Vorel: After two weeks, MWC is up for grabs

[joshvanklomp]

While the Mountain West's early-season stumbles reflect poorly on the league, they also open the door for a more successful debut season than Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl probably expected.

Are seven wins outside the realm of possibility? Certainly not.

Eight wins aren't impossible either, but those dreams should likely only fill the minds of brown and gold-clad wishful thinkers.

But in the league's current landscape, who are we to say what can and can't happen? The giants are gone, and more than ever any team can win -- or lose -- any given game.

http://trib.com/sports/college/wyoming/vorel-after-two-weeks-mountain-west-is-up-for-grabs/article_60846db8-2dcc-5614-bd9d-d782b7cdc4c5.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[J-Rod]

CSU was a supposed giant, right up until Boise State whipped the snot out of them. Always be wary of making too much of wins over bad teams.

 

[fromolwyoming]

BSU seems to do well for 3 quarters, and then falls off. Jay Ajayi, their RB, is VERY good, but is their only consistent weapon.

The Sheep beat up the fluffs, which is about on par with beating UMass or a FCS school not named NDSU. Meaning, it wasn't that good of a win and BSU proved that.

USU, seemed to have fallen off a cliff. Their defense, provided its not against Tennessee, does okay, against Idaho State. But Keeton is not the same as he was before. And it's painfully obvious.

Air Force, a single minded defensive coordinator (refused to stop loading the box despite Kirk shredding them through the air, and they paid for it), and no real identity on offense yet. Plus, Howdy Doody can suck it.

UNM, Locksley screwed them pretty big, but Bob Davie, while making some strides on offense, is still having trouble (like losing to UTEP). I think UNM regrets losing Rocky Long now.

Fresno, well, I knew they would have major drop off in offensive power, but now their offense is just offensive. Same with their defense. DeRuyter, while at Air Force, had some pretty stingy defenses. but now, his defenses are about as threatening as a 2 month old puppy.

SDSU, if they could become more consistent on offense, should be the favorite in the West. Probably the most consistent team over there and possibly the best looking one.

UNR, so long as Fajardo stays healthy, they should be alright. It also looks like their defense is more of a defense this year. Should go bowling.

UNLV, yeah. Every 14 years or so, they have a good team, and then go back to sucking. Bowl? 50/50 on that.

Hawaii, maybe look at bringing June Jones back? Because, they may upset a team, or give them a heart attack, but not much else.

SJSU, probably miss Fales, and maybe as much as Fresno misses Carr.

 

[ragtimejoe1]

I don't disagree with the article at all and something I've been banging the drum about for awhile now. Still, I wish we had a chance to finish respectfully in the MWC because we are good not because the MWC is one of the worst conferences in the country.

That is no way a slight against the current POKES team. I like them and am excited about the future....one where we challenge the MWC because we are good.

My comment is more about how sad the conference as a whole has become.

 

[djm19]

Unfortunately, the divide between P5 and everyone else will become more and more apparent.

 

[wyopig]

I don't disagree with the article at all and something I've been banging the drum about for awhile now. Still, I wish we had a chance to finish respectfully in the MWC because we are good not because the MWC is one of the worst conferences in the country.

That is no way a slight against the current POKES team. I like them and am excited about the future....one where we challenge the MWC because we are good.

My comment is more about how sad the conference as a whole has become.

I don't mind if we win the MWC in a down year. It only helps recruiting. Plus, everyone won't be down forever. We play teams with some decent national recognition. The MWC is certainly one of the more highly regarded G5 conferences, if not the most highly regarded.

The Pokes need to take advantage of a down year in the conference to make a move up the standings. Showing great progress and competing for MWC championships is a good selling point to recruits. That, and look at what Boise State was able to do when they were in the WAC. There's no denying how good they were.

Speaking of Boise, after watching them a couple times, I'm more and more excited about the opportunity to play them this year. That RB really is their only real threat, and I'm confident that we can really slow him down. I'll almost guarantee that we'll give Boise our best shot since the year they beat Oklahoma and we almost beat them in Laramie.