The Mountain West preseason poll was released on Wednesday. No surprise, reigning conference champion Boise State sat atop the list with 35 of the 39 first-place votes.
The Broncos will again be a force to be reckoned with after winning the last two Mountain West titles, but they won’t be the best team after running back Ashton Jeanty left for the Las Vegas Raiders. For all their success, Boise State won only one title in the five years prior to Jeanty’s breakout.
Boise State is a heavy favorite at -130 on FanDuel Sportsbook. UNLV and San Jose State are the only other teams with better than +1000 odds. However, college football remains unpredictable.
Mountain West Preseason Poll
UNLV
The Rebels are fresh off 20 wins in two years and played for a Mountain West title in 2024. The program gave Boise State some of its toughest games, including a 29-24 battle in Las Vegas ultimately decided by Jeanty. The roster lost plenty of pieces after the departure of coach Barry Odom to Purdue, but UNLV reloaded with blue-chip talent under new coach Dan Mullen.
The program brought in the Mountain West’s top transfer class and have plenty of elite level talents with impressive pedigree, including former five-stars Justin Flowe and Denver Harris. However, UNLV’s title chances could come down to the quarterback battle between transfers Alex Orji (Michigan) and Anthony Colandrea (Virginia). There’s certainly enough talent to win.
Colorado State
The Rams were closer to contention than most realize last season after a five-game winning streak in conference play. A tight loss to Fresno State late in the year ultimately doomed them, but CSU is bringing back many key players that will give them a chance to contend.
The headliner is quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, who has thrown for more than 6,000 yards over the past two seasons. He cleared 300 yards passing in each of his final three games. The vast majority of the offense is homegrown and experienced. Now, they’ve got to physically meet the moment.
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San Jose State
Frankly, it’s incredible how quickly first-year coach Ken Niumatalolo built a winner at one of the tougher jobs in the Group of Five. San Jose State went 5-2 in its first seven games, with both losses coming by one score. The run-and-shoot offense thrived, especially when Walker Eget established himself as the surefire starting quarterback.
However, like Colorado State, the Spartans struggled when they met real physicality. They lost games against physical Fresno State, Boise State and UNLV by double-digits. Against the Broncos, SJSU mustered only 37 yards on the ground. Niumatalolo ran a physical option system at Navy, and so there’s reason to believe that San Jose State is close to a breakthrough on the front, especially with numerous starters returning on defense.
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