           9        7        7
8. San Diego St.        6           1        8        6
9. UNLV                 9           7        9        9

                                 DEFENSE

PROJECTED                                Defensive
FINISH              Line   Linebackers     backs     Overall

1. Utah              4          3            4          3
2. Wyoming           5          7            2          5
3. TCU               1          2            5          2
4. Colorado State    9          5            3          6
5. New Mexico        2          4            1          1
6. BYU               3          1            9          4
7. Air Force         8          6            7          7
8. San Diego St.     6          8            8          8
9. UNLV              7          9            6          9

PROJECTED           Special              Schedule
FINISH               teams    Coaching   strength

1. Utah                3         6          6
2. Wyoming             1         2          2
3. TCU                 2         3          8
4. Colorado State      9         1          3
5. New Mexico          5         5          5
6. BYU                 7         7          4
7. Air Force           6         4          7
8. San Diego St.       4         8          1
9. UNLV                8         9          9

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COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning