On paper, the MWC Mountain football race should play out as it has in recent years: with Boise State the victor. The Broncos have won four titles in a row and five of the past seven, and SP+ projects them far ahead of the field.
There's been just enough change to make you wonder, though. BSU is making a coaching change for just the second time in 15 years, and the two teams projected next best -- Craig Bohl's Wyoming and Troy Calhoun's Air Force -- have quite a bit more than usual to offer from an experience standpoint. Can the Pokes and Falcons take a run at the champs? And can new head coaches elsewhere in the division make an early stir?
Every week through the summer, Bill Connelly will preview another division from the Group of 5 and Power 5 exclusively for ESPN+, ultimately including all 130 FBS teams. The previews will include 2020 breakdowns, 2021 previews and a brief history of each team in one handy chart. The series has thus far covered the Conference USA East and West, as well as the MAC East and West.
Jump to a team: New Mexico | Utah State | Colorado State | Air Force | Wyoming | Boise State
New Mexico Lobos
Longtime Rocky Long assistant Danny Gonzales brought the 3-3-5 defense back to Albuquerque -- and brought Long back to run it! -- and after an 0-5 start the Lobos won their last two games of 2020.