With a bevy of talent returning on both sides of the ball, despite a head coaching change, the media has picked Fresno State to win the West Division in the Mountain West ahead of the upcoming football season.
The Mountain West announced the preseason poll at its annual media days in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
Fresno State received 20 first-place votes in the West Division and 160 points overall.
Rival San Diego State was picked to finish second in the division with the remaining eight first place votes and 148 total points.
Fresno State was last picked to finish first in 2019, but the Bulldogs did not live up to the preseason expectations. That season was the last year of Head Coach Jeff Tedford’s first stint, and he led the ‘Dogs to a 4-8 record before stepping down due to health concerns.
On the other side of the conference, Boise State was once again picked to win the Mountain Division.
The Broncos have been predicted to win their division each of the last nine seasons and received 14 first-place votes.
The high expectations placed on Fresno State is expected given the number of returning players to Bulldog Stadium.
Led by quarterback Jake Haener, Fresno State’s offense also returns running back Jordan Mims and wide receivers Jalen Cropper and Josh Kelly.
The defense is led by safety Evan Williams, defensive end David Perales and linebacker Levelle Bailey.
Last year the Bulldogs finished the season with a 10-3 record, highlighted by a 31-24 win in the PUBG Mobile New Mexico Bowl over UTEP. San Diego State won the conference with a 12-2 overall record.
Mountain Division
Rank Team (first-place votes) Points
- Boise State (14) 151
- Air Force (10) 136
- Utah State (3) 122
- Colorado State (1) 90
- Wyoming 60
- New Mexico 29
West Division
Rank Team (first-place votes) Points
- Fresno State (20) 160
- San Diego State (8) 148
- San Jose State 105
- Nevada 66
- UNLV 58
- Hawaii 51
