My Mountain West football predictions
Here’s how I filled out my ballot for the Mountain West football media predictions. I’m with the majority in picking Boise State to win the Mountain Division and one of three voters taking a flyer on Nevada in the West. The numbers in parentheses are the place the panel voted the teams.
The list of players that follows are my choices for the preseason all-conference team (chosen from a short list provided by the Mountain West).
MOUNTAIN DIVISION
1 Boise State (1)
2 Utah State (2)
3 Colorado State (3)
4 Wyoming (4)
5 Air Force (6)
6 New Mexico (5)
WEST DIVISION
1 Nevada (3)
2 Fresno State (1)
3 San Diego State (2)
4 San José State (5)
5 Hawai’i (6)
6 UNLV (4)
QUARTERBACK
1 #16 Chuckie Keeton – QB – Utah State
RUNNING BACK
1 #27 Jay Ajayi – RB – Boise State
2 #7 Joey Iosefa – RB – Hawai’i
WIDE RECEIVER
1 #81 Devante Davis – WR – UNLV
2 #3 Josh Harper – WR – Fresno State
TIGHT END
1 #86 Kivon Cartwright – TE – Colorado State
OFFENSIVE LINE
1 #74 Kevin Whimpey – OL – Utah State
2 #73 Cody Wichmann – OL – Fresno State
3 #66 LaMar Bratton – OL – New Mexico
4 #71 Ben Clarke – OL – Hawai’i
5 #51 Ty Sambrailo – OL – Colorado State
DEFENSIVE LINE
1 #53 Brock Hekking – DE – Nevada
2 #55 Eddie Yarbrough – DE – Wyoming
3 #3 Travis Raciti – DL – San José State
4 #90 Kennedy Tulimasealii – DE – Hawai’i
LINEBACKER
1 #1 Jordan Stanton – LB – Wyoming
2 #40 Max Morgan – LB – Colorado State
3 #31 Ejiro Ederaine – LB – Fresno State
DEFENSIVE BACK
1 #13 Derron Smith – DB – Fresno State
2 #5 Donte Deayon – DB – Boise State
3 #21 Brian Suite – DB – Utah State
4 #17 Kenneth Penny – DB – UNLV
PLACEKICKER
1 #47 Jared Roberts – PK – Colorado State
PUNTER
1 #29 Scott Harding – P/RS – Hawai’i
RETURN SPECIALIST
1 #24 Carlos Wiggins – RS – New Mexico
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
1 #16 Chuckie Keeton – QB – Utah State
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
1 #53 Brock Hekking – DE – Nevada
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
1 #24 Carlos Wiggins – RS – New Mexico

I was wondering where those three first-place votes Nevada received came from.
Rolo says mahalo!
Hi Dave,
Hope you are right. After watching practices and the spring scrimmage, I see some problems with the offensive line especially at the edge with the tackles and the kicking game (point after) although punting was not allowed. Receivers looked good but quarterback…well. I was impressed with the defensive ends and linebackers.
I predict 3 wins based on the current starting lineup. Wins against Northern Iowa, Wyoming and UNLV.
Aloha
Dwight
Aloha
Dwight
Good bye, Chow, in advance.
Looks like you’ll get the last laugh, Reardon (were you at Eggs -n- Things Ala Moana last, uh, Tuesday or so, by the way?)
They should allow any player who wants to transfer, transfer, no problems.
And to top it all off? They will probably have 1970s green and white with rainbow trim to play e’ry game. Move nights ARE back late August through December! Join the common sensed.
No I was not at Eggs -n- Things.
Pretty non thought out all conference team in my opinion. Biased in some areas and head scratching in others..
I like Brian Suite but kind of biased when you leave out 3 of Utah St top defensive players from 2012. Zach Vigil (124 tackles in 2013 12.5 for loss, Kyler Fackrell (projected 1st or 2nd rounder for 2015 draft) and BJ Larsen were left off team.
then Boise gets picked to win their division and Jeremy Ioane gets left off when he was a returning all conference pick and leader of that d.
Joey Iosefa hasn’t been healthy ever in his career. Another home town pick considering Donnell Pumphrey was a highlight reel as a FR on a team that runs the ball effectively every season. Don’t think Iosefa had come close to 1000k yards yet and now we’re going he can avoid injury all year.. hmmm
Kennedy is unproven and getting picked over 2 time proven commodity in Tyeler Davison. Hype over proven. I don’t think KT is at Beau Yap or BJ Larsen level yet in his young career.
Usually teams who win get more selections than teams who finish at the bottom. I don’t even know how Ben Clarke is an all conference guy when this will be his first season playing left tackle. Unless Dave knows some secret no one else knows about with that type of big adjustment. If Dave had selected Hawaii higher in the poll, I would understand his optimism with Hawaii players on 1st team. But to pick Hawaii near the bottom, it completely contradicts the amount of first team kids selected because I can’t recall Hawaii ever having more than 1 in MWC while finishing at the bottom. Then Dave picks a 4 win Nevada team to win the division and only selecting 1 first team player. What am I missing? Or not smoking.
Scott Harding is well deserved to be pre season all conference
Here are a couple of questions for Dave: How many of your top three teams in each division do you think could beat top 5 teams in either divion of the SEC? How many of the player picks do you think could start for the top five teams in each division of the SEC?
Dave were u at Club Evergreen on Kapiolani last night?
Critical Reader: I don’t know. All I know is even though some say the SEC is down a bit this year it is still a much better conference than the Mountain West.
Manoa Mist: No, I was not at Evergreen last night.
Warriors probably will not win more than six but they will be a much improved team. I’m expected at least two wins during first half of season games against Wyoming, Colorado, Rice and Northern Iowa (all should be toss ups). I also think that we could have a six game streak against Colorado State, San Jose State and UNLV. Throw in a season opening surprise against Washington or season ending upset of Fresno State, and you’ll have the six wins that I project.
The problem for UH will be if they can’t win at least five. Fewer will show improvement but not fast enough to break the deteriorating image that recruits are forming about the Warriors. Under Jones we had an image as a scoring machine … even if we didn’t win, we’d be in most games! Now we’re in most games but the offensive’s improvement is lost in the terrible records that have been suffered over the past two years. We need to regain our image of offensive potency this coming season and improve the defense enough to hold opponents to only 25 points per game. Last year is lost but we certainly had good chances to win games against Fresno, UNLV, San Diego State and Wyoming. That would have improved our record to 5-7 and on the rise. Picking UH for last place this year is safe for the writers … but if you look a little deeper, anything short of five victories will be another step backwards.
Just my opinion.
Keith
Sorry … A three game streak in the late season against Colorado State, San Jose State and UNLV. I got a littler carried away there … Although a six game streak to finish out the regular season would be great!
Well, by gum, where DO you go eat, Dave Reardon? Inquiring minds want to know.
BACK TO THE WARRIORS . . . . AND ONLY THE WARRIORS.
“This is the only deal.” — Sonny Crockett, Miami Vice (motion picture)
Hope you Rainbo Warriors enjoyed that 2007 season. You’ll never have anything like that again.
This will be another disaster season for the “Rainbow Warriors”.