College Football Projections-WAC

There'll be no video tonight, but there is a set of predictions for the WAC.

The WAC has had teams crash the BCS party two years in a row. Boise State capped an undefeated season in 2006 with an upset win over my Oklahoma Sooners (boo, hoo). Last season, the Hawaii Warriors dominated their opposition in cruising to a 12-0 regular season record. They were then throttled in the Sugar Bowl by a very good Georgia team. Will a WAC team crash the BCS for the third year in a row? Doubtful.

There is strength at the top of the conference. Fresno State returns 17 starters and is favored by some to make a run at the BCS. I think they'll be pretty good. However, so will Boise State. And, the road to the BCS (or at least a conference championship) goes through the blue turf in Boise. In college football, it's not just how good you are, but who you play, where you play them, and when you play them. The schedule works against Fresno. I pick Boise State to win the conference based on their home game with the team from the San Joaquin Valley.

The Hawaii Warriors will slip this year. It would be hard for them to top last season ever again. Plus, coach June Jones took the money from SMU and ran to Highland Park. Still, Hawaii should finish with a winning record, finish 3rd in the conference, and qualify for a bowl game, most likely the Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu.

New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech are improving, and will be tough games for anyone in this conference. San Jose State and Nevada will be right behind, and can both have a good season with some luck. Utah State and Idaho are both in for long seasons. This conference has defined top-heavy in recent years, but is slowly improving.

Projected Finish:
Boise State 11-1, 8-0
Fresno State 7-5, 6-2
Hawaii 7-6, 5-3
New Mexico State 6-6, 5-3
Louisiana Tech 6-6, 4-4
Nevada 5-7, 4-4
San Jose State 5-7, 3-5
Utah State 1-11, 1-7
Idaho 1-11, 0-8


Next: Conference USA

NCAA Projections: WAC

The Western Athletic Conference lives up to its reputation as a high-scoring, high-flying league. The members are different from a previous incarnation, but the play is the same. This league gave us Boise State, who we last saw in the end zone celebrating a BCS bowl win over Oklahoma. It is also the home of giant-killers such as Fresno State and Hawaii. This league doesn't have the TV drawing power of the Pac-10, but plays some pretty good football at the top of its ranks.

Last year was the year of the Bronco, as Boise State capped an undefeated season with an entertaining 43-42 win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. This year's Broncos will be pretty good, but will be hard pressed to repeat with an undefeated season. For one, they have to go to Hawaii, where the Warriors are loaded and prepared for a possible undefeated season of their own.

Hawaii is the toughest road trip in all of college football. Not only is it a long trip for one football game, but there are many distractions for visitors to the islands. Worst of all, for opponents, the Hawaii Warriors are a very good football team. With QB Colt Brennan in charge, this could be the best Hawaii team ever. I'm on the bandwagon, as I expect Hawaii to go undefeated, and to be in the mix for a BCS bowl bid. This team is so good, big-time schools no longer wish to go to the islands, as they run the strong risk of coming back with a big L. Hence, the appearance of Northern Colorado and Charleston Southern on the schedule. Kudos to Washington for keeping their date with Hawaii in the islands.

Fresno State stands to be pretty good, as well. Once again, they'll play anyone, any time, anywhere, and have trips scheduled to Texas A&M and Oregon. I have them losing those games, but they won't be blowouts at all. Their only conference loss will be to Hawaii.

This conference is weak at the bottom. Idaho, Utah State, and Louisiana Tech should be competitive against each other, and not many other teams.

The middle of this conference is improving. Nevada looks to slip back to the middle of the pack, but has been pretty good in recent years. San Jose State is coming off a win in the New Mexico Bowl. New Mexico State is improving under coach Hal Mumme.

Projected WAC Standings:

Hawaii 12-0 8-0
Fresno State 9-3 7-1
Boise State 10-2 6-2
San Jose State 6-6 5-3
New Mexico State 6-7 4-4
Nevada 5-7 3-5
Idaho 2-10 2-6
Utah State 1-11 1-7
Louisiana Tech 1-11 0-8