Mountain West football predictions are out. How did Boise State fare in voting?
Boise State will end the Mountain West’s era of two divisions as the king of the Mountain Division, according to conference media members.
The Mountain West kicked off football media days Wednesday by releasing its predicted order of finish. The preseason all-conference team will be announced Thursday morning.
Boise State was picked to win its division or a conference title for the 12th year in a row.
The Broncos have been picked to win their division every year since the Mountain West went to a two-division format in 2013. This is the final year of that format. Conference leaders voted in May to eliminate divisions beginning in 2023, and the league shed some light on a new scheduling format earlier this month.
Boise State received 14 first-place votes from Mountain West media members this year. Fresno State was picked to win the West Division for the first time since 2019 after picking up 20 first-place votes.
Air Force, which earned 10 first-place votes, was picked second in the Mountain Division. Defending conference champion Utah State came in third, followed by Colorado State, Wyoming and New Mexico.
San Diego State — last season’s conference runner-up — was picked second in the West Division, followed by San Jose State, Nevada, UNLV and Hawaii.
Boise State went 7-5 last fall, posting its worst record in more than a decade, and the Broncos saw their streak of four straight Mountain West championship game appearances snapped.
The Broncos return the bulk of last year’s starters, though, including quarterback Hank Bachmeier, who is the favorite to win the starting job for a fourth year in a row.
The senior already ranks in the top 10 at Boise State in career passing yards (6,108, No. 7) and touchdown passes (35, No. 10). He posted career highs in completions (252), passing yards (3,079) and passing touchdowns (20) last season despite playing on an injured knee.
Running back George Holani is also back after two injury-plagued years. A knee injury kept him out of most of the 2020 season, which was shortened to seven games because of COVID-19, and a nagging hamstring injury slowed him in the first half of last season. He burst on the scene as a freshman in 2019 with 1,014 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns.
Holani posted three straight 100-yard rushing performances in the second half of last season, and many expect him to be one of the top running backs in the conference this year.
On Monday, Holani was named to the Maxwell Award watch list. The award is presented annually to the best player in college football. Semifinalists for the award will be announced Nov. 1, and three finalists will be unveiled Nov. 22. On Wednesday, he was named to the Doak Walker Award watch list, which goes annually to the best running back in college football.
The Broncos return six offensive linemen with starting experience, including left tackle John Ojukwu, who is expected to start for the fifth year in a row. He moved from right to left tackle in 2020.
Defensively, the team is led up front by fifth-year senior defensive tackle Scott Matlock. On the back end, the Broncos are led by 6-foot-4 safety JL Skinner. Both have a strong chance to hear their names called in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Boise State opens this season Sept. 3 at Oregon State.
