PiRate Ratings College Basketball–Friday, March 3, 2023

Friday’s PiRate Ratings Spreads

Home	Visitor	Spread
Ball St.	Toledo	-3.7
Belmont	Indiana St.	-2.3
Bradley	Northern Iowa	9.4
Buffalo	Miami (O)	7.1
BYU	Portland	7.2
Chattanooga	VMI	11.8
Colorado St.	New Mexico	-3.0
Denver	North Dakota	-0.7
Drake	Murray St.	10.0
Hampton	Monmouth	1.8
Kent St.	Akron	5.6
Longwood	Campbell	4.6
Mercer	The Citadel	5.6
Morehead St.	Southeast Missouri St.	1.4
Northern Illinois	Eastern Michigan	6.3
Ohio	Bowling Green	9.8
Radford	Winthrop	3.3
Saint Louis	Dayton	-1.2
Sam Houston St.	Abilene Christian	10.7
San Francisco	Pacific	5.4
Seattle	UT Arlington	7.6
Southern Illinois	Missouri St.	1.2
Southern Utah	Cal Baptist	6.1
Tennessee Tech	UT-Martin	-1.9
Tulane	East Carolina	10.3
UMKC	Omaha	2.0
UNC Asheville	Charleston Southern	8.6
USC Upstate	Gardner Webb	-4.3
Utah Tech	Grand Canyon	-0.9
Utah Valley	Stephen F. Austin	5.5
Western Michigan	Central Michigan	3.5

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Friday’s PiRate Ratings

#	Team	PiRate	Conference
1	Alabama	120.3	Southeastern
2	Houston	120.1	American Athletic
3	Tennessee	118.9	Southeastern
4	UCLA	118.6	Pac-12
5	Connecticut	117.7	Big East
6	Kansas	117.0	Big 12
7	Gonzaga	117.0	West Coast
8	Arizona	116.5	Pac-12
9	Purdue	116.4	Big Ten
10	Texas	116.4	Big 12
11	Baylor	115.6	Big 12
12	Creighton	115.3	Big East
13	Marquette	115.0	Big East
14	Arkansas	114.7	Southeastern
15	Saint Mary’s	114.6	West Coast
16	Xavier	114.4	Big East
17	TCU	113.8	Big 12
18	Kansas St.	113.6	Big 12
19	West Virginia	113.4	Big 12
20	Indiana	113.2	Big Ten
21	Maryland	113.1	Big Ten
22	Kentucky	113.1	Southeastern
23	San Diego St.	113.1	Mountain West
24	Iowa	112.7	Big Ten
25	Auburn	112.6	Southeastern
26	Texas A&M	112.5	Southeastern
27	Illinois	112.3	Big Ten
28	Iowa St.	112.2	Big 12
29	Michigan St.	112.2	Big Ten
30	Duke	112.1	Atlantic Coast
31	Rutgers	112.0	Big Ten
32	Memphis	111.9	American Athletic
33	Utah St.	111.8	Mountain West
34	North Carolina	111.8	Atlantic Coast
35	Miami (Fla)	111.7	Atlantic Coast
36	Providence	111.7	Big East
37	Virginia	111.4	Atlantic Coast
38	USC	111.4	Pac-12
39	Florida Atlantic	111.4	Conference USA
40	Boise St.	111.3	Mountain West
41	Michigan	110.9	Big Ten
42	Texas Tech	110.9	Big 12
43	Oklahoma St.	110.8	Big 12
44	Oregon	110.7	Pac-12
45	North Carolina St.	110.6	Atlantic Coast
46	Mississippi St.	110.3	Southeastern
47	Northwestern	110.1	Big Ten
48	Florida	109.9	Southeastern
49	Penn St.	109.9	Big Ten
50	Ohio St.	109.9	Big Ten
51	Missouri	109.8	Southeastern
52	New Mexico	109.7	Mountain West
53	Nevada	109.5	Mountain West
54	Villanova	109.3	Big East
55	UAB	109.3	Conference USA
56	Oklahoma	109.3	Big 12
57	Cincinnati	109.2	American Athletic
58	Colorado	109.1	Pac-12
59	Arizona St.	109.0	Pac-12
60	Liberty	109.0	Atlantic Sun
61	Clemson	109.0	Atlantic Coast
62	Utah	108.9	Pac-12
63	Washington St.	108.8	Pac-12
64	Dayton	108.8	Atlantic 10
65	Pittsburgh	108.6	Atlantic Coast
66	Wisconsin	108.6	Big Ten
67	Virginia Tech	108.5	Atlantic Coast
68	Charleston	108.3	Colonial Athletic
69	Seton Hall	108.2	Big East
70	Central Florida	108.2	American Athletic
71	VCU	108.2	Atlantic 10
72	Oral Roberts	108.0	Summit
73	Yale	107.8	Ivy League
74	Drake	107.7	Missouri Valley
75	Iona	107.7	Metro Atlantic
76	North Texas	107.7	Conference USA
77	BYU	107.7	West Coast
78	Bradley	107.6	Missouri Valley
79	Sam Houston St.	107.5	Western Athletic
80	Vanderbilt	107.4	Southeastern
81	Marshall	107.3	Sun Belt
82	Kent St.	107.2	Mid-American
83	Wake Forest	107.0	Atlantic Coast
84	Stanford	106.9	Pac-12
85	Toledo	106.8	Mid-American
86	Santa Clara	106.7	West Coast
87	St. John’s	106.7	Big East
88	Furman	106.2	Southern
89	Tulane	105.9	American Athletic
90	Utah Valley	105.9	Western Athletic
91	James Madison	105.6	Sun Belt
92	UNLV	105.5	Mountain West
93	Indiana St.	105.4	Missouri Valley
94	Hofstra	105.4	Colonial Athletic
95	Nebraska	105.3	Big Ten
96	Saint Louis	105.1	Atlantic 10
97	UC Irvine	104.8	Big West
98	Mississippi	104.6	Southeastern
99	Washington	104.5	Pac-12
100	Southern Miss	104.4	Sun Belt
101	Wichita St.	104.2	American Athletic
102	Louisiana	104.2	Sun Belt
103	Duquesne	104.1	Atlantic 10
104	Akron	104.1	Mid-American
105	Southern Utah	104.1	Western Athletic
106	Syracuse	104.0	Atlantic Coast
107	Temple	104.0	American Athletic
108	UNC Greensboro	104.0	Southern
109	Loyola Marymount	104.0	West Coast
110	San Francisco	103.9	West Coast
111	Butler	103.7	Big East
112	Colorado St.	103.7	Mountain West
113	Colgate	103.6	Patriot League
114	South Alabama	103.6	Sun Belt
115	San Jose St.	103.6	Mountain West
116	Grand Canyon	103.2	Western Athletic
117	Belmont	103.1	Missouri Valley
118	Montana St.	103.1	Big Sky
119	Charlotte	102.9	Conference USA
120	Stephen F. Austin	102.9	Western Athletic
121	Youngstown St.	102.8	Horizon
122	UC Santa Barbara	102.8	Big West
123	Vermont	102.7	America East
124	Middle Tennessee	102.7	Conference USA
125	Princeton	102.7	Ivy League
126	LSU	102.5	Southeastern
127	Southern Illinois	102.5	Missouri Valley
128	Hawaii	102.5	Big West
129	Eastern Washington	102.3	Big Sky
130	UMass Lowell	102.2	America East
131	George Mason	102.1	Atlantic 10
132	Samford	102.1	Southern
133	Cal St. Fullerton	102.0	Big West
134	Towson	102.0	Colonial Athletic
135	Penn	102.0	Ivy League
136	South Florida	102.0	American Athletic
137	Troy	102.0	Sun Belt
138	Georgia	101.9	Southeastern
139	DePaul	101.8	Big East
140	Davidson	101.7	Atlantic 10
141	Notre Dame	101.7	Atlantic Coast
142	Kennesaw St.	101.7	Atlantic Sun
143	Cornell	101.6	Ivy League
144	Wyoming	101.4	Mountain West
145	Ohio	101.3	Mid-American
146	Missouri St.	101.3	Missouri Valley
147	UC Riverside	101.1	Big West
148	Fresno St.	101.1	Mountain West
149	Fordham	101.1	Atlantic 10
150	UNC Asheville	101.0	Big South
151	Seattle	101.0	Western Athletic
152	Georgia Tech	101.0	Atlantic Coast
153	Boston College	101.0	Atlantic Coast
154	Richmond	100.8	Atlantic 10
155	Air Force	100.7	Mountain West
156	UC Davis	100.7	Big West
157	Ball St.	100.6	Mid-American
158	Longwood	100.6	Big South
159	South Dakota St.	100.5	Summit
160	Louisiana Tech	100.5	Conference USA
161	Cal Baptist	100.5	Western Athletic
162	Portland	100.5	West Coast
163	Tarleton St.	100.5	Western Athletic
164	Long Beach St.	100.5	Big West
165	Western Kentucky	100.4	Conference USA
166	Lipscomb	100.2	Atlantic Sun
167	Montana	100.0	Big Sky
168	Harvard	99.9	Ivy League
169	UNC Wilmington	99.9	Colonial Athletic
170	Utah Tech	99.8	Western Athletic
171	St. Bonaventure	99.8	Atlantic 10
172	Florida St.	99.8	Atlantic Coast
173	SMU	99.7	American Athletic
174	Appalachian St.	99.7	Sun Belt
175	Old Dominion	99.7	Sun Belt
176	Eastern Kentucky	99.6	Atlantic Sun
177	Chattanooga	99.5	Southern
178	Northern Kentucky	99.4	Horizon
179	Abilene Christian	99.3	Western Athletic
180	New Mexico St.	99.3	Western Athletic
181	Massachusetts	99.3	Atlantic 10
182	Radford	99.2	Big South
183	Stetson	99.2	Atlantic Sun
184	Quinnipiac	99.1	Metro Atlantic
185	Navy	99.1	Patriot League
186	Wright St.	99.1	Horizon
187	Brown	99.1	Ivy League
188	Saint Joseph’s	99.0	Atlantic 10
189	Florida Gulf Coast	99.0	Atlantic Sun
190	Gardner Webb	98.7	Big South
191	Norfolk St.	98.7	Mideastern Athletic
192	Bryant	98.7	America East
193	Buffalo	98.7	Mid-American
194	Drexel	98.7	Colonial Athletic
195	North Carolina Central	98.6	Mideastern Athletic
196	Texas A&M CC	98.6	Southland
197	East Carolina	98.6	American Athletic
198	Pacific	98.5	West Coast
199	Rider	98.5	Metro Atlantic
200	Cleveland St.	98.5	Horizon
201	Georgetown	98.5	Big East
202	Pepperdine	98.4	West Coast
203	Grambling	98.4	Southwestern Athletic
204	UTEP	98.4	Conference USA
205	Siena	98.4	Metro Atlantic
206	Minnesota	98.3	Big Ten
207	Georgia Southern	98.3	Sun Belt
208	Rice	98.3	Conference USA
209	Northern Iowa	98.2	Missouri Valley
210	Detroit Mercy	98.2	Horizon
211	South Carolina	98.1	Southeastern
212	Texas St.	98.0	Sun Belt
213	George Washington	98.0	Atlantic 10
214	Weber St.	98.0	Big Sky
215	Oregon St.	98.0	Pac-12
216	Queens	97.9	Atlantic Sun
217	St. Thomas	97.8	Summit
218	Murray St.	97.7	Missouri Valley
219	Wofford	97.5	Southern
220	North Dakota St.	97.4	Summit
221	Northwestern St.	97.4	Southland
222	San Diego	97.3	West Coast
223	La Salle	97.1	Atlantic 10
224	Mercer	97.0	Southern
225	Delaware	96.9	Colonial Athletic
226	Rhode Island	96.9	Atlantic 10
227	Milwaukee	96.8	Horizon
228	Purdue Fort Wayne	96.6	Horizon
229	Florida Int’l	96.6	Conference USA
230	Jacksonville	96.5	Atlantic Sun
231	Northern Colorado	96.5	Big Sky
232	Sacramento St.	96.4	Big Sky
233	East Tennessee St.	96.4	Southern
234	North Florida	96.3	Atlantic Sun
235	Jacksonville St.	96.2	Atlantic Sun
236	Loyola (Chi.)	96.1	Atlantic 10
237	Campbell	96.0	Big South
238	Howard	96.0	Mideastern Athletic
239	Northern Arizona	96.0	Big Sky
240	Winthrop	95.9	Big South
241	UT Arlington	95.9	Western Athletic
242	Morehead St.	95.8	Ohio Valley
243	Robert Morris	95.8	Horizon
244	UMBC	95.8	America East
245	Western Carolina	95.8	Southern
246	Portland St.	95.7	Big Sky
247	Fairfield	95.6	Metro Atlantic
248	SIU Edwardsville	95.5	Ohio Valley
249	Army	95.4	Patriot League
250	Bellarmine	95.3	Atlantic Sun
251	Niagara	95.1	Metro Atlantic
252	California	95.1	Pac-12
253	Nicholls St.	95.0	Southland
254	Maryland Eastern Shore	95.0	Mideastern Athletic
255	Northern Illinois	95.0	Mid-American
256	Alcorn St.	95.0	Southwestern Athletic
257	Southern	95.0	Southwestern Athletic
258	Canisius	94.9	Metro Atlantic
259	Louisville	94.8	Atlantic Coast
260	UT-Martin	94.7	Ohio Valley
261	Idaho St.	94.7	Big Sky
262	North Alabama	94.7	Atlantic Sun
263	Illinois St.	94.6	Missouri Valley
264	UT Rio Grande Valley	94.6	Western Athletic
265	Southeastern Louisiana	94.6	Southland
266	Boston University	94.5	Patriot League
267	USC Upstate	94.4	Big South
268	Southeast Missouri St.	94.4	Ohio Valley
269	Oakland	94.2	Horizon
270	Lafayette	94.2	Patriot League
271	American	94.1	Patriot League
272	Miami (O)	94.1	Mid-American
273	Southern Indiana	94.1	Ohio Valley
274	Western Illinois	94.1	Summit
275	Dartmouth	94.0	Ivy League
276	Bowling Green	94.0	Mid-American
277	Georgia St.	93.9	Sun Belt
278	Prairie View A&M	93.9	Southwestern Athletic
279	UC San Diego	93.8	Big West
280	Coastal Carolina	93.6	Sun Belt
281	Maine	93.6	America East
282	Valparaiso	93.6	Missouri Valley
283	Louisiana Monroe	93.6	Sun Belt
284	Mount St. Mary’s	93.5	Metro Atlantic
285	Arkansas St.	93.4	Sun Belt
286	Lehigh	93.3	Patriot League
287	Chicago St.	93.2	Independents
288	North Dakota	93.2	Summit
289	New Hampshire	93.0	America East
290	Cal St. Bakersfield	93.0	Big West
291	Tennessee St.	93.0	Ohio Valley
292	South Dakota	92.8	Summit
293	Tennessee Tech	92.8	Ohio Valley
294	Manhattan	92.8	Metro Atlantic
295	Illinois Chicago	92.7	Missouri Valley
296	Denver	92.5	Summit
297	Bucknell	92.5	Patriot League
298	Marist	92.4	Metro Atlantic
299	Charleston Southern	92.4	Big South
300	UMKC	92.3	Summit
301	High Point	92.3	Big South
302	Texas Southern	92.2	Southwestern Athletic
303	Tulsa	92.2	American Athletic
304	Northeastern	92.2	Colonial Athletic
305	UTSA	92.2	Conference USA
306	Wagner	92.2	Northeast
307	Texas A&M Commerce	92.1	Southland
308	Idaho	92.1	Big Sky
309	Morgan St.	92.1	Mideastern Athletic
310	Binghamton	92.0	America East
311	Cal Poly	91.9	Big West
312	Saint Peter’s	91.9	Metro Atlantic
313	Merrimack	91.8	Northeast
314	Jackson St.	91.8	Southwestern Athletic
315	North Carolina A&T	91.7	Colonial Athletic
316	William & Mary	91.5	Colonial Athletic
317	The Citadel	91.4	Southern
318	Eastern Michigan	91.2	Mid-American
319	Fairleigh Dickinson	91.1	Northeast
320	Alabama A&M	91.0	Southwestern Athletic
321	Western Michigan	90.9	Mid-American
322	Loyola (MD)	90.9	Patriot League
323	Austin Peay	90.9	Atlantic Sun
324	Cal St. Northridge	90.7	Big West
325	Sacred Heart	90.4	Northeast
326	Little Rock	90.4	Ohio Valley
327	Omaha	90.3	Summit
328	Elon	90.3	Colonial Athletic
329	NJIT	90.3	America East
330	Stony Brook	90.3	Colonial Athletic
331	Stonehill	90.0	Northeast
332	Central Michigan	89.9	Mid-American
333	Arkansas Pine Bluff	89.8	Southwestern Athletic
334	St. Francis PA	89.8	Northeast
335	Central Connecticut	89.1	Northeast
336	McNeese St.	89.1	Southland
337	Presbyterian	89.0	Big South
338	Central Arkansas	88.7	Atlantic Sun
339	Coppin St.	88.6	Mideastern Athletic
340	Hampton	88.6	Colonial Athletic
341	Lindenwood	88.4	Ohio Valley
342	Albany	88.4	America East
343	Incarnate Word	88.2	Southland
344	Holy Cross	88.2	Patriot League
345	Eastern Illinois	88.2	Ohio Valley
346	Alabama St.	88.1	Southwestern Athletic
347	South Carolina St.	87.8	Mideastern Athletic
348	Columbia	87.7	Ivy League
349	VMI	87.7	Southern
350	New Orleans	87.6	Southland
351	Evansville	87.3	Missouri Valley
352	Bethune Cookman	87.1	Southwestern Athletic
353	Monmouth	86.8	Colonial Athletic
354	St. Francis NY	86.7	Northeast
355	Houston Christian	86.6	Southland
356	Florida A&M	86.4	Southwestern Athletic
357	Delaware St.	85.8	Mideastern Athletic
358	Lamar	85.7	Southland
359	Mississippi Valley St.	85.6	Southwestern Athletic
360	IUPUI	84.2	Horizon
361	Green Bay	82.6	Horizon
362	Hartford	81.6	Independents
363	Long Island	79.6	Northeast

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Alphabetical

#	Team	PiRate	Conference
179	Abilene Christian	99.3	Western Athletic
155	Air Force	100.7	Mountain West
104	Akron	104.1	Mid-American
1	Alabama	120.3	Southeastern
320	Alabama A&M	91.0	Southwestern Athletic
346	Alabama St.	88.1	Southwestern Athletic
342	Albany	88.4	America East
256	Alcorn St.	95.0	Southwestern Athletic
271	American	94.1	Patriot League
174	Appalachian St.	99.7	Sun Belt
8	Arizona	116.5	Pac-12
59	Arizona St.	109.0	Pac-12
14	Arkansas	114.7	Southeastern
333	Arkansas Pine Bluff	89.8	Southwestern Athletic
285	Arkansas St.	93.4	Sun Belt
249	Army	95.4	Patriot League
25	Auburn	112.6	Southeastern
323	Austin Peay	90.9	Atlantic Sun
157	Ball St.	100.6	Mid-American
11	Baylor	115.6	Big 12
250	Bellarmine	95.3	Atlantic Sun
117	Belmont	103.1	Missouri Valley
352	Bethune Cookman	87.1	Southwestern Athletic
310	Binghamton	92.0	America East
40	Boise St.	111.3	Mountain West
153	Boston College	101.0	Atlantic Coast
266	Boston University	94.5	Patriot League
276	Bowling Green	94.0	Mid-American
78	Bradley	107.6	Missouri Valley
187	Brown	99.1	Ivy League
192	Bryant	98.7	America East
297	Bucknell	92.5	Patriot League
193	Buffalo	98.7	Mid-American
111	Butler	103.7	Big East
77	BYU	107.7	West Coast
161	Cal Baptist	100.5	Western Athletic
311	Cal Poly	91.9	Big West
290	Cal St. Bakersfield	93.0	Big West
133	Cal St. Fullerton	102.0	Big West
324	Cal St. Northridge	90.7	Big West
252	California	95.1	Pac-12
237	Campbell	96.0	Big South
258	Canisius	94.9	Metro Atlantic
338	Central Arkansas	88.7	Atlantic Sun
335	Central Connecticut	89.1	Northeast
70	Central Florida	108.2	American Athletic
332	Central Michigan	89.9	Mid-American
68	Charleston	108.3	Colonial Athletic
299	Charleston Southern	92.4	Big South
119	Charlotte	102.9	Conference USA
177	Chattanooga	99.5	Southern
287	Chicago St.	93.2	Independents
57	Cincinnati	109.2	American Athletic
61	Clemson	109.0	Atlantic Coast
200	Cleveland St.	98.5	Horizon
280	Coastal Carolina	93.6	Sun Belt
113	Colgate	103.6	Patriot League
58	Colorado	109.1	Pac-12
112	Colorado St.	103.7	Mountain West
348	Columbia	87.7	Ivy League
5	Connecticut	117.7	Big East
339	Coppin St.	88.6	Mideastern Athletic
143	Cornell	101.6	Ivy League
12	Creighton	115.3	Big East
275	Dartmouth	94.0	Ivy League
140	Davidson	101.7	Atlantic 10
64	Dayton	108.8	Atlantic 10
225	Delaware	96.9	Colonial Athletic
357	Delaware St.	85.8	Mideastern Athletic
296	Denver	92.5	Summit
139	DePaul	101.8	Big East
210	Detroit Mercy	98.2	Horizon
74	Drake	107.7	Missouri Valley
194	Drexel	98.7	Colonial Athletic
30	Duke	112.1	Atlantic Coast
103	Duquesne	104.1	Atlantic 10
197	East Carolina	98.6	American Athletic
233	East Tennessee St.	96.4	Southern
345	Eastern Illinois	88.2	Ohio Valley
176	Eastern Kentucky	99.6	Atlantic Sun
318	Eastern Michigan	91.2	Mid-American
129	Eastern Washington	102.3	Big Sky
328	Elon	90.3	Colonial Athletic
351	Evansville	87.3	Missouri Valley
247	Fairfield	95.6	Metro Atlantic
319	Fairleigh Dickinson	91.1	Northeast
48	Florida	109.9	Southeastern
356	Florida A&M	86.4	Southwestern Athletic
39	Florida Atlantic	111.4	Conference USA
189	Florida Gulf Coast	99.0	Atlantic Sun
229	Florida Int’l	96.6	Conference USA
172	Florida St.	99.8	Atlantic Coast
149	Fordham	101.1	Atlantic 10
148	Fresno St.	101.1	Mountain West
88	Furman	106.2	Southern
190	Gardner Webb	98.7	Big South
131	George Mason	102.1	Atlantic 10
213	George Washington	98.0	Atlantic 10
201	Georgetown	98.5	Big East
138	Georgia	101.9	Southeastern
207	Georgia Southern	98.3	Sun Belt
277	Georgia St.	93.9	Sun Belt
152	Georgia Tech	101.0	Atlantic Coast
7	Gonzaga	117.0	West Coast
203	Grambling	98.4	Southwestern Athletic
116	Grand Canyon	103.2	Western Athletic
361	Green Bay	82.6	Horizon
340	Hampton	88.6	Colonial Athletic
362	Hartford	81.6	Independents
168	Harvard	99.9	Ivy League
128	Hawaii	102.5	Big West
301	High Point	92.3	Big South
94	Hofstra	105.4	Colonial Athletic
344	Holy Cross	88.2	Patriot League
2	Houston	120.1	American Athletic
355	Houston Christian	86.6	Southland
238	Howard	96.0	Mideastern Athletic
308	Idaho	92.1	Big Sky
261	Idaho St.	94.7	Big Sky
27	Illinois	112.3	Big Ten
295	Illinois Chicago	92.7	Missouri Valley
263	Illinois St.	94.6	Missouri Valley
343	Incarnate Word	88.2	Southland
20	Indiana	113.2	Big Ten
93	Indiana St.	105.4	Missouri Valley
75	Iona	107.7	Metro Atlantic
24	Iowa	112.7	Big Ten
28	Iowa St.	112.2	Big 12
360	IUPUI	84.2	Horizon
314	Jackson St.	91.8	Southwestern Athletic
230	Jacksonville	96.5	Atlantic Sun
235	Jacksonville St.	96.2	Atlantic Sun
91	James Madison	105.6	Sun Belt
6	Kansas	117.0	Big 12
18	Kansas St.	113.6	Big 12
142	Kennesaw St.	101.7	Atlantic Sun
82	Kent St.	107.2	Mid-American
22	Kentucky	113.1	Southeastern
223	La Salle	97.1	Atlantic 10
270	Lafayette	94.2	Patriot League
358	Lamar	85.7	Southland
286	Lehigh	93.3	Patriot League
60	Liberty	109.0	Atlantic Sun
341	Lindenwood	88.4	Ohio Valley
166	Lipscomb	100.2	Atlantic Sun
326	Little Rock	90.4	Ohio Valley
164	Long Beach St.	100.5	Big West
363	Long Island	79.6	Northeast
158	Longwood	100.6	Big South
102	Louisiana	104.2	Sun Belt
283	Louisiana Monroe	93.6	Sun Belt
160	Louisiana Tech	100.5	Conference USA
259	Louisville	94.8	Atlantic Coast
236	Loyola (Chi.)	96.1	Atlantic 10
322	Loyola (MD)	90.9	Patriot League
109	Loyola Marymount	104.0	West Coast
126	LSU	102.5	Southeastern
281	Maine	93.6	America East
294	Manhattan	92.8	Metro Atlantic
298	Marist	92.4	Metro Atlantic
13	Marquette	115.0	Big East
81	Marshall	107.3	Sun Belt
21	Maryland	113.1	Big Ten
254	Maryland Eastern Shore	95.0	Mideastern Athletic
181	Massachusetts	99.3	Atlantic 10
336	McNeese St.	89.1	Southland
32	Memphis	111.9	American Athletic
224	Mercer	97.0	Southern
313	Merrimack	91.8	Northeast
35	Miami (Fla)	111.7	Atlantic Coast
272	Miami (O)	94.1	Mid-American
41	Michigan	110.9	Big Ten
29	Michigan St.	112.2	Big Ten
124	Middle Tennessee	102.7	Conference USA
227	Milwaukee	96.8	Horizon
206	Minnesota	98.3	Big Ten
98	Mississippi	104.6	Southeastern
46	Mississippi St.	110.3	Southeastern
359	Mississippi Valley St.	85.6	Southwestern Athletic
51	Missouri	109.8	Southeastern
146	Missouri St.	101.3	Missouri Valley
353	Monmouth	86.8	Colonial Athletic
167	Montana	100.0	Big Sky
118	Montana St.	103.1	Big Sky
242	Morehead St.	95.8	Ohio Valley
309	Morgan St.	92.1	Mideastern Athletic
284	Mount St. Mary’s	93.5	Metro Atlantic
218	Murray St.	97.7	Missouri Valley
185	Navy	99.1	Patriot League
95	Nebraska	105.3	Big Ten
53	Nevada	109.5	Mountain West
289	New Hampshire	93.0	America East
52	New Mexico	109.7	Mountain West
180	New Mexico St.	99.3	Western Athletic
350	New Orleans	87.6	Southland
251	Niagara	95.1	Metro Atlantic
253	Nicholls St.	95.0	Southland
329	NJIT	90.3	America East
191	Norfolk St.	98.7	Mideastern Athletic
262	North Alabama	94.7	Atlantic Sun
34	North Carolina	111.8	Atlantic Coast
315	North Carolina A&T	91.7	Colonial Athletic
195	North Carolina Central	98.6	Mideastern Athletic
45	North Carolina St.	110.6	Atlantic Coast
288	North Dakota	93.2	Summit
220	North Dakota St.	97.4	Summit
234	North Florida	96.3	Atlantic Sun
76	North Texas	107.7	Conference USA
304	Northeastern	92.2	Colonial Athletic
239	Northern Arizona	96.0	Big Sky
231	Northern Colorado	96.5	Big Sky
255	Northern Illinois	95.0	Mid-American
209	Northern Iowa	98.2	Missouri Valley
178	Northern Kentucky	99.4	Horizon
47	Northwestern	110.1	Big Ten
221	Northwestern St.	97.4	Southland
141	Notre Dame	101.7	Atlantic Coast
269	Oakland	94.2	Horizon
145	Ohio	101.3	Mid-American
50	Ohio St.	109.9	Big Ten
56	Oklahoma	109.3	Big 12
43	Oklahoma St.	110.8	Big 12
175	Old Dominion	99.7	Sun Belt
327	Omaha	90.3	Summit
72	Oral Roberts	108.0	Summit
44	Oregon	110.7	Pac-12
215	Oregon St.	98.0	Pac-12
198	Pacific	98.5	West Coast
135	Penn	102.0	Ivy League
49	Penn St.	109.9	Big Ten
202	Pepperdine	98.4	West Coast
65	Pittsburgh	108.6	Atlantic Coast
162	Portland	100.5	West Coast
246	Portland St.	95.7	Big Sky
278	Prairie View A&M	93.9	Southwestern Athletic
337	Presbyterian	89.0	Big South
125	Princeton	102.7	Ivy League
36	Providence	111.7	Big East
9	Purdue	116.4	Big Ten
228	Purdue Fort Wayne	96.6	Horizon
216	Queens	97.9	Atlantic Sun
184	Quinnipiac	99.1	Metro Atlantic
182	Radford	99.2	Big South
226	Rhode Island	96.9	Atlantic 10
208	Rice	98.3	Conference USA
154	Richmond	100.8	Atlantic 10
199	Rider	98.5	Metro Atlantic
243	Robert Morris	95.8	Horizon
31	Rutgers	112.0	Big Ten
232	Sacramento St.	96.4	Big Sky
325	Sacred Heart	90.4	Northeast
188	Saint Joseph’s	99.0	Atlantic 10
96	Saint Louis	105.1	Atlantic 10
15	Saint Mary’s	114.6	West Coast
312	Saint Peter’s	91.9	Metro Atlantic
79	Sam Houston St.	107.5	Western Athletic
132	Samford	102.1	Southern
222	San Diego	97.3	West Coast
23	San Diego St.	113.1	Mountain West
110	San Francisco	103.9	West Coast
115	San Jose St.	103.6	Mountain West
86	Santa Clara	106.7	West Coast
151	Seattle	101.0	Western Athletic
69	Seton Hall	108.2	Big East
205	Siena	98.4	Metro Atlantic
248	SIU Edwardsville	95.5	Ohio Valley
173	SMU	99.7	American Athletic
114	South Alabama	103.6	Sun Belt
211	South Carolina	98.1	Southeastern
347	South Carolina St.	87.8	Mideastern Athletic
292	South Dakota	92.8	Summit
159	South Dakota St.	100.5	Summit
136	South Florida	102.0	American Athletic
268	Southeast Missouri St.	94.4	Ohio Valley
265	Southeastern Louisiana	94.6	Southland
257	Southern	95.0	Southwestern Athletic
127	Southern Illinois	102.5	Missouri Valley
273	Southern Indiana	94.1	Ohio Valley
100	Southern Miss	104.4	Sun Belt
105	Southern Utah	104.1	Western Athletic
171	St. Bonaventure	99.8	Atlantic 10
354	St. Francis NY	86.7	Northeast
334	St. Francis PA	89.8	Northeast
87	St. John’s	106.7	Big East
217	St. Thomas	97.8	Summit
84	Stanford	106.9	Pac-12
120	Stephen F. Austin	102.9	Western Athletic
183	Stetson	99.2	Atlantic Sun
331	Stonehill	90.0	Northeast
330	Stony Brook	90.3	Colonial Athletic
106	Syracuse	104.0	Atlantic Coast
163	Tarleton St.	100.5	Western Athletic
17	TCU	113.8	Big 12
107	Temple	104.0	American Athletic
3	Tennessee	118.9	Southeastern
291	Tennessee St.	93.0	Ohio Valley
293	Tennessee Tech	92.8	Ohio Valley
10	Texas	116.4	Big 12
26	Texas A&M	112.5	Southeastern
196	Texas A&M CC	98.6	Southland
307	Texas A&M Commerce	92.1	Southland
302	Texas Southern	92.2	Southwestern Athletic
212	Texas St.	98.0	Sun Belt
42	Texas Tech	110.9	Big 12
317	The Citadel	91.4	Southern
85	Toledo	106.8	Mid-American
134	Towson	102.0	Colonial Athletic
137	Troy	102.0	Sun Belt
89	Tulane	105.9	American Athletic
303	Tulsa	92.2	American Athletic
55	UAB	109.3	Conference USA
156	UC Davis	100.7	Big West
97	UC Irvine	104.8	Big West
147	UC Riverside	101.1	Big West
279	UC San Diego	93.8	Big West
122	UC Santa Barbara	102.8	Big West
4	UCLA	118.6	Pac-12
130	UMass Lowell	102.2	America East
244	UMBC	95.8	America East
300	UMKC	92.3	Summit
150	UNC Asheville	101.0	Big South
108	UNC Greensboro	104.0	Southern
169	UNC Wilmington	99.9	Colonial Athletic
92	UNLV	105.5	Mountain West
38	USC	111.4	Pac-12
267	USC Upstate	94.4	Big South
241	UT Arlington	95.9	Western Athletic
264	UT Rio Grande Valley	94.6	Western Athletic
260	UT-Martin	94.7	Ohio Valley
62	Utah	108.9	Pac-12
33	Utah St.	111.8	Mountain West
170	Utah Tech	99.8	Western Athletic
90	Utah Valley	105.9	Western Athletic
204	UTEP	98.4	Conference USA
305	UTSA	92.2	Conference USA
282	Valparaiso	93.6	Missouri Valley
80	Vanderbilt	107.4	Southeastern
71	VCU	108.2	Atlantic 10
123	Vermont	102.7	America East
54	Villanova	109.3	Big East
37	Virginia	111.4	Atlantic Coast
67	Virginia Tech	108.5	Atlantic Coast
349	VMI	87.7	Southern
306	Wagner	92.2	Northeast
83	Wake Forest	107.0	Atlantic Coast
99	Washington	104.5	Pac-12
63	Washington St.	108.8	Pac-12
214	Weber St.	98.0	Big Sky
19	West Virginia	113.4	Big 12
245	Western Carolina	95.8	Southern
274	Western Illinois	94.1	Summit
165	Western Kentucky	100.4	Conference USA
321	Western Michigan	90.9	Mid-American
101	Wichita St.	104.2	American Athletic
316	William & Mary	91.5	Colonial Athletic
240	Winthrop	95.9	Big South
66	Wisconsin	108.6	Big Ten
219	Wofford	97.5	Southern
186	Wright St.	99.1	Horizon
144	Wyoming	101.4	Mountain West
16	Xavier	114.4	Big East
73	Yale	107.8	Ivy League
121	Youngstown St.	102.8	Horizon

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PiRate Ratings By Conference

America East
Team	Rating
Vermont	102.7
UMass Lowell	102.2
Bryant	98.7
UMBC	95.8
Maine	93.6
New Hampshire	93.0
Binghamton	92.0
NJIT	90.3
Albany	88.4
American Athletic
Team	Rating
Houston	120.1
Memphis	111.9
Cincinnati	109.2
Central Florida	108.2
Tulane	105.9
Wichita St.	104.2
Temple	104.0
South Florida	102.0
SMU	99.7
East Carolina	98.6
Tulsa	92.2
Atlantic 10
Team	Rating
Dayton	108.8
VCU	108.2
Saint Louis	105.1
Duquesne	104.1
George Mason	102.1
Davidson	101.7
Fordham	101.1
Richmond	100.8
St. Bonaventure	99.8
Massachusetts	99.3
Saint Joseph’s	99.0
George Washington	98.0
La Salle	97.1
Rhode Island	96.9
Loyola (Chi.)	96.1
Atlantic Coast
Team	Rating
Duke	112.1
North Carolina	111.8
Miami (Fla)	111.7
Virginia	111.4
North Carolina St.	110.6
Clemson	109.0
Pittsburgh	108.6
Virginia Tech	108.5
Wake Forest	107.0
Syracuse	104.0
Notre Dame	101.7
Georgia Tech	101.0
Boston College	101.0
Florida St.	99.8
Louisville	94.8
Atlantic Sun
Team	Rating
Liberty	109.0
Kennesaw St.	101.7
Lipscomb	100.2
Eastern Kentucky	99.6
Stetson	99.2
Florida Gulf Coast	99.0
Queens	97.9
Jacksonville	96.5
North Florida	96.3
Jacksonville St.	96.2
Bellarmine	95.3
North Alabama	94.7
Austin Peay	90.9
Central Arkansas	88.7
Big 12
Team	Rating
Kansas	117.0
Texas	116.4
Baylor	115.6
TCU	113.8
Kansas St.	113.6
West Virginia	113.4
Iowa St.	112.2
Texas Tech	110.9
Oklahoma St.	110.8
Oklahoma	109.3
Big East
Team	Rating
Connecticut	117.7
Creighton	115.3
Marquette	115.0
Xavier	114.4
Providence	111.7
Villanova	109.3
Seton Hall	108.2
St. John’s	106.7
Butler	103.7
DePaul	101.8
Georgetown	98.5
Big Sky
Team	Rating
Montana St.	103.1
Eastern Washington	102.3
Montana	100.0
Weber St.	98.0
Northern Colorado	96.5
Sacramento St.	96.4
Northern Arizona	96.0
Portland St.	95.7
Idaho St.	94.7
Idaho	92.1
Big South
Team	Rating
UNC Asheville	101.0
Longwood	100.6
Radford	99.2
Gardner Webb	98.7
Campbell	96.0
Winthrop	95.9
USC Upstate	94.4
Charleston Southern	92.4
High Point	92.3
Presbyterian	89.0
Big Ten
Team	Rating
Purdue	116.4
Indiana	113.2
Maryland	113.1
Iowa	112.7
Illinois	112.3
Michigan St.	112.2
Rutgers	112.0
Michigan	110.9
Northwestern	110.1
Penn St.	109.9
Ohio St.	109.9
Wisconsin	108.6
Nebraska	105.3
Minnesota	98.3
Big West
Team	Rating
UC Irvine	104.8
UC Santa Barbara	102.8
Hawaii	102.5
Cal St. Fullerton	102.0
UC Riverside	101.1
UC Davis	100.7
Long Beach St.	100.5
UC San Diego	93.8
Cal St. Bakersfield	93.0
Cal Poly	91.9
Cal St. Northridge	90.7
Colonial Athletic
Team	Rating
Charleston	108.3
Hofstra	105.4
Towson	102.0
UNC Wilmington	99.9
Drexel	98.7
Delaware	96.9
Northeastern	92.2
North Carolina A&T	91.7
William & Mary	91.5
Elon	90.3
Stony Brook	90.3
Hampton	88.6
Monmouth	86.8
Conference USA
Team	Rating
Florida Atlantic	111.4
UAB	109.3
North Texas	107.7
Charlotte	102.9
Middle Tennessee	102.7
Louisiana Tech	100.5
Western Kentucky	100.4
UTEP	98.4
Rice	98.3
Florida Int’l	96.6
UTSA	92.2
Horizon
Team	Rating
Youngstown St.	102.8
Northern Kentucky	99.4
Wright St.	99.1
Cleveland St.	98.5
Detroit Mercy	98.2
Milwaukee	96.8
Purdue Fort Wayne	96.6
Robert Morris	95.8
Oakland	94.2
IUPUI	84.2
Green Bay	82.6
Independents
Team	Rating
Chicago St.	93.2
Hartford	81.6
Ivy League
Team	Rating
Yale	107.8
Princeton	102.7
Penn	102.0
Cornell	101.6
Harvard	99.9
Brown	99.1
Dartmouth	94.0
Columbia	87.7
Metro Atlantic
Team	Rating
Iona	107.7
Quinnipiac	99.1
Rider	98.5
Siena	98.4
Fairfield	95.6
Niagara	95.1
Canisius	94.9
Mount St. Mary’s	93.5
Manhattan	92.8
Marist	92.4
Saint Peter’s	91.9
Mid-American
Team	Rating
Kent St.	107.2
Toledo	106.8
Akron	104.1
Ohio	101.3
Ball St.	100.6
Buffalo	98.7
Northern Illinois	95.0
Miami (O)	94.1
Bowling Green	94.0
Eastern Michigan	91.2
Western Michigan	90.9
Central Michigan	89.9
Mideastern Athletic
Team	Rating
Norfolk St.	98.7
North Carolina Central	98.6
Howard	96.0
Maryland Eastern Shore	95.0
Morgan St.	92.1
Coppin St.	88.6
South Carolina St.	87.8
Delaware St.	85.8
Missouri Valley
Team	Rating
Drake	107.7
Bradley	107.6
Indiana St.	105.4
Belmont	103.1
Southern Illinois	102.5
Missouri St.	101.3
Northern Iowa	98.2
Murray St.	97.7
Illinois St.	94.6
Valparaiso	93.6
Illinois Chicago	92.7
Evansville	87.3
Mountain West
Team	Rating
San Diego St.	113.1
Utah St.	111.8
Boise St.	111.3
New Mexico	109.7
Nevada	109.5
UNLV	105.5
Colorado St.	103.7
San Jose St.	103.6
Wyoming	101.4
Fresno St.	101.1
Air Force	100.7
Northeast
Team	Rating
Wagner	92.2
Merrimack	91.8
Fairleigh Dickinson	91.1
Sacred Heart	90.4
Stonehill	90.0
St. Francis PA	89.8
Central Connecticut	89.1
St. Francis NY	86.7
Long Island	79.6
Ohio Valley
Team	Rating
Morehead St.	95.8
SIU Edwardsville	95.5
UT-Martin	94.7
Southeast Missouri St.	94.4
Southern Indiana	94.1
Tennessee St.	93.0
Tennessee Tech	92.8
Little Rock	90.4
Lindenwood	88.4
Eastern Illinois	88.2
Pac-12
Team	Rating
UCLA	118.6
Arizona	116.5
USC	111.4
Oregon	110.7
Colorado	109.1
Arizona St.	109.0
Utah	108.9
Washington St.	108.8
Stanford	106.9
Washington	104.5
Oregon St.	98.0
California	95.1
Patriot League
Team	Rating
Colgate	103.6
Navy	99.1
Army	95.4
Boston University	94.5
Lafayette	94.2
American	94.1
Lehigh	93.3
Bucknell	92.5
Loyola (MD)	90.9
Holy Cross	88.2
Southeastern
Team	Rating
Alabama	120.3
Tennessee	118.9
Arkansas	114.7
Kentucky	113.1
Auburn	112.6
Texas A&M	112.5
Mississippi St.	110.3
Florida	109.9
Missouri	109.8
Vanderbilt	107.4
Mississippi	104.6
LSU	102.5
Georgia	101.9
South Carolina	98.1
Southern
Team	Rating
Furman	106.2
UNC Greensboro	104.0
Samford	102.1
Chattanooga	99.5
Wofford	97.5
Mercer	97.0
East Tennessee St.	96.4
Western Carolina	95.8
The Citadel	91.4
VMI	87.7
Southland
Team	Rating
Texas A&M CC	98.6
Northwestern St.	97.4
Nicholls St.	95.0
Southeastern Louisiana	94.6
Texas A&M Commerce	92.1
McNeese St.	89.1
Incarnate Word	88.2
New Orleans	87.6
Houston Christian	86.6
Lamar	85.7
Southwestern Athletic
Team	Rating
Grambling	98.4
Alcorn St.	95.0
Southern	95.0
Prairie View A&M	93.9
Texas Southern	92.2
Jackson St.	91.8
Alabama A&M	91.0
Arkansas Pine Bluff	89.8
Alabama St.	88.1
Bethune Cookman	87.1
Florida A&M	86.4
Mississippi Valley St.	85.6
Summit
Team	Rating
Oral Roberts	108.0
South Dakota St.	100.5
St. Thomas	97.8
North Dakota St.	97.4
Western Illinois	94.1
North Dakota	93.2
South Dakota	92.8
Denver	92.5
UMKC	92.3
Omaha	90.3
Sun Belt
Team	Rating
Marshall	107.3
James Madison	105.6
Southern Miss	104.4
Louisiana	104.2
South Alabama	103.6
Troy	102.0
Appalachian St.	99.7
Old Dominion	99.7
Georgia Southern	98.3
Texas St.	98.0
Georgia St.	93.9
Coastal Carolina	93.6
Louisiana Monroe	93.6
Arkansas St.	93.4
West Coast
Team	Rating
Gonzaga	117.0
Saint Mary’s	114.6
BYU	107.7
Santa Clara	106.7
Loyola Marymount	104.0
San Francisco	103.9
Portland	100.5
Pacific	98.5
Pepperdine	98.4
San Diego	97.3
Western Athletic
Team	Rating
Sam Houston St.	107.5
Utah Valley	105.9
Southern Utah	104.1
Grand Canyon	103.2
Stephen F. Austin	102.9
Seattle	101.0
Cal Baptist	100.5
Tarleton St.	100.5
Utah Tech	99.8
Abilene Christian	99.3
New Mexico St.	99.3
UT Arlington	95.9
UT Rio Grande Valley	94.6

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Friday’s Conference Schedule

Big South Conference — Charotte

Quarterfinals (All Games n ESPN+)

#1 UNC Asheville (24-7) vs. #9 Charleston Southern (10-20) 12 PM EST

#4 USC Upstate (15-14) vs. #5 Gardner-Webb (15-15) 2 PM EST

#2 Longwood (20-11) vs. #7 Campbell (14-17) 6 PM EST

#3 Radford (18-13) vs. #6 Winthrop (15-16) 8 PM EST

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Colonial Athletic Association–Washington, D.C.

1st Round (flohoops.com)

#12 Hampton (8-23) vs. #13 Monmouth (6-25) 2PM EST

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Missouri Valley Conference– Saint Louis (Arch Madness)

Quarterfinals (All Games on MVCTV Network)

#1 Bradley (23-8) vs. #8 Northern Iowa (14-17) 1 PM EST

#4 Belmont (21-10) vs. #5 Indiana St. (21-11) 3:30 PM EST

#2 Drake (24-7) vs. #7 Murray St. (17-14) 7 PM EST

#3 Southern Illinois (22-9) vs. #6 Missouri St. (17-14) 9:30 PM EST

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Ohio Valley Conference — Evansville, IN

Semifinals (Both Games on ESPNU)

#1 Morehead St. (21-10) vs. #5 Southeast Missouri St. (17-16) 8 PM EST

#2 Tennessee Tech (15-16) vs. #3 UT-Martin (19-13) 10:30 PM EST

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Southern Conference — Asheville, NC

1st Round (Both Games on ESPN+)

#8 Mercer (13-18) vs. #9 The Citadel (10-21) 5 PM EST

#7 Chattanooga (15-16) vs. #10 VMI (7-24) 7:30 PM EST

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Summit League — Sioux Falls, SD

1st Round (All Games on ESPN+)

#8 Denver (15-16) vs. #9 North Dakota (12-19) 7 PM EST

#7 UMKC (11-20) vs. #10 Omaha (8-22) 9:30 PM EST

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West Coast Conference — Las Vegas

2nd Round (Both Games on BYUtv)

#5 BYU (17-14) vs. #8 Portland (14-18) 9 PM EST

#6 San Francisco (18-13) vs. #7 Pacific (15-17) 11:30 PM EST

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Coming Later Today: Updated Bracketology

PiRate Ratings College Basketball–Friday, January 20, 2023

Friday’s Spreads

Home	Visitor	Spread
Buffalo	Toledo	-3.6
Fairfield	Canisius	3.9
Fairleigh Dickinson	Sacred Heart	4.0
Kent St.	Ball St.	9.4
Long Island	Stonehill College	-6.3
Manhattan	Iona	-13.5
Marist	Saint Peter’s	2.1
New Mexico	Boise St.	1.0
Richmond	VCU	0.4
Rider	Niagara	5.2
Siena	Mount St. Mary’s	8.2
St. Francis (PA)	St. Francis (NY)	5.5
St. John’s	Villanova	5.0
Wagner	Central Connecticut St.	5.2

Friday’s PiRate Ratings

#	Team	PiRate	Conference
1	Houston	121.3	American Athletic
2	Tennessee	120.5	Southeastern
3	Alabama	120.1	Southeastern
4	UCLA	119.2	Pac-12
5	Connecticut	117.4	Big East
6	Kansas	117.2	Big 12
7	Purdue	117.0	Big Ten
8	Gonzaga	115.9	West Coast
9	Texas	115.4	Big 12
10	Saint Mary’s	115.1	West Coast
11	Arizona	115.0	Pac-12
12	Baylor	114.7	Big 12
13	Iowa St.	114.6	Big 12
14	Creighton	114.5	Big East
15	Marquette	114.3	Big East
16	Xavier	114.2	Big East
17	Auburn	114.1	Southeastern
18	Indiana	113.9	Big Ten
19	Virginia	113.7	Atlantic Coast
20	Rutgers	113.6	Big Ten
21	Arkansas	113.5	Southeastern
22	North Carolina	113.1	Atlantic Coast
23	Ohio St.	113.0	Big Ten
24	Iowa	113.0	Big Ten
25	TCU	112.9	Big 12
26	Illinois	112.8	Big Ten
27	West Virginia	112.5	Big 12
28	Duke	112.4	Atlantic Coast
29	Kansas St.	112.2	Big 12
30	Kentucky	112.1	Southeastern
31	San Diego St.	111.9	Mountain West
32	Boise St.	111.9	Mountain West
33	Oklahoma St.	111.5	Big 12
34	Memphis	111.4	American Athletic
35	Michigan St.	111.4	Big Ten
36	North Carolina St.	111.4	Atlantic Coast
37	Florida	111.3	Southeastern
38	Providence	111.3	Big East
39	Maryland	110.9	Big Ten
40	Miami (Fla)	110.7	Atlantic Coast
41	Utah St.	110.7	Mountain West
42	Oklahoma	110.5	Big 12
43	Texas Tech	110.4	Big 12
44	Penn St.	110.4	Big Ten
45	Texas A&M	110.2	Southeastern
46	Oregon	110.1	Pac-12
47	Florida Atlantic	110.0	Conference USA
48	Seton Hall	110.0	Big East
49	Arizona St.	110.0	Pac-12
50	New Mexico	109.9	Mountain West
51	Virginia Tech	109.9	Atlantic Coast
52	Missouri	109.8	Southeastern
53	Northwestern	109.7	Big Ten
54	Colorado	109.7	Pac-12
55	St. John’s	109.7	Big East
56	Michigan	109.7	Big Ten
57	Dayton	109.6	Atlantic 10
58	Central Florida	109.5	American Athletic
59	Utah	109.4	Pac-12
60	USC	109.3	Pac-12
61	Clemson	109.2	Atlantic Coast
62	Mississippi St.	109.1	Southeastern
63	Cincinnati	109.0	American Athletic
64	UAB	108.8	Conference USA
65	Pittsburgh	108.7	Atlantic Coast
66	Nevada	108.7	Mountain West
67	Wisconsin	108.7	Big Ten
68	Kent St.	108.1	Mid-American
69	Washington St.	108.1	Pac-12
70	Wake Forest	107.8	Atlantic Coast
71	Villanova	107.7	Big East
72	Liberty	107.4	Atlantic Sun
73	Marshall	107.4	Sun Belt
74	Sam Houston St.	107.3	Western Athletic
75	Oral Roberts	107.2	Summit
76	Iona	107.1	Metro Atlantic
77	BYU	107.0	West Coast
78	Saint Louis	106.9	Atlantic 10
79	James Madison	106.7	Sun Belt
80	Bradley	106.7	Missouri Valley
81	UNLV	106.6	Mountain West
82	Mississippi	106.6	Southeastern
83	Charleston	106.6	Colonial Athletic
84	Tulane	106.5	American Athletic
85	VCU	106.3	Atlantic 10
86	Syracuse	106.3	Atlantic Coast
87	North Texas	106.2	Conference USA
88	Vanderbilt	106.2	Southeastern
89	Butler	106.0	Big East
90	Santa Clara	106.0	West Coast
91	Georgia	105.8	Southeastern
92	Utah Valley	105.5	Western Athletic
93	Stanford	105.4	Pac-12
94	Nebraska	105.4	Big Ten
95	Drake	105.3	Missouri Valley
96	Washington	105.0	Pac-12
97	Loyola Marymount	105.0	West Coast
98	Yale	104.9	Ivy League
99	Toledo	104.9	Mid-American
100	UC Irvine	104.8	Big West
101	LSU	104.7	Southeastern
102	Grand Canyon	104.7	Western Athletic
103	Furman	104.5	Southern
104	Princeton	104.4	Ivy League
105	Richmond	104.2	Atlantic 10
106	Southern Utah	104.2	Western Athletic
107	San Francisco	104.1	West Coast
108	UC Santa Barbara	104.1	Big West
109	Cornell	104.0	Ivy League
110	Colorado St.	104.0	Mountain West
111	Akron	103.7	Mid-American
112	Charlotte	103.7	Conference USA
113	Youngstown St.	103.4	Horizon
114	Hofstra	103.4	Colonial Athletic
115	Southern Illinois	103.3	Missouri Valley
116	Colgate	103.3	Patriot League
117	Duquesne	103.2	Atlantic 10
118	Indiana St.	103.2	Missouri Valley
119	George Mason	103.2	Atlantic 10
120	Seattle	103.0	Western Athletic
121	Wichita St.	103.0	American Athletic
122	Temple	103.0	American Athletic
123	Southern Miss	102.9	Sun Belt
124	Louisiana	102.9	Sun Belt
125	UNC Greensboro	102.9	Southern
126	DePaul	102.9	Big East
127	Belmont	102.9	Missouri Valley
128	Montana St.	102.6	Big Sky
129	Louisiana Tech	102.5	Conference USA
130	Missouri St.	102.4	Missouri Valley
131	Chattanooga	102.4	Southern
132	Georgia Tech	102.3	Atlantic Coast
133	Middle Tennessee	102.3	Conference USA
134	Towson	102.2	Colonial Athletic
135	Notre Dame	102.2	Atlantic Coast
136	Hawaii	102.1	Big West
137	Stephen F. Austin	102.0	Western Athletic
138	Troy	102.0	Sun Belt
139	Quinnipiac	101.9	Metro Atlantic
140	Florida St.	101.9	Atlantic Coast
141	Davidson	101.9	Atlantic 10
142	Samford	101.7	Southern
143	Longwood	101.7	Big South
144	Ball St.	101.2	Mid-American
145	Wyoming	101.1	Mountain West
146	St. Bonaventure	101.1	Atlantic 10
147	South Florida	101.0	American Athletic
148	UNC Wilmington	100.9	Colonial Athletic
149	Air Force	100.9	Mountain West
150	Eastern Washington	100.9	Big Sky
151	UC Riverside	100.8	Big West
152	Western Kentucky	100.8	Conference USA
153	Ohio	100.7	Mid-American
154	UMass Lowell	100.6	America East
155	Vermont	100.5	America East
156	Massachusetts	100.5	Atlantic 10
157	San Jose St.	100.5	Mountain West
158	Cal Baptist	100.5	Western Athletic
159	Rice	100.5	Conference USA
160	Florida Gulf Coast	100.4	Atlantic Sun
161	Purdue Fort Wayne	100.2	Horizon
162	Radford	100.1	Big South
163	Penn	100.1	Ivy League
164	Northern Iowa	100.1	Missouri Valley
165	SMU	100.1	American Athletic
166	Old Dominion	100.1	Sun Belt
167	Fresno St.	100.1	Mountain West
168	Drexel	100.0	Colonial Athletic
169	Portland	99.9	West Coast
170	Siena	99.9	Metro Atlantic
171	Kennesaw St.	99.8	Atlantic Sun
172	UC Davis	99.7	Big West
173	South Dakota St.	99.7	Summit
174	Cal St. Fullerton	99.7	Big West
175	Bryant	99.7	America East
176	UTEP	99.6	Conference USA
177	Murray St.	99.5	Missouri Valley
178	Montana	99.5	Big Sky
179	Harvard	99.5	Ivy League
180	Tarleton St.	99.5	Western Athletic
181	Pepperdine	99.4	West Coast
182	UNC Asheville	99.4	Big South
183	South Alabama	99.4	Sun Belt
184	Long Beach St.	99.4	Big West
185	Minnesota	99.3	Big Ten
186	Gardner Webb	99.3	Big South
187	New Mexico St.	99.3	Western Athletic
188	Boston College	99.3	Atlantic Coast
189	Lipscomb	99.2	Atlantic Sun
190	Stetson	99.2	Atlantic Sun
191	Jacksonville	99.1	Atlantic Sun
192	Cleveland St.	99.1	Horizon
193	George Washington	98.9	Atlantic 10
194	Appalachian St.	98.8	Sun Belt
195	Fordham	98.8	Atlantic 10
196	Buffalo	98.8	Mid-American
197	Wofford	98.7	Southern
198	SIU Edwardsville	98.5	Ohio Valley
199	Saint Joseph’s	98.4	Atlantic 10
200	Eastern Kentucky	98.4	Atlantic Sun
201	Delaware	98.4	Colonial Athletic
202	San Diego	98.3	West Coast
203	Rider	98.2	Metro Atlantic
204	Brown	98.1	Ivy League
205	Rhode Island	98.1	Atlantic 10
206	Texas St.	98.1	Sun Belt
207	Queens	98.0	Atlantic Sun
208	Wright St.	97.9	Horizon
209	Norfolk St.	97.9	Mideastern Athletic
210	California	97.8	Pac-12
211	North Carolina Central	97.8	Mideastern Athletic
212	UMBC	97.8	America East
213	Georgetown	97.7	Big East
214	East Carolina	97.7	American Athletic
215	Northern Kentucky	97.5	Horizon
216	Detroit Mercy	97.5	Horizon
217	St. Thomas	97.4	Summit
218	Texas A&M CC	97.3	Southland
219	Milwaukee	97.3	Horizon
220	Weber St.	97.3	Big Sky
221	Utah Tech	97.2	Western Athletic
222	Oregon St.	97.2	Pac-12
223	Sacramento St.	97.2	Big Sky
224	Southern	97.2	Southwestern Athletic
225	Abilene Christian	97.1	Western Athletic
226	Georgia St.	97.0	Sun Belt
227	Navy	96.9	Patriot League
228	Mercer	96.9	Southern
229	Grambling	96.8	Southwestern Athletic
230	Georgia Southern	96.7	Sun Belt
231	Army	96.7	Patriot League
232	American	96.5	Patriot League
233	Bellarmine	96.5	Atlantic Sun
234	Illinois St.	96.4	Missouri Valley
235	Portland St.	96.3	Big Sky
236	Northwestern St.	96.3	Southland
237	Loyola (Chi.)	96.3	Atlantic 10
238	Pacific	96.3	West Coast
239	South Carolina	96.2	Southeastern
240	Nicholls St.	96.1	Southland
241	Western Carolina	96.1	Southern
242	Coastal Carolina	96.0	Sun Belt
243	North Dakota St.	95.8	Summit
244	Morgan St.	95.7	Mideastern Athletic
245	La Salle	95.6	Atlantic 10
246	Lafayette	95.6	Patriot League
247	Niagara	95.5	Metro Atlantic
248	Fairfield	95.5	Metro Atlantic
249	Tulsa	95.4	American Athletic
250	Northeastern	95.3	Colonial Athletic
251	Southern Indiana	95.3	Ohio Valley
252	UMKC	95.1	Summit
253	Boston University	95.1	Patriot League
254	Campbell	95.1	Big South
255	UT-Martin	94.9	Ohio Valley
256	East Tennessee St.	94.9	Southern
257	Alcorn St.	94.9	Southwestern Athletic
258	Southeast Missouri St.	94.7	Ohio Valley
259	UT Arlington	94.7	Western Athletic
260	Florida Int’l	94.6	Conference USA
261	Winthrop	94.6	Big South
262	Northern Colorado	94.5	Big Sky
263	North Florida	94.5	Atlantic Sun
264	Robert Morris	94.4	Horizon
265	Western Illinois	94.3	Summit
266	Idaho St.	94.2	Big Sky
267	Mount St. Mary’s	94.2	Metro Atlantic
268	Bucknell	94.2	Patriot League
269	Oakland	94.2	Horizon
270	Louisiana Monroe	94.2	Sun Belt
271	Bowling Green	94.1	Mid-American
272	North Carolina A&T	94.1	Colonial Athletic
273	Canisius	94.1	Metro Atlantic
274	Louisville	94.0	Atlantic Coast
275	Dartmouth	93.9	Ivy League
276	Lehigh	93.8	Patriot League
277	Austin Peay	93.8	Atlantic Sun
278	Charleston Southern	93.8	Big South
279	Western Michigan	93.7	Mid-American
280	New Hampshire	93.7	America East
281	Southeastern Louisiana	93.5	Southland
282	High Point	93.5	Big South
283	Morehead St.	93.5	Ohio Valley
284	Jacksonville St.	93.4	Atlantic Sun
285	Prairie View A&M	93.3	Southwestern Athletic
286	Northern Arizona	93.2	Big Sky
287	USC Upstate	93.2	Big South
288	Howard	93.2	Mideastern Athletic
289	Wagner	93.1	Northeast
290	Cal Poly	93.1	Big West
291	UC San Diego	93.0	Big West
292	Saint Peter’s	93.0	Metro Atlantic
293	Valparaiso	93.0	Missouri Valley
294	Denver	92.9	Summit
295	Maryland Eastern Shore	92.9	Mideastern Athletic
296	Illinois Chicago	92.8	Missouri Valley
297	William & Mary	92.8	Colonial Athletic
298	Central Michigan	92.8	Mid-American
299	Tennessee Tech	92.7	Ohio Valley
300	Miami (O)	92.7	Mid-American
301	Marist	92.6	Metro Atlantic
302	Texas Southern	92.6	Southwestern Athletic
303	Idaho	92.6	Big Sky
304	UT Rio Grande Valley	92.6	Western Athletic
305	Texas A&M Commerce	92.5	Southland
306	Fairleigh Dickinson	92.4	Northeast
307	Northern Illinois	92.2	Mid-American
308	Cal St. Bakersfield	92.2	Big West
309	South Dakota	92.1	Summit
310	Chicago St.	92.0	Independents
311	Binghamton	92.0	America East
312	Tennessee St.	92.0	Ohio Valley
313	The Citadel	91.8	Southern
314	Maine	91.8	America East
315	North Alabama	91.8	Atlantic Sun
316	Jackson St.	91.8	Southwestern Athletic
317	Stony Brook	91.7	Colonial Athletic
318	Arkansas St.	91.6	Sun Belt
319	North Dakota	91.5	Summit
320	Omaha	91.4	Summit
321	Manhattan	91.1	Metro Atlantic
322	NJIT	91.0	America East
323	Coppin St.	91.0	Mideastern Athletic
324	Cal St. Northridge	91.0	Big West
325	Sacred Heart	90.9	Northeast
326	UTSA	90.7	Conference USA
327	Presbyterian	90.6	Big South
328	St. Francis PA	90.6	Northeast
329	Central Connecticut	90.4	Northeast
330	Loyola (MD)	90.2	Patriot League
331	VMI	90.0	Southern
332	Eastern Michigan	89.9	Mid-American
333	Stonehill	89.9	Northeast
334	McNeese St.	89.8	Southland
335	Albany	89.7	America East
336	Merrimack	89.6	Northeast
337	Arkansas Pine Bluff	89.2	Southwestern Athletic
338	Alabama St.	89.1	Southwestern Athletic
339	Alabama A&M	89.0	Southwestern Athletic
340	Evansville	89.0	Missouri Valley
341	Central Arkansas	88.9	Atlantic Sun
342	Elon	88.8	Colonial Athletic
343	Holy Cross	88.8	Patriot League
344	Little Rock	88.7	Ohio Valley
345	Lindenwood	88.6	Ohio Valley
346	New Orleans	88.4	Southland
347	Eastern Illinois	88.1	Ohio Valley
348	South Carolina St.	88.0	Mideastern Athletic
349	Columbia	87.7	Ivy League
350	St. Francis NY	87.6	Northeast
351	Hampton	87.0	Colonial Athletic
352	Incarnate Word	87.0	Southland
353	Bethune Cookman	86.7	Southwestern Athletic
354	Houston Christian	85.6	Southland
355	Monmouth	85.2	Colonial Athletic
356	Lamar	84.3	Southland
357	Mississippi Valley St.	84.1	Southwestern Athletic
358	Delaware St.	84.1	Mideastern Athletic
359	Florida A&M	84.1	Southwestern Athletic
360	Green Bay	83.6	Horizon
361	Hartford	82.8	Independents
362	IUPUI	81.6	Horizon
363	Long Island	81.1	Northeast

Alphabetical

#	Team	PiRate	Conference
225	Abilene Christian	97.1	Western Athletic
149	Air Force	100.9	Mountain West
111	Akron	103.7	Mid-American
3	Alabama	120.1	Southeastern
339	Alabama A&M	89.0	Southwestern Athletic
338	Alabama St.	89.1	Southwestern Athletic
335	Albany	89.7	America East
257	Alcorn St.	94.9	Southwestern Athletic
232	American	96.5	Patriot League
194	Appalachian St.	98.8	Sun Belt
11	Arizona	115.0	Pac-12
49	Arizona St.	110.0	Pac-12
21	Arkansas	113.5	Southeastern
337	Arkansas Pine Bluff	89.2	Southwestern Athletic
318	Arkansas St.	91.6	Sun Belt
231	Army	96.7	Patriot League
17	Auburn	114.1	Southeastern
277	Austin Peay	93.8	Atlantic Sun
144	Ball St.	101.2	Mid-American
12	Baylor	114.7	Big 12
233	Bellarmine	96.5	Atlantic Sun
127	Belmont	102.9	Missouri Valley
353	Bethune Cookman	86.7	Southwestern Athletic
311	Binghamton	92.0	America East
32	Boise St.	111.9	Mountain West
188	Boston College	99.3	Atlantic Coast
253	Boston University	95.1	Patriot League
271	Bowling Green	94.1	Mid-American
80	Bradley	106.7	Missouri Valley
204	Brown	98.1	Ivy League
175	Bryant	99.7	America East
268	Bucknell	94.2	Patriot League
196	Buffalo	98.8	Mid-American
89	Butler	106.0	Big East
77	BYU	107.0	West Coast
158	Cal Baptist	100.5	Western Athletic
290	Cal Poly	93.1	Big West
308	Cal St. Bakersfield	92.2	Big West
174	Cal St. Fullerton	99.7	Big West
324	Cal St. Northridge	91.0	Big West
210	California	97.8	Pac-12
254	Campbell	95.1	Big South
273	Canisius	94.1	Metro Atlantic
341	Central Arkansas	88.9	Atlantic Sun
329	Central Connecticut	90.4	Northeast
58	Central Florida	109.5	American Athletic
298	Central Michigan	92.8	Mid-American
83	Charleston	106.6	Colonial Athletic
278	Charleston Southern	93.8	Big South
112	Charlotte	103.7	Conference USA
131	Chattanooga	102.4	Southern
310	Chicago St.	92.0	Independents
63	Cincinnati	109.0	American Athletic
61	Clemson	109.2	Atlantic Coast
192	Cleveland St.	99.1	Horizon
242	Coastal Carolina	96.0	Sun Belt
116	Colgate	103.3	Patriot League
54	Colorado	109.7	Pac-12
110	Colorado St.	104.0	Mountain West
349	Columbia	87.7	Ivy League
5	Connecticut	117.4	Big East
323	Coppin St.	91.0	Mideastern Athletic
109	Cornell	104.0	Ivy League
14	Creighton	114.5	Big East
275	Dartmouth	93.9	Ivy League
141	Davidson	101.9	Atlantic 10
57	Dayton	109.6	Atlantic 10
201	Delaware	98.4	Colonial Athletic
358	Delaware St.	84.1	Mideastern Athletic
294	Denver	92.9	Summit
126	DePaul	102.9	Big East
216	Detroit Mercy	97.5	Horizon
95	Drake	105.3	Missouri Valley
168	Drexel	100.0	Colonial Athletic
28	Duke	112.4	Atlantic Coast
117	Duquesne	103.2	Atlantic 10
214	East Carolina	97.7	American Athletic
256	East Tennessee St.	94.9	Southern
347	Eastern Illinois	88.1	Ohio Valley
200	Eastern Kentucky	98.4	Atlantic Sun
332	Eastern Michigan	89.9	Mid-American
150	Eastern Washington	100.9	Big Sky
342	Elon	88.8	Colonial Athletic
340	Evansville	89.0	Missouri Valley
248	Fairfield	95.5	Metro Atlantic
306	Fairleigh Dickinson	92.4	Northeast
37	Florida	111.3	Southeastern
359	Florida A&M	84.1	Southwestern Athletic
47	Florida Atlantic	110.0	Conference USA
160	Florida Gulf Coast	100.4	Atlantic Sun
260	Florida Int’l	94.6	Conference USA
140	Florida St.	101.9	Atlantic Coast
195	Fordham	98.8	Atlantic 10
167	Fresno St.	100.1	Mountain West
103	Furman	104.5	Southern
186	Gardner Webb	99.3	Big South
119	George Mason	103.2	Atlantic 10
193	George Washington	98.9	Atlantic 10
213	Georgetown	97.7	Big East
91	Georgia	105.8	Southeastern
230	Georgia Southern	96.7	Sun Belt
226	Georgia St.	97.0	Sun Belt
132	Georgia Tech	102.3	Atlantic Coast
8	Gonzaga	115.9	West Coast
229	Grambling	96.8	Southwestern Athletic
102	Grand Canyon	104.7	Western Athletic
360	Green Bay	83.6	Horizon
351	Hampton	87.0	Colonial Athletic
361	Hartford	82.8	Independents
179	Harvard	99.5	Ivy League
136	Hawaii	102.1	Big West
282	High Point	93.5	Big South
114	Hofstra	103.4	Colonial Athletic
343	Holy Cross	88.8	Patriot League
1	Houston	121.3	American Athletic
354	Houston Christian	85.6	Southland
288	Howard	93.2	Mideastern Athletic
303	Idaho	92.6	Big Sky
266	Idaho St.	94.2	Big Sky
26	Illinois	112.8	Big Ten
296	Illinois Chicago	92.8	Missouri Valley
234	Illinois St.	96.4	Missouri Valley
352	Incarnate Word	87.0	Southland
18	Indiana	113.9	Big Ten
118	Indiana St.	103.2	Missouri Valley
76	Iona	107.1	Metro Atlantic
24	Iowa	113.0	Big Ten
13	Iowa St.	114.6	Big 12
362	IUPUI	81.6	Horizon
316	Jackson St.	91.8	Southwestern Athletic
191	Jacksonville	99.1	Atlantic Sun
284	Jacksonville St.	93.4	Atlantic Sun
79	James Madison	106.7	Sun Belt
6	Kansas	117.2	Big 12
29	Kansas St.	112.2	Big 12
171	Kennesaw St.	99.8	Atlantic Sun
68	Kent St.	108.1	Mid-American
30	Kentucky	112.1	Southeastern
245	La Salle	95.6	Atlantic 10
246	Lafayette	95.6	Patriot League
356	Lamar	84.3	Southland
276	Lehigh	93.8	Patriot League
72	Liberty	107.4	Atlantic Sun
345	Lindenwood	88.6	Ohio Valley
189	Lipscomb	99.2	Atlantic Sun
344	Little Rock	88.7	Ohio Valley
184	Long Beach St.	99.4	Big West
363	Long Island	81.1	Northeast
143	Longwood	101.7	Big South
124	Louisiana	102.9	Sun Belt
270	Louisiana Monroe	94.2	Sun Belt
129	Louisiana Tech	102.5	Conference USA
274	Louisville	94.0	Atlantic Coast
237	Loyola (Chi.)	96.3	Atlantic 10
330	Loyola (MD)	90.2	Patriot League
97	Loyola Marymount	105.0	West Coast
101	LSU	104.7	Southeastern
314	Maine	91.8	America East
321	Manhattan	91.1	Metro Atlantic
301	Marist	92.6	Metro Atlantic
15	Marquette	114.3	Big East
73	Marshall	107.4	Sun Belt
39	Maryland	110.9	Big Ten
295	Maryland Eastern Shore	92.9	Mideastern Athletic
156	Massachusetts	100.5	Atlantic 10
334	McNeese St.	89.8	Southland
34	Memphis	111.4	American Athletic
228	Mercer	96.9	Southern
336	Merrimack	89.6	Northeast
40	Miami (Fla)	110.7	Atlantic Coast
300	Miami (O)	92.7	Mid-American
56	Michigan	109.7	Big Ten
35	Michigan St.	111.4	Big Ten
133	Middle Tennessee	102.3	Conference USA
219	Milwaukee	97.3	Horizon
185	Minnesota	99.3	Big Ten
82	Mississippi	106.6	Southeastern
62	Mississippi St.	109.1	Southeastern
357	Mississippi Valley St.	84.1	Southwestern Athletic
52	Missouri	109.8	Southeastern
130	Missouri St.	102.4	Missouri Valley
355	Monmouth	85.2	Colonial Athletic
178	Montana	99.5	Big Sky
128	Montana St.	102.6	Big Sky
283	Morehead St.	93.5	Ohio Valley
244	Morgan St.	95.7	Mideastern Athletic
267	Mount St. Mary’s	94.2	Metro Atlantic
177	Murray St.	99.5	Missouri Valley
227	Navy	96.9	Patriot League
94	Nebraska	105.4	Big Ten
66	Nevada	108.7	Mountain West
280	New Hampshire	93.7	America East
50	New Mexico	109.9	Mountain West
187	New Mexico St.	99.3	Western Athletic
346	New Orleans	88.4	Southland
247	Niagara	95.5	Metro Atlantic
240	Nicholls St.	96.1	Southland
322	NJIT	91.0	America East
209	Norfolk St.	97.9	Mideastern Athletic
315	North Alabama	91.8	Atlantic Sun
22	North Carolina	113.1	Atlantic Coast
272	North Carolina A&T	94.1	Colonial Athletic
211	North Carolina Central	97.8	Mideastern Athletic
36	North Carolina St.	111.4	Atlantic Coast
319	North Dakota	91.5	Summit
243	North Dakota St.	95.8	Summit
263	North Florida	94.5	Atlantic Sun
87	North Texas	106.2	Conference USA
250	Northeastern	95.3	Colonial Athletic
286	Northern Arizona	93.2	Big Sky
262	Northern Colorado	94.5	Big Sky
307	Northern Illinois	92.2	Mid-American
164	Northern Iowa	100.1	Missouri Valley
215	Northern Kentucky	97.5	Horizon
53	Northwestern	109.7	Big Ten
236	Northwestern St.	96.3	Southland
135	Notre Dame	102.2	Atlantic Coast
269	Oakland	94.2	Horizon
153	Ohio	100.7	Mid-American
23	Ohio St.	113.0	Big Ten
42	Oklahoma	110.5	Big 12
33	Oklahoma St.	111.5	Big 12
166	Old Dominion	100.1	Sun Belt
320	Omaha	91.4	Summit
75	Oral Roberts	107.2	Summit
46	Oregon	110.1	Pac-12
222	Oregon St.	97.2	Pac-12
238	Pacific	96.3	West Coast
163	Penn	100.1	Ivy League
44	Penn St.	110.4	Big Ten
181	Pepperdine	99.4	West Coast
65	Pittsburgh	108.7	Atlantic Coast
169	Portland	99.9	West Coast
235	Portland St.	96.3	Big Sky
285	Prairie View A&M	93.3	Southwestern Athletic
327	Presbyterian	90.6	Big South
104	Princeton	104.4	Ivy League
38	Providence	111.3	Big East
7	Purdue	117.0	Big Ten
161	Purdue Fort Wayne	100.2	Horizon
207	Queens	98.0	Atlantic Sun
139	Quinnipiac	101.9	Metro Atlantic
162	Radford	100.1	Big South
205	Rhode Island	98.1	Atlantic 10
159	Rice	100.5	Conference USA
105	Richmond	104.2	Atlantic 10
203	Rider	98.2	Metro Atlantic
264	Robert Morris	94.4	Horizon
20	Rutgers	113.6	Big Ten
223	Sacramento St.	97.2	Big Sky
325	Sacred Heart	90.9	Northeast
199	Saint Joseph’s	98.4	Atlantic 10
78	Saint Louis	106.9	Atlantic 10
10	Saint Mary’s	115.1	West Coast
292	Saint Peter’s	93.0	Metro Atlantic
74	Sam Houston St.	107.3	Western Athletic
142	Samford	101.7	Southern
202	San Diego	98.3	West Coast
31	San Diego St.	111.9	Mountain West
107	San Francisco	104.1	West Coast
157	San Jose St.	100.5	Mountain West
90	Santa Clara	106.0	West Coast
120	Seattle	103.0	Western Athletic
48	Seton Hall	110.0	Big East
170	Siena	99.9	Metro Atlantic
198	SIU Edwardsville	98.5	Ohio Valley
165	SMU	100.1	American Athletic
183	South Alabama	99.4	Sun Belt
239	South Carolina	96.2	Southeastern
348	South Carolina St.	88.0	Mideastern Athletic
309	South Dakota	92.1	Summit
173	South Dakota St.	99.7	Summit
147	South Florida	101.0	American Athletic
258	Southeast Missouri St.	94.7	Ohio Valley
281	Southeastern Louisiana	93.5	Southland
224	Southern	97.2	Southwestern Athletic
115	Southern Illinois	103.3	Missouri Valley
251	Southern Indiana	95.3	Ohio Valley
123	Southern Miss	102.9	Sun Belt
106	Southern Utah	104.2	Western Athletic
146	St. Bonaventure	101.1	Atlantic 10
350	St. Francis NY	87.6	Northeast
328	St. Francis PA	90.6	Northeast
55	St. John’s	109.7	Big East
217	St. Thomas	97.4	Summit
93	Stanford	105.4	Pac-12
137	Stephen F. Austin	102.0	Western Athletic
190	Stetson	99.2	Atlantic Sun
333	Stonehill	89.9	Northeast
317	Stony Brook	91.7	Colonial Athletic
86	Syracuse	106.3	Atlantic Coast
180	Tarleton St.	99.5	Western Athletic
25	TCU	112.9	Big 12
122	Temple	103.0	American Athletic
2	Tennessee	120.5	Southeastern
312	Tennessee St.	92.0	Ohio Valley
299	Tennessee Tech	92.7	Ohio Valley
9	Texas	115.4	Big 12
45	Texas A&M	110.2	Southeastern
218	Texas A&M CC	97.3	Southland
305	Texas A&M Commerce	92.5	Southland
302	Texas Southern	92.6	Southwestern Athletic
206	Texas St.	98.1	Sun Belt
43	Texas Tech	110.4	Big 12
313	The Citadel	91.8	Southern
99	Toledo	104.9	Mid-American
134	Towson	102.2	Colonial Athletic
138	Troy	102.0	Sun Belt
84	Tulane	106.5	American Athletic
249	Tulsa	95.4	American Athletic
64	UAB	108.8	Conference USA
172	UC Davis	99.7	Big West
100	UC Irvine	104.8	Big West
151	UC Riverside	100.8	Big West
291	UC San Diego	93.0	Big West
108	UC Santa Barbara	104.1	Big West
4	UCLA	119.2	Pac-12
154	UMass Lowell	100.6	America East
212	UMBC	97.8	America East
252	UMKC	95.1	Summit
182	UNC Asheville	99.4	Big South
125	UNC Greensboro	102.9	Southern
148	UNC Wilmington	100.9	Colonial Athletic
81	UNLV	106.6	Mountain West
60	USC	109.3	Pac-12
287	USC Upstate	93.2	Big South
259	UT Arlington	94.7	Western Athletic
304	UT Rio Grande Valley	92.6	Western Athletic
255	UT-Martin	94.9	Ohio Valley
59	Utah	109.4	Pac-12
41	Utah St.	110.7	Mountain West
221	Utah Tech	97.2	Western Athletic
92	Utah Valley	105.5	Western Athletic
176	UTEP	99.6	Conference USA
326	UTSA	90.7	Conference USA
293	Valparaiso	93.0	Missouri Valley
88	Vanderbilt	106.2	Southeastern
85	VCU	106.3	Atlantic 10
155	Vermont	100.5	America East
71	Villanova	107.7	Big East
19	Virginia	113.7	Atlantic Coast
51	Virginia Tech	109.9	Atlantic Coast
331	VMI	90.0	Southern
289	Wagner	93.1	Northeast
70	Wake Forest	107.8	Atlantic Coast
96	Washington	105.0	Pac-12
69	Washington St.	108.1	Pac-12
220	Weber St.	97.3	Big Sky
27	West Virginia	112.5	Big 12
241	Western Carolina	96.1	Southern
265	Western Illinois	94.3	Summit
152	Western Kentucky	100.8	Conference USA
279	Western Michigan	93.7	Mid-American
121	Wichita St.	103.0	American Athletic
297	William & Mary	92.8	Colonial Athletic
261	Winthrop	94.6	Big South
67	Wisconsin	108.7	Big Ten
197	Wofford	98.7	Southern
208	Wright St.	97.9	Horizon
145	Wyoming	101.1	Mountain West
16	Xavier	114.2	Big East
98	Yale	104.9	Ivy League
113	Youngstown St.	103.4	Horizon

PiRate Ratings By Conference

America East
Team	Rating
UMass Lowell	100.6
Vermont	100.5
Bryant	99.7
UMBC	97.8
New Hampshire	93.7
Binghamton	92.0
Maine	91.8
NJIT	91.0
Albany	89.7
American Athletic
Team	Rating
Houston	121.3
Memphis	111.4
Central Florida	109.5
Cincinnati	109.0
Tulane	106.5
Wichita St.	103.0
Temple	103.0
South Florida	101.0
SMU	100.1
East Carolina	97.7
Tulsa	95.4
Atlantic 10
Team	Rating
Dayton	109.6
Saint Louis	106.9
VCU	106.3
Richmond	104.2
Duquesne	103.2
George Mason	103.2
Davidson	101.9
St. Bonaventure	101.1
Massachusetts	100.5
George Washington	98.9
Fordham	98.8
Saint Joseph’s	98.4
Rhode Island	98.1
Loyola (Chi.)	96.3
La Salle	95.6
Atlantic Coast
Team	Rating
Virginia	113.7
North Carolina	113.1
Duke	112.4
North Carolina St.	111.4
Miami (Fla)	110.7
Virginia Tech	109.9
Clemson	109.2
Pittsburgh	108.7
Wake Forest	107.8
Syracuse	106.3
Georgia Tech	102.3
Notre Dame	102.2
Florida St.	101.9
Boston College	99.3
Louisville	94.0
Atlantic Sun
Team	Rating
Liberty	107.4
Florida Gulf Coast	100.4
Kennesaw St.	99.8
Lipscomb	99.2
Stetson	99.2
Jacksonville	99.1
Eastern Kentucky	98.4
Queens	98.0
Bellarmine	96.5
North Florida	94.5
Austin Peay	93.8
Jacksonville St.	93.4
North Alabama	91.8
Central Arkansas	88.9
Big 12
Team	Rating
Kansas	117.2
Texas	115.4
Baylor	114.7
Iowa St.	114.6
TCU	112.9
West Virginia	112.5
Kansas St.	112.2
Oklahoma St.	111.5
Oklahoma	110.5
Texas Tech	110.4
Big East
Team	Rating
Connecticut	117.4
Creighton	114.5
Marquette	114.3
Xavier	114.2
Providence	111.3
Seton Hall	110.0
St. John’s	109.7
Villanova	107.7
Butler	106.0
DePaul	102.9
Georgetown	97.7
Big Sky
Team	Rating
Montana St.	102.6
Eastern Washington	100.9
Montana	99.5
Weber St.	97.3
Sacramento St.	97.2
Portland St.	96.3
Northern Colorado	94.5
Idaho St.	94.2
Northern Arizona	93.2
Idaho	92.6
Big South
Team	Rating
Longwood	101.7
Radford	100.1
UNC Asheville	99.4
Gardner Webb	99.3
Campbell	95.1
Winthrop	94.6
Charleston Southern	93.8
High Point	93.5
USC Upstate	93.2
Presbyterian	90.6
Big Ten
Team	Rating
Purdue	117.0
Indiana	113.9
Rutgers	113.6
Ohio St.	113.0
Iowa	113.0
Illinois	112.8
Michigan St.	111.4
Maryland	110.9
Penn St.	110.4
Northwestern	109.7
Michigan	109.7
Wisconsin	108.7
Nebraska	105.4
Minnesota	99.3
Big West
Team	Rating
UC Irvine	104.8
UC Santa Barbara	104.1
Hawaii	102.1
UC Riverside	100.8
UC Davis	99.7
Cal St. Fullerton	99.7
Long Beach St.	99.4
Cal Poly	93.1
UC San Diego	93.0
Cal St. Bakersfield	92.2
Cal St. Northridge	91.0
Colonial Athletic
Team	Rating
Charleston	106.6
Hofstra	103.4
Towson	102.2
UNC Wilmington	100.9
Drexel	100.0
Delaware	98.4
Northeastern	95.3
North Carolina A&T	94.1
William & Mary	92.8
Stony Brook	91.7
Elon	88.8
Hampton	87.0
Monmouth	85.2
Conference USA
Team	Rating
Florida Atlantic	110.0
UAB	108.8
North Texas	106.2
Charlotte	103.7
Louisiana Tech	102.5
Middle Tennessee	102.3
Western Kentucky	100.8
Rice	100.5
UTEP	99.6
Florida Int’l	94.6
UTSA	90.7
Horizon
Team	Rating
Youngstown St.	103.4
Purdue Fort Wayne	100.2
Cleveland St.	99.1
Wright St.	97.9
Northern Kentucky	97.5
Detroit Mercy	97.5
Milwaukee	97.3
Robert Morris	94.4
Oakland	94.2
Green Bay	83.6
IUPUI	81.6
Independents
Team	Rating
Chicago St.	92.0
Hartford	82.8
Ivy League
Team	Rating
Yale	104.9
Princeton	104.4
Cornell	104.0
Penn	100.1
Harvard	99.5
Brown	98.1
Dartmouth	93.9
Columbia	87.7
Metro Atlantic
Team	Rating
Iona	107.1
Quinnipiac	101.9
Siena	99.9
Rider	98.2
Niagara	95.5
Fairfield	95.5
Mount St. Mary’s	94.2
Canisius	94.1
Saint Peter’s	93.0
Marist	92.6
Manhattan	91.1
Mid-American
Team	Rating
Kent St.	108.1
Toledo	104.9
Akron	103.7
Ball St.	101.2
Ohio	100.7
Buffalo	98.8
Bowling Green	94.1
Western Michigan	93.7
Central Michigan	92.8
Miami (O)	92.7
Northern Illinois	92.2
Eastern Michigan	89.9
Mideastern Athletic
Team	Rating
Norfolk St.	97.9
North Carolina Central	97.8
Morgan St.	95.7
Howard	93.2
Maryland Eastern Shore	92.9
Coppin St.	91.0
South Carolina St.	88.0
Delaware St.	84.1
Missouri Valley
Team	Rating
Bradley	106.7
Drake	105.3
Southern Illinois	103.3
Indiana St.	103.2
Belmont	102.9
Missouri St.	102.4
Northern Iowa	100.1
Murray St.	99.5
Illinois St.	96.4
Valparaiso	93.0
Illinois Chicago	92.8
Evansville	89.0
Mountain West
Team	Rating
San Diego St.	111.9
Boise St.	111.9
Utah St.	110.7
New Mexico	109.9
Nevada	108.7
UNLV	106.6
Colorado St.	104.0
Wyoming	101.1
Air Force	100.9
San Jose St.	100.5
Fresno St.	100.1
Northeast
Team	Rating
Wagner	93.1
Fairleigh Dickinson	92.4
Sacred Heart	90.9
St. Francis PA	90.6
Central Connecticut	90.4
Stonehill	89.9
Merrimack	89.6
St. Francis NY	87.6
Long Island	81.1
Ohio Valley
Team	Rating
SIU Edwardsville	98.5
Southern Indiana	95.3
UT-Martin	94.9
Southeast Missouri St.	94.7
Morehead St.	93.5
Tennessee Tech	92.7
Tennessee St.	92.0
Little Rock	88.7
Lindenwood	88.6
Eastern Illinois	88.1
Pac-12
Team	Rating
UCLA	119.2
Arizona	115.0
Oregon	110.1
Arizona St.	110.0
Colorado	109.7
Utah	109.4
USC	109.3
Washington St.	108.1
Stanford	105.4
Washington	105.0
California	97.8
Oregon St.	97.2
Patriot League
Team	Rating
Colgate	103.3
Navy	96.9
Army	96.7
American	96.5
Lafayette	95.6
Boston University	95.1
Bucknell	94.2
Lehigh	93.8
Loyola (MD)	90.2
Holy Cross	88.8
Southeastern
Team	Rating
Tennessee	120.5
Alabama	120.1
Auburn	114.1
Arkansas	113.5
Kentucky	112.1
Florida	111.3
Texas A&M	110.2
Missouri	109.8
Mississippi St.	109.1
Mississippi	106.6
Vanderbilt	106.2
Georgia	105.8
LSU	104.7
South Carolina	96.2
Southern
Team	Rating
Furman	104.5
UNC Greensboro	102.9
Chattanooga	102.4
Samford	101.7
Wofford	98.7
Mercer	96.9
Western Carolina	96.1
East Tennessee St.	94.9
The Citadel	91.8
VMI	90.0
Southland
Team	Rating
Texas A&M CC	97.3
Northwestern St.	96.3
Nicholls St.	96.1
Southeastern Louisiana	93.5
Texas A&M Commerce	92.5
McNeese St.	89.8
New Orleans	88.4
Incarnate Word	87.0
Houston Christian	85.6
Lamar	84.3
Southwestern Athletic
Team	Rating
Southern	97.2
Grambling	96.8
Alcorn St.	94.9
Prairie View A&M	93.3
Texas Southern	92.6
Jackson St.	91.8
Arkansas Pine Bluff	89.2
Alabama St.	89.1
Alabama A&M	89.0
Bethune Cookman	86.7
Mississippi Valley St.	84.1
Florida A&M	84.1
Summit
Team	Rating
Oral Roberts	107.2
South Dakota St.	99.7
St. Thomas	97.4
North Dakota St.	95.8
UMKC	95.1
Western Illinois	94.3
Denver	92.9
South Dakota	92.1
North Dakota	91.5
Omaha	91.4
Sun Belt
Team	Rating
Marshall	107.4
James Madison	106.7
Southern Miss	102.9
Louisiana	102.9
Troy	102.0
Old Dominion	100.1
South Alabama	99.4
Appalachian St.	98.8
Texas St.	98.1
Georgia St.	97.0
Georgia Southern	96.7
Coastal Carolina	96.0
Louisiana Monroe	94.2
Arkansas St.	91.6
West Coast
Team	Rating
Gonzaga	115.9
Saint Mary’s	115.1
BYU	107.0
Santa Clara	106.0
Loyola Marymount	105.0
San Francisco	104.1
Portland	99.9
Pepperdine	99.4
San Diego	98.3
Pacific	96.3
Western Athletic
Team	Rating
Sam Houston St.	107.3
Utah Valley	105.5
Grand Canyon	104.7
Southern Utah	104.2
Seattle	103.0
Stephen F. Austin	102.0
Cal Baptist	100.5
Tarleton St.	99.5
New Mexico St.	99.3
Utah Tech	97.2
Abilene Christian	97.1
UT Arlington	94.7
UT Rio Grande Valley	92.6

Coming later today: Updated Bracketology

PiRate Ratings College Basketball–Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Tuesday, December 27, 2022
Home	Visitor	Spread
Columbia	Maryland Eastern Shore	-1.5
Monmouth	UNC Wilmington	-14.1
Ole Miss	Tennessee	-9.8
TCU	Central Arkansas	24.5
Virginia	Albany	26.9
Connecticut	Villanova	14.8
Central Florida	Wichita St.	6.0
Richmond	Coppin St.	14.9
Maine	Harvard	-4.0
East Carolina	Temple	-1.5
Missouri	Kentucky	-2.4
Ball St.	Chicago St.	11.1
Samford	Mercer	1.7
Georgia	Rider	10.0
Fordham	Davidson	0.5
Dayton	Duquesne	9.4
Auburn	Florida	6.2
Belmont	Bradley	-1.8
Illinois-Chicago	Illinois St.	1.0
Northern Iowa	Missouri St.	0.7
Baylor	Nicholls St.	20.2
St. John’s	Xavier	-1.3
New Mexico St.	Southern Utah	4.4
Tulsa	Houston	-20.1
New Mexico	Colorado St.	6.5
Mississippi St.	Alabama	-3.3
LSU	Arkansas	-7.2
Nevada	Boise St.	-0.5
San Jose St.	UNLV	-5.7
Fresno St.	Wyoming	1.5
San Diego St.	Air Force	16.2

2017 Mountain West Conference Preview

In past years, the Mountain West Conference preview has come several days later.  We preview the conferences in reverse order of their overall power rating, and the MWC starts the 2017 season at its lowest rank in many years.  Part of that reason is that the one power program, Boise State, is not so powerful these days.  The Broncos are still very much a contender to win the Mountain Division and play in the league championship game, but they are not a prohibitive favorite, nor are they the regular favorite.

Last year, five teams competed for the Mountain Division title, while San Diego State cruised to the West Division title with no competition.  It should be more of the same formula this year, as the MWC Championship Game is starting to look like the Aztec Invitational Tournament.

Here is how the MWC Media picked the races in the preseason.

Mountain West Conference
Mountain Division
#	Team	1st Pl.	Total
1	Boise St.	21	161
2	Colorado St.	6	135
3	Wyoming	1	114
4	Air Force	0	82
5	New Mexico	0	68
6	Utah St.	0	28
West Divsion
#	Team	1st Pl.	Total
1	San Diego St.	28	168
2	Hawaii	0	135
3	UNLV	0	105
4	Nevada	0	79
5	San Jose St.	0	54
6	Fresno St.	0	47

The Preseason PiRate, Mean, and Bias Ratings agree with SDSU being the clear cut favorite in the West, but they do not agree with the Mountain Division pick.  It looks like a three-team race in this division.

Mountain West Conference
Mountain Division
Team	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Average
Colo. State	101.3	100.5	101.2	101.0
Wyoming	99.0	96.4	97.8	97.7
Boise St.	98.4	96.6	97.6	97.5
New Mexico	92.8	93.3	93.7	93.3
Air Force	91.5	92.2	91.8	91.8
Utah St.	87.7	86.7	86.9	87.1
West Division
Team	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Average
San Diego St.	99.7	100.7	101.3	100.6
Hawaii	88.8	90.8	88.6	89.4
U N L V	85.3	88.5	85.7	86.5
San Jose St.	86.2	85.5	85.5	85.7
Fresno St.	85.6	84.2	85.7	85.2
Nevada	83.0	86.9	85.3	85.0
MWC Averages	91.6	91.9	91.8	91.7

This is our not-so-scientific look at the projected standings and bowl projections.

Mountain West Conference Projected Standings
Mountain Division	Conference	Overall	Bowl
Wyoming	7-1	9-4	Idaho Potato
Colorado St.	7-1	9-3	Hawaii
Boise St.	6-2	8-4	Arizona
New Mexico	4-4	6-6	New Mexico
Air Force	3-5	5-7
Utah St.	1-7	2-10
West Division	Conference	Overall	Bowl
San Diego St.	6-2	9-4	Las Vegas
Hawaii	3-5	5-7
UNLV	3-5	4-8
Nevada	2-6	3-9
Fresno St.	2-6	3-9
San Jose St.	2-6	3-10
San Diego St. to Win MWC Championship Game

Coming tomorrow: The Sun Belt Conference had always been the lowest rated league each preseason since its inception, but we thought that had changed this year.  Not only did we believe that the SBC moved out of the basement, they climbed up to second best Group of 5 conference.  At first, we believed it was due to a trio of exceptionally strong teams, but then we realized what happened.  It was our mistake.  We forgot to divide the total rating by 12 and divided by 11.  Coastal Carolina joined the league as a full member, and our people did not change the formula until it was too late to change the order of the previews.  We apologize for the error.

 

To make up for this, here is a fun, two-part trivia question for you.  The answers will come in the following previews.

A. Name the four pairs of FBS football schools that play their home games in stadiums less than 10 miles apart.

B. Name the three pairs of FBS football schools  that play their home games in stadiums less than 15 miles apart and are also conference rivals.

Remember, these are FBS schools only.  One hint–there will be one fewer pair that qualify after this season.

2016 Mountain West Conference Football Preview

In our first three previews, the races have projected to be competitive with up to four teams figuring to contend for the divisional titles. In today’s Mountain West Conference preview, there is no such competitiveness. Boise State and San Diego State are prohibitive favorites in the divisional races, so much so that the Broncos received 27 of 29 first place votes in the preseason media poll, while the Aztecs selection as number one in the West was unanimous.

The PiRate Ratings concur–Boise State and San Diego State begin the 2016 season as clear-cut favorites. In the Mountain Division, Air Force is within striking distance, less than a touchdown weaker than BSU to start the season. In the West, SDSU begins the season more than a ten points ahead of the pack.

Our Buccaneers have spotted their first surprise team in this year’s previews. UNLV, picked by the media to finish fifth in the West Division, should better that by a lot this year. The Rebels start the season with the fourth best PiRate Rating in the West, but they benefit by hosting Fresno State, Colorado State, Wyoming, and Nevada, while playing at Hawaii, and this gives second year head coach Tony Sanchez a chance to give UNLV a chance to return to a bowl for the first time in three years. Sanchez lost five games in six years as head coach of Bishop Gorman High School in suburban Las Vegas. In his first season at Sam Boyd Stadium, the Rebels finished 3-9, but it was an almost two touchdown improvement in scoring margin. A defense which figures to improve yet again should allow the Rebels to shed another 7-10 points off their points allowed, and Sanchez will mold a credible offense and guide UNLV to bowl eligibility.

The other surprise team should not be a surprise team at all. New Mexico was selected fifth in the Mountain Division after Coach Bob Davie guided the Lobos to a 7-5 regular season record, the first winning season in Albuquerque since 2007. The Lobos return almost every defensive player that contributed last year, and they also return a competent quarterback in Lamar Jordan. The PiRate believe that UNM will not only return to a bowl game again this season, they will even improve on their won-loss record of last year.

Both San Diego State and Boise State figure to contend for the automatic bid to a New Year’s Six Bowl Game awarded to the top team not from a Power 5 league. The winner of the MWC Championship Game might need to be undefeated this year to take that bid, because there are a couple of teams in the American Athletic Conference capable of going 12-1 this year. Check the PiRate Ratings Friday for a preview of that league.

Here is how the MWC Media Predicted The Race

Mountain West Conference
Mountain Division
#	Team	1st Pl.	Total
1	Boise St.	27	172
2	Air Force	2	126
3	Utah St.	0	111
4	Colorado St.	0	95
5	New Mexico	0	74
6	Wyoming	0	31
West Divsion
#	Team	1st Pl.	Total
1	San Diego St.	29	174
2	Nevada	0	129
3	San Jose St.	0	122
4	Fresno St.	0	76
5	UNLV	0	73
6	Hawaii	0	35

The Media did not select an overall champion.

Here are the PiRate Ratings to begin the season.

Mountain West Conference
Mountain Division
Team	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Average
Boise St.	104.4	105.7	106.3	105.5
Air Force	99.9	100.2	100.1	100.1
New Mexico	94.3	97.6	95.6	95.9
Utah St.	93.2	97.1	93.0	94.4
Colorado St.	88.2	90.6	89.0	89.3
Wyoming	82.5	82.5	82.6	82.6
West Division
Team	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Average
San Diego St.	104.9	102.2	108.2	105.1
Nevada	92.3	95.6	93.6	93.9
San Jose St.	91.0	91.0	91.9	91.3
UNLV	89.0	93.6	89.1	90.6
Fresno St.	82.1	87.1	81.9	83.7
Hawaii	77.0	76.5	75.7	76.4
MWC Averages	91.6	93.4	92.3	92.4

The PiRate Ratings are best used just to look forward to the next week game schedule.  These ratings cannot really be used to predict won-loss records, so with that caveat, here are the projected won-loss records based on the ratings alone.

Mountain West Conference Projected Standings
Team	Conference	Overall	Bowl
Mountain Division
Boise St.	8-0	12-1 *	Las Vegas
Air Force	7-1	11-1	Hawaii
New Mexico	5-3	8-4	New Mexico
Utah St.	4-4	6-6	Arizona
Colorado St.	2-6	4-8
Wyoming	0-8	1-11
West Division
San Diego St.	8-0	11-2	Poinsettia
UNLV	5-3	7-5	Idaho Potato
Nevada	4-4	6-6	Bowl Eligible
San Jose St.	4-4	5-7
Fresno St.	1-7	2-10
Hawaii	0-8	2-11
* Boise St. Projected to Win MWC Championship Game

Coming Tomorrow–The PiRates will release a double feature–The Independents and the American Athletic Conference. Beginning Saturday, we will commence with the Power 5 conference previews.

PiRate Ratings NCAA Basketball Report for February 3, 2012

This week’s Low and Mid-Major Conference Teams in the RPI Top 50

  8: U N L V

16: Creighton

18: Colorado State

21: Gonzaga

22: San Diego State

28: St. Mary’s

30:WichitaState

33:Long BeachState

36:MurrayState

37: Brigham Young

38:New Mexico

47: Harvard

48: MiddleTennessee

 

This week, we look at the upper echelon of the non-power conferences, the so-called Mid-Majors.  We list seven conferences in this group that is just below the top eight leagues.

 

Colonial Athletic

1 bid only

Virginia Commonwealth made it to the Final Four last year, and George Mason has been there in recent times, but this league is down in 2012.  Only the conference tournament champion will play in the NCAA Tournament.

 

Virginia Commonwealth (10-2/19-5 RPI 94), Drexel (10-2/18-5 RPI 82), George Mason (10-2/18-6 RPI 113), and Old Dominion (10-2/15-9 RPI 130) are tied for first, well ahead of the rest of the pack.

 

Drexel may be the league’s best representative this year.  The Dragons can rebound with the power conference teams.  Samme Givens, Daryl McCoy, and Dartaye Ruffin team up for about 18 boards per game, and seven players contribute in a balanced scoring load.  Drexel holds opponents under 40% from the field.

 

Virginia Commonwealth still plays a helter-skelter style of ball, but the Rams cannot shoot the ball well.  VCU’s field goal accuracy is barely 40%.  Leading scorer Bradford Burgess shoots just 33.6% from the field.  Coach Shaka Smart has to find a way to get Juvonte Reddic the ball more.  Reddic, who averages 10.9 points per game, connects on better than 50% of his shots.

 

Horizon

1 bid with very slim chance at 2

 

Cleveland State (8-2/18-4 RPI 58) owns a double-digit win at Vanderbilt.  However, the Vikings have fallen in the RPI rankings to a point where they would need to win out and lose in the semifinals or finals of the Horizon League in order to earn an at-large bid.

 

Valparaiso (9-3/16-8 RPI 110)  is close to being as good as they were during their winning years in the early 1990’s.  However, they will not make it to the Big Dance unless they earn an automatic bid.

 

UW-Milwaukee (7-5/14-10 RPI 137), Youngstown State (7-5/12-10 RPI 147), and Butler (7-5/13-11 RPI 125) are the best of the rest. Butler appears to be in danger of missing out on post-season play this year.

 

Mid-American

1 bid only (remote chance for 2)

 

The MAC is not what it once was.  No team in the Western Division can even sniff a double digit RPI.  In the stronger Eastern Division, there are three teams that could compete in an opening round NCAA Tournament game.

 

Akron (7-1/15-7 RPI 56) is on the precipice of being an at-large bubble team.  The Zips are a balanced scoring teams with five players scoring between eight and 11 points per game. Akronis not all that strong on the boards, but the Zips shoot better than 48% from the field.

 

Ohio U (6-2/18-4 RPI 78) has a very tough closing schedule, and the Bobcats are likely to lose as many as they win from here on out.  Poor shooting will doom them in on the road.

 

Buffalo (6-2/13-6 RPI 92) holds opponents well under 40% from the field, and the Bulls can compete with anybody on the boards.  Javon McCrea and Mitchell Watt team for better than 31 points per game. Buffalomight be the most competitive of the three leaders in an opening round NCAA Tournament game.

 

Missouri Valley

2 for sure and possible 3 bids

 

The Valley is fertile in 2012.  Creighton (11-1/21-2 RPI 16) and WichitaState(10-2/19-4 RPI 30) are sure things to earn at-large bids to the Big Dance if they do not win the MVC Tournament. Northern Iowa (5-7/15-9) has the talent to pull off a conference tournament upset. 

 

Creighton has the 21^st century version of Larry Bird leading the team.  Doug McDermott averages almost 24 points per game and more than eight rebounds per game.  He connects on better than 62% of his shots, about 52% from behind the three-point line, and 82% at the foul line. 

 

The Blue Jays own wins over San Diego State and Northwestern, and they won at WichitaState.

 

Wichita State defeated UNLV, and the Shockers are a little stronger defensively than Creighton, but a little weaker offensively.

 

Mountain West

3 bids with a chance for 4

 

Even with the defection of BYU, this league is quite strong, perhaps the strongest of this group.

 

Five teams are still in contention for at-large bid status.  UNLV (5-1/21-3 RPI 8) is a sure thing.  The Runnin’ Rebels can score (80+ points per game), defend (9 steals per game and +15 scoring margin), and rebound (+5.4).  Mike Moser averages a double-double (14.7/11.6).

 

San Diego State (5-1/19-3 RPI 22) is only marginally weaker this year than last.  The Aztecs are still talented enough to advance deep into the tournament.  Coach Steve Fisher has two legitimate stars in Chase Tarpley and Jamaal Franklin.  SDSU owns wins over Arizona, California, UNLV, and Long BeachState.

 

New Mexico (4-2/18-4 RPI 38) may be the best of the top three in this league.  The Lobos can slaughter a team in a matter of minutes with deadly accurate shooting and strong defense.  Coach Steve Alford has this team playing like an oldIndianateam.  UNM defeated St. Louis, Wyoming, and ColoradoState, but there is a question about their strength of schedule.

 

Colorado State (3-3/14-7 RPI 18) and Wyoming(3-3/17-5 RPI 91) both have enough talent to win the MWC Tournament.

 

West Coast Conference

3 bids (possibly 4)

 

If the Mountain West is not the strongest Mid-Major, then this league is.  Three teams stand to make the NCAA Tournament, and if someone else can pull off the conference tournament upset, there is a chance that four could receive invitations.

 

St.Mary’s (11-0/22-2 RPI 28) continues to remain among the nation’s elite thanks to Coach Randy Bennett’s ability to recruit all over the planet.  This Gael team has the talent to make it to the Final Four.  They can score from the perimeter and in the paint.  The Gaels are accurate shooters, tenacious defenders, and tough rebounders.  They have defeated Gonzaga and already swept BYU.

 

Gonzaga (7-2/17-4 RPI 21) has defeated Notre Dame, Oral Roberts, Arizona, and Xavier this year.  The Zags lost to BYU last night.

 

BYU (7-3/19-6 RPI 37) moved to within half a game of Gonzaga.  The Cougars have four double figure scorers, led by Noah Hartsock at 17.8 points per game.

 

Western Athletic

1 or 2 bids

 

Nevada (8-0/19-3 RPI 55) is on the at-large bubble.  If the Wolf Pack wins the WAC regular season title with no more than one loss, they could sneak into the Big Dance as one of the final at-large teams if they lost in the conference tournament finals. Nevada owns a win over Washington, and they lost at UNLV by just four points.

 

New MexicoState (5-2/16-7 RPI 89) is strong enough to win the WAC Tournament and earn an automatic bid.  The Aggies will not qualify as an at-large under any circumstance this year, even though they beat New Mexico.

PiRate Picks For College And Pro Football–December 16-22, 2011

We Won’t Get Bowled Over With Too Many Selections

The bowl season commences Saturday with the New Mexico, Famous Idaho Potato, and New Orleans Bowl.  The Beef O’Brady’s, Poinsettia, and MAACO Bowls will be played in the next seven days, giving us a chance to play a troika of college selections.

 

We are going to throw a pair of NFL 13-point teasers to give us five quality selections for the week.

 

1. New Mexico Bowl: Wyoming +7 vs. Temple

This should be an exciting, hard-fought game won in the trenches.  Temple will attempt to grind it out in three yards and a cloud of dust running, while Wyoming will try to spread the field and force the Owls to defend 53 yards wide.  The Cowboy blocking corps will be pressed to protect their QB, and it will provide the viewer with an excellent contrast in styles.  We believe this game will be close, but Wyoming will be able to strike quickly with a cheap score.  We cannot see that happening for Temple, so we will take the underdogs and get a TD straight up.

 

2. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Utah State -1 vs. Ohio U

Utah State had some rough outings early in the season, but the Aggies rebounded to win big down the stretch.  Truth be told, USU just might be the best team in the WAC right now.

 

When Ohio punter Paul Hershey tweeted his dislike for going to Boise for a bowl, it got a lot of press, but not many sports media writers read between the lines.  Hershey obviously was relaying his teammates reaction when they were overlooked for the Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl.  We seriously question the desire of the Bobcats in this game, while Utah State is very happy to be playing at the blue field.

 

3. 13-point teaser

New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana-Lafayette +18 vs. San Diego St.

Beef O’Brady’s Bowl: Marshall +17 vs. Florida International

Poinsettia Bowl: T C U +3 vs. Louisiana Tech

MAACO Bowl: Boise State -1 vs. Arizona State.

 

4. 13-point NFL teaser

Green Bay – ½ vs. Kansas City

New Orleans +6 ½ vs. Minnesota

Seattle & Chicago OVER 22 ½

Tennessee +6 ½ vs. Indianapolis

 

5. 13-point NFL teaser

Cincinnati & St. Louis OVER 27

Detroit +12 vs. Oakland

New England +5 ½ vs. Denver

Arizona +6 ½ vs. Cleveland

2011 Mountain West Conference Preview

2011 Mountain West Conference Preview

If only…  If only Brigham Young and Utah had chosen to stay in this conference, and TCU would not have announced their departure after 2011-12, this conference would have leap-frogged over at least one and maybe two automatic qualifying BCS leagues.

 

Imagine a league with Boise State, TCU, BYU, Utah, and Air Force as its top tier and with San Diego State and Colorado State frequently displaying enough talent to beat teams from the “Big Six” conferences.  This league would have had the potential to state its case for inclusion in the AQ conferences.  With the Big 12 on the precipice of breaking up, who knows?  Maybe the MWC could have taken in the leftovers from that league and assumed an automatic qualifying position.

 

2011 should still be an interesting season in this conference.  TCU must still play one more year here, and then the top three teams from the WAC (Nevada, Hawaii, and Fresno State) will join Boise State in this league.

 

Boise State

The Broncos dominated the WAC like no other team has dominated a conference since Alabama dominated the SEC in the 1970’s.  BSU posted a WAC record of 69-3 in their last nine seasons in their old league (Alabama went 64-4 in the SEC from 1971-1980; Oklahoma went 64-6 in the Big 8 in that same time frame).

 

Will Coach Chris Petersen’s Broncos dominate the MWC like they did the WAC?  It looks like they will in 2011.  Boise returns just enough talent to make another run toward an undefeated season.

 

Kellen Moore is a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender.  The quarterback is already the leading passer in school history.  Last year, he completed better than 71% of his passes at better than 10 yards per attempt.  His TD/Int ratio was 35/6, and there is no reason to believe he cannot duplicate or improve upon those numbers this year.  He is a bit small for the NFL’s likes, but he should still be a second day draft choice next year.  Backup Joe Southwick is more than capable of running the team should Moore go down with an injury.

 

Moore loses his top two targets from a year ago.  Titus Young and Austin Pettis were gems, as they both grabbed 71 passes and teamed for 19 touchdowns.  Both were high draft picks, so there will be a drop-off in talent at this position.  However, Boise might still have the best receiver in the league.  Tyler Shoemaker proved to be a breakaway threat when he averaged better than 18 yards per reception last year.  Tight end Kyle Efaw should see more balls thrown his way this year after grabbing 24 passes and scoring five times in 2010.

 

Another pass-catching threat is running back Doug Martin.  Martin had 28 receptions last year to go with 1,260 yards rushing and 14 total touchdowns.  He’s always a threat to break open any run or reception.

 

The offensive line returns three starters; foremost among them is tackle Nate Potter.  The former two-time 1^st Team All-WAC should become a 1^st Team All-MWC and contend for All-American honors as well.  Center Thomas Byrd is likely to join Potter on the all-conference squad.

 

Maybe the biggest loss on this side of the ball is offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin.  Harsin is now the OC at Texas.  Former Houston Oiler quarterback Brent Pease is the new OC after serving as the receivers’ coach here for multiple seasons.

 

We look for Boise State to continue dominating with an explosive offense this year, but we seriously doubt the Broncos will match their 2010 numbers of 45 points and 520 yards per game.  Call it about 38 points and 450 yards per game, as Moore will have to rely a little more on the short passing game.

 

The Bronco defense played one poor half all season.  Unfortunately, it came against Nevada, and it ended the 24-game winning streak.  They allowed just 11 points and 232 yards per game in the other 12 contests.  Expect more of the same in 2011, as the Broncos are strong from front to back.  Their defensive line could be one of the top five in the country.

 

BSU forced 49 sacks last season, and it should be another stellar year for rushing the passer.  Three starters return to the front four, and the new starter saw considerable action last year.  We would not be surprised if all four players earned some form of post-season honors.  Tackle Billy Winn will be a high draft choice next spring.  He comes off a 2010 season that saw him make four sacks and 9 ½ total tackles for loss, while driving blockers away from the linebackers.  End Shea McClellin led the team with 9 ½ sacks and tied for the lead with 13 ½ total tackles for loss.  New starting end Tyrone Crawford finished second on the team last year with seven sacks and tied McClellin with 13 ½ total tackles for loss.  Chase Baker added 4 ½ sacks from his tackle spot.

 

The linebacker position is not quite as strong as the front four, but it is still a big plus.  Both starters from 2010 are back.  Byron Hout and Aaron Tevis combined for 80 tackles a year ago.

 

The five-man secondary returns just two starters, but the new starters will receive a lot of help from having the best pass rushers in the league up front.  The Broncos did not intercept many passes in 2010, but they made up for it with excellent coverage.

 

Another key loss to the team this year is punter/kicker Kyle Brotzman.  Brotzman may be remembered for missing the critical field goals against Nevada, but he was one of the best combo kickers in the nation.

 

The new schedule finds a couple of possible bumps in the road, but we tend to believe Boise is capable of running the table and challenging for a spot in the National Championship Game.  Once again, Boise must travel 2,000+ miles to the east for their opening season game.  This time, the Broncos face Georgia at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.  If they get by the Bulldogs, then they should be 8-0 when TCU comes to Bronco Stadium.  TCU will not be as strong this year as they have been in recent seasons, and we see Boise winning that one.  So, an opening win over Georgia would more than likely send Boise to a 12-0 season with hopes that there are not two undefeated teams from the AQ conferences.

 

T C U

13-0 and a 3^rd place national finish following a Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin is a hard act to follow.  The Horned Frogs enjoyed their best season since the 1938 squad won the national title and tiny quarterback Davey O’Brien won the Heisman Trophy.

 

2011 looks like a rebuilding year, but Coach Gary Patterson should be able to coax another winning season and bowl bid out of his troops.

 

The bigger rebuilding job must take place on the offensive side of the ball.  Quarterback Andy Dalton may wish he was still in college rather than be the starting quarterback for the most mismanaged team in the NFL.  Dalton left as the all-time leading passer in TCU history.  This position will take a major hit, because the expected starter, Casey Pachall, has an injured shoulder.  An MRI turned up negative, but a sore shoulder does not lead to a great passer.  If Pachall is not 100% ready to start the season, TCU will be in a heap of trouble.  Behind him are two untested backups.  Matt Brown and Trevone Boykin both have the potential to be excellent dual threat quarterbacks, but both are freshmen; Boykin is a true freshman.

 

Three of the top four receivers from last year have also used up their eligibility.  That leaves Josh Boyce as the only holdover from among that quartet.  Boyce caught 34 passes and averaged an eye-popping 19 yards per reception with six touchdowns.  Antoine Hicks saw limited action and caught 13 passes, but he has the potential to be a big-play receiver.

 

The backfield is the strong spot on this team, and we look for the running game to be featured more often this season.  Last year, the Horned Frogs ran the ball 64% of the time, and that number could approach 70% this year.  Ed Wesley ran for 1,078 yards and 11 touchdowns, while chief backup Matthew Tucker contributed over 700 yards and seven scores.  3^rd teamer Waymon James saw enough action to rush for more than 500 yards and five scores.  All three return, as well as fourth teamer Aundre Dean, who led the team in yards per carry at 7.0.

 

The biggest problem area is the offensive line.  Only one starter returns.  Among those missing is 1^st Team All-American and Rimington Award winner Jake Kirkpatrick and 1^st Team All-MWC tackle Marcus Cannon.  The OL gave up just nine sacks all season.  Look for a considerable gain in this negative statistic this season.

 

TCU averaged almost 42 points per game while rushing for close to 250 yards and passing for more than 225 yards per game last year.  The Frogs won’t jump that high this season.  Look for a regression to about 28-30 points and 375-400 yards per game.

 

There is rebuilding to do on the defensive side of the ball as well, only not as much as on the offensive side.  Of course, there is nowhere to go but down after the team finished first nationally in points and yards allowed.  The definite strength of the defense is at linebacker where both starters return after garnering All-American honors last year.   Tanner Brock and Tank Carder are future NFL stars.  The duo teamed up to record 166 tackles with 15 ½ tackles for loss, while they found time to record 10 passes defended.

 

The front four is not as talented as Boise State’s great quartet, but they are better than any other MWC team.  End Stansly Maponga earned 2^nd Team All-MWC accolades last year.  The other end spot may eventually go to sophomore Jon Koontz over senior Braylon Broughton.  D.J. Yendrey and Ray Burns make a capable pair of tackles.

 

The secondary shows promise, but it is not going to be up to the standards set by last year’s team.  For the second year in a row, TCU allowed fewer than half of enemy passes to be completed, but we expect that streak to end this season.  Cornerback Greg McCoy intercepted a couple of passes and knocked away six others.  New starter Jason Verrett will replace all-conference CB Jason Teague.  At Safety, only one of the three starters returns.  Tekerrein Cuba is a sure thing at one spot, but Patterson has been switching players around at the other two positions. 

 

The schedule is manageable this season.  An opener at Baylor followed by a trip to the Springs to take on Air Force in week two will be a great indicator for this team.  A 2-0 start could give TCU a chance to visit the field of blue with a 9-0 record.  Of course, this team could lose one or both of those first two games.  We believe the Horned Frogs can earn another double-digit win season, but only if Pachall stays healthy, and the new offensive line gels quickly.

 

Air Force

If Boise State had not joined the league, Air Force would have been listed as a co-favorite in the Mountain West this year.  The Falcons have a lot of experience returning from their best team since 1998.  At the military academies, 14 starters are unheard of.  In fact, it has been many years since AFA has returned that 14 starters.

 

The Falcons gave up 21 points and 350 yards per game last year, which was very respectable but nothing like what they did in 2009 (15.7 ppg/288 ypg).  The stop troops may be as good as the 2009 edition, but even so, we do not expect the Falcons to five up less than 18 points per game in 2011 with the schedule they have.

 

Eight starters and eight key reserves return to this side of the ball, so the Falcons will definitely be improved.  As you must have to succeed in this league, Coach Troy Calhoun has a dynamite secondary.  Safety Jon Davis finished second on the team with 93 tackles and tied for first with three interceptions.  Calhoun would like to see his tackles go down and his interceptions go up.  Often, he had to make tackles on running plays after backs broke through the first line of defense.  Cornerback Anthony Wright knocked down six passes and intercepted two others, as the AFA passing game gave up just 148 yards per game last year.

 

The Falcons are equally strong at the linebacker positions.  Calhoun used three and four linebacker sets last year, and he has a full stable of experienced players back this year.  Jordan Waiwaiole led the Falcons with 96 stops with 7 ½ tackles for loss.  Brady Amack added 82 tackles, while Patrick Hennessey got in on 60 stops with 10 for loss.

 

The one weak spot on this side of the ball is the defensive line.  The Falcons were too generous against the run last year, giving up more than 200 yards per game.  TCU rushed for 377 yards in a 38-7 pasting.  The Falcons have no 300-pound linemen, so they will always be vulnerable in the trenches.  Using a 3-4 defense places a large amount of pressure on the nose tackle, and at 260 pounds, Ryan Gardner is at a disadvantage.  Gardner made only 29 tackles in 10, 2010 starts.  End Zach Payne is the star of the front wall.  He came up with 6 ½ stops behind the line.

 

We are optimistic that Air Force will once again feature an exciting and efficient offense.  The main reason is the return of quarterback Tim Jefferson.  Removing sacks, Jefferson rushed for more than 800 yards and 15 touchdowns.  He passed for 1,459 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging better than nine yards per pass attempt.

 

The running game is in great hands with running back Asher Clark joining Jefferson in the option attack.  Clark led AFA with 1,031 rushing yards.  Two fullbacks that combined for more than 1,000 yards must be replaced, but Calhoun never seems to have a lack of talent ready to plug in here.  The new fullback is Wesley Cobb, a seldom used backup the last two years.  Mike DeWitt will back him up.

 

When your leading pass receiver had 18 receptions, it’s hard to call his return a major asset.  However, Jonathan Warzeka is the perfect academy flanker/slot.  His 18 receptions went for 406 yards (22.6/rec) and three touchdowns.  Warzeka provided excellent ability to run on the perimeter when Jefferson pitched him the ball; he averaged 7.6 yards on his 41 carries.  Zack Kauth grabbed 16 passes and averaged 17+ yards per reception, so the Falcons should once again burn defenses that put eight in the box to try to stop the option attack.

 

The offensive line returns three starters, but there is some concern here with expected starting guard Jordan Eason out with a knee injury and backup center Jeffrey Benson, who was expected to slide over to guard to replace Eason, also suffered a knee injury.  Thus, Calhoun will have to do more shuffling.  One player sure to star wherever he ends up on the line is A. J. Wallerstein, a 1^st Team All-MWC performer last year.

 

Air Force averaged 31 points and 425 yards per game last year.  There is no reason to believe they will not equal or better those numbers in 2011.  The schedule sets up nicely for the Falcons.  A relatively easy opener with South Dakota is followed by a visit from TCU.  If the Falcons can get revenge on a rebuilding Horned Frog team, they could be headed to their first double-digit win season this century.  If not, a repeat of last year is within their grasp.

 

San Diego State

2010 was a memorable one at Qualcomm Stadium, as the Aztecs won nine games, including a 21-point win over Navy in the Poinsettia Bowl.  It was SDSU’s first winning season since 1998 and first nine-win season since the 1977 team went 10-1-0 (Denver Broncos Head Coach John Fox was a member of that team).  However, the main force behind the turnaround has moved to the “Big House.”  Coach Brady Hoke is now pacing the sidelines at Michigan.

 

All is not lost.  Rocky Long is the new head man after serving as Hoke’s defensive guru the last two years.  Long won at New Mexico; look at what happened to the Lobos since his departure.

 

This year’s Aztec squad will not be as strong, but there is enough returning talent to send SDSU back to a bowl game.  However, Long was faced with an epidemic to one part of his offense, and it could sink the Aztecs’ bowl hopes.

 

The injury bug hit his receiver corps—big time.  Expected starters Jay Waddell and Dominique Sandifer both suffered season-ending knee injuries.  Incoming freshman Anthony Sheffield failed to qualify academically.  Then, possible replacement starter Larry Clark suffered a knee injury.  Not even Oklahoma could lose four key players at one position and not suffer.  San Diego State was already looking at having to replace their top three receivers from last year.  Now, tight end Gavin Escobar is the only returning receiver that caught at least 10 passes last year.  His backup, Hunter Hewitt, has been suspended for the start of the season, so the Aztecs have a lot of work to do disguising this weakness.  Walk-on Dylan Denso and Marcus Russell may see considerable playing time.

 

Quarterback Ryan Lindley will give the new receivers a chance to become successful.  Outside of Kellen Moore, he is the next best quarterback in the league.  Lindley will leave SDSU as the all-time leading passer if he can pass for about 160 yards per game this year.  He passed for close to 300 yards per game last year, so barring injury or just downright pitiful play at the receiver position, he should own that record by October or early November.

 

Long’s coaching style resembles Woody Hayes more than Mike Leach, so expect the Aztecs to run the ball more this season, especially with the liability at wide receiver.  Both of last year’s key backs return.  Sophomore Ronnie Hillman led the conference by a large margin with 1,532 yards and 17 touchdowns, which beat Marshall Faulk’s freshman records.  Backup Walter Kazee added 320 yards and three scores.

 

One place that the Aztecs don’t have to worry is the offensive line.  Four quality starters return from a year ago, and they should open holes for the running backs to sneak through for five yards.

 

After averaging 35 points and almost 460 yards per game last year, expect a reduction in both areas.  Long’s game plans usually seek to control the ball on extended scoring drives and not go for the quick score.  Look for about 28 points and 380-400 yards.

 

The defense has a bit of rebuilding to do.  An already raw defensive line took an extra beating when starter to be Neil Spencer was declared academically ineligible.  Larry Gibbs was expected to compete for Spencer’s end spot, but he suffered a broken foot in Spring drills.  That leaves nose tackle Jerome Long and end J. J. Autele as the only experienced holdovers from last year.  Long, an undersized nose tackle in the 3-3-5 alignment, got in on 30 tackles with 6 going for losses last year.  Autele posted 15 tackles as a backup.

 

The strength of the defense is the three-man linebacker unit.  All-conference star Miles Burris returns to the Sam linebacker position after leading the team with 80 tackles.  He led the conference with 9 ½ sacks and 20 tackles for loss. 

 

The secondary will miss free safety Brandon Davis for the first couple of games.  That will leave cornerback Leon McFadden as the lone returning starter until the third game.  McFadden was the star of last year’s secondary with 14 passes defended (led the conference).

 

The schedule presents SDSU with seven or eight win opportunities. We believe they will get to six, maybe seven wins and go bowling once again.

 

Colorado State

The Rams have suffered through back-to-back 3-9 seasons after going bowling in 2008.  Fourth year head coach Steve Fairchild may begin to feel the heat in Fort Collins, if the green and gold go 3-9 again this season.  Fairchild has enough tools to build a winner this year, but like San Diego State, the Rams have been plagued with a rash of problems in one area.

 

That area is the offensive line.  It started when projected starting guard Connor Smith chose to take his sheepskin and enter the workforce rather than use his final year of eligibility.  Then, key reserve tackle Justin Becker was ruled academically ineligible.  To make matters worse, three more offensive linemen suffered injuries in one week of preseason drills.  The other expected starting guard Jake Gdowski had knee surgery and will more than likely miss the start of the season.  Jason Baird and Mason Hathaway are sidelined with ankle injuries.  CSU is now razor thin here, and any chance for a winning season will hinge on the success of their offense.

 

If the Rams can provide any pass protection, they have no worries at quarterback.  Sophomore Pete Thomas put up some amazing numbers as a freshman.  He completed 64.7% of his passes for 2,662 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.  He did toss 13 interceptions, but almost half of those came in September.  Thomas has the ability to pass for 3,300 to 3,500 yards this year, as the Rams move to more of a pro-style passing attack like those used by the New England Patriots.

 

The Rams have two receivers capable of topping 50 receptions this season.  Lou Greenwood and Byron Steele teamed up for 54 receptions and 787 yards last year.  The Rams have depth here with the return of five backups that registered 15 or more receptions.

 

The running back position is not what it used to be in the Sonny Lubick days.  Nobody on this roster is a threat to rush for 1,000 yards, but this offense will not need that to succeed.  If Fairchild can find a back that can consistently pick up three yards on 3^rd and two and can punch it in from the two yard line, the Rams will be okay at this position.  Raymond Carter saw limited action here last year after transferring from UCLA.  Carter, at one time a 4-star recruit from Los Angeles, has never lived up to his press credentials, mostly because of multiple knee injuries.  If he can remain healthy, he is capable of rushing for 100 yards against the weaker defenses, but we have to question his durability.  He should be limited to about 15 touches a game.

 

The offense averaged a meager 16.5 points and 335 yards per game in 2010.  If the problems in the offensive line can be solved, CSU will easily surpass these numbers in 2011.  If the OL stays as it is as of mid-August, Thomas could be running for his life rather than running downfield to congratulate his receivers.

 

The defense is much healthier, but it is not as talented as the offense.  The secondary is suspect after giving up nearly 70% completions last year and finishing 3^rd to last in passing efficiency defense.  Cornerbacks Elijah-Blue Smith, Momo Thomas, and Shaq Bell have the potential to be good, but only if they get a little help from the pass rush.  The trio combined for just one interception and one pass defended, which is completely unacceptable at this position.

 

The strength, if you can call it that, on this side of the ball will be at linebacker.  Mychal Sisson is a probable 1^st team all-conference player after making the 2^nd team two years in a row.  He finished second in the league with 15 tackles for loss and recorded 95 total tackles last year.

 

The front four is another liability, and Fairchild could use more 3-4 alignments this year trying to hide the liability and take advantage of more talented linebackers.  The Rams posted just 21 QB sacks, and the chief instigator, Guy Miller, graduated.  Ends Broderick Sargent and C. J. James combined for just 3 ½ sacks.  Davis Burl can play a hybrid position (end/lb), and he has the quickness to pursue across the field and get into the backfield.

 

The Rams were generous a year ago, giving up 35 points and 425 yards per game.  Without an improved pass rush, don’t expect much improvement this year.  However, their schedule will actually give them a chance to challenge for bowl eligibility, especially if Thomas can help the Rams outscore the opposition in 38-35 style games.

 

Games against New Mexico, Northern Colorado, Colorado, Utah State, and San Jose State could actually give the Rams a chance to start 5-0 before enjoying a week off to prepare for Boise State.  The second half of the season includes games with UTEP, UNLC, and Wyoming.  This gives CSU eight winnable games, and we believe they can win at least six of them, but only if the offensive line can protect Thomas.

 

Wyoming

Dave Christensen came to Wyoming after serving as Gary Pinkel’s offensive coordinator at Missouri.  He immediately produced big results in his first season in Laramie in 2009, winning seven games, including the New Mexico Bowl.  In year two, the Cowboys didn’t catch the breaks they caught the year before and finished 3-9.  Both years, Wyoming was outgained and outscored, so the question remains: can Christensen turn this program around and produce a consistent winner?  Wyoming has a storied history in college football, and even though it is the smallest state by population, the ability to recruit all over the Rockies gives this school a chance to succeed.  One look at the lovely campus at more than 7,100 feet in elevation is a great recruiting tool to big sky country (Disclaimer: the photo montage screen saver on the computer typing this preview includes a lovely picture of Laramie, WY, taken by our founder when he lived in the Rockies and frequently hiked in Curt Gowdy State Park just a bit to the east of Laramie).

 

Wyoming will have a new offensive coordinator and new quarterback this year after averaging just 19 points and 286 total yards per game in 2010.  Former Bowling Green coach Gregg Brandon produced some stellar passing teams, especially with Tyler Sheehan at quarterback.  Brandon finds the QB cupboard almost bare.  Austyn Carta-Samuels transferred to Vanderbilt when his former OC left for Cal.  Emory Miller was expected to compete for the starting job and given a 50-50 chance of winning it, but he quit the team.  That leaves true freshman Brett Smith as the starter.  Look for Brandon to keep things simple for Smith.  Wyoming will throw short and try to spread the field and cut down on mistakes.  Smith’s completion percentage could be over 60, but his yards per attempt could be under six.

 

The Cowboys lost their top two receivers, leaving Chris McNeill as the leading returnee.  But, he averaged just 9.2 yards per reception last year.  When UW uses a tight end, T. J. Smith can get open in the seams of zones.  He caught just eight passes last year, but he averaged nearly 22 yards per catch.  Look for him to more than double his amount of touches this season.

 

The Cowboys are just fine at the running back position.  Alvester Alexander returns after leading the team with 792 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.  We believe he has 1,000 yard potential, and he could become an important weapon in the short passing game.  In fact, it would not surprise us to see him lead the team in rushing and in receptions.

 

The offensive line is the real strength of this offense, and it will give Smith a chance to learn without fearing continual turf poundings.  After giving up 31 sacks last year, the OL should chop that number by at least 10.  Tackles Kyle Magnuson and John Hutchins create a solar eclipse when they stand up straight.  They will protect the flank and open holes for Alexander.

 

If Smith can just have an average year as a freshman, Wyoming’s numbers will improve on this side of the ball.  We are looking for a typical stat line of 17-27 for 175 yards against an average opponent.  Throw in 150 yards rushing, and Wyoming would average about 20-25 points per game this year.  That would be an enormous improvement; UW has not averaged 20 or more points per game since 2006.

 

There is good news and bad news on the other side of the ball.  Wyoming needs more good news after giving up more than 30 points and 400 yards per game last year.  The Good news is the return of the entire starting front four from last year.  There will be improvement on the 20 sacks and 200+ rushing yards allowed.  End Josh Biezuns led the team with 6 ½ sacks, while his counterpart Gabe Knapton added four.  The healthy return of Mark Willis gives the outside quality depth.

 

Now the bad news: Wyoming must rebuild its back seven line of defense.  Only two starters return here, and the unexpected loss of middle linebacker Oliver Schober is likely to be a major factor in why the Cowboys will not improve much if any on this side of the ball.

 

Brian Hendricks is the lone holdover at linebacker.  He finished third on the team with 80 tackles, but he did not get into the backfield, nor did he cover well on passing plays.  Backup middle linebacker Devyn Harris saw considerable action in 2010, so he has a chance to partially fill the void left by Schober.

 

The secondary performed admirably last year considering there was very little pass rush, and the safeties had to make a lot of stops on running plays.  Cornerback Tashaun Gipson could vie for all-conference honors this year.  He defended a dozen passes last year, intercepting three.

 

It will be hard to hold opponents under 30 points per game this year with the weaknesses in the back seven.  The schedule offers the Cowboys a chance to top last year’s win total, but we do not see this team getting to six wins.  4-8 or 5-7 is about the peak for this season.

 

U N L V

Bobby Hauck replaced Joe Glenn at Montana and in seven seasons, guided the Grizzlies to seven conference championships.  His last team included future Pro Bowl rookie kick returner Mark Mariani. 

 

In his first season in Las Vegas, Hauck’s Rebels finished 2-11, only six fewer losses than he experienced in seven years at Montana.  Glenn left Montana to take a job in the MWC at Wyoming, but he never turned the program around and was dismissed after six seasons.  Is the Montana position a lot like the Boise State position has been?  You can win big at Montana, but don’t try to let the chips ride for bigger stakes?

 

Only time will tell, but in year two in Vegas, Hauck may wish that what happens at Sam Boyd Stadium, stays in Sam Boyd Stadium.  The Rebels will have a hard time improving on the woeful 2-11 season of last year, and they could even win 50% fewer games if they cannot defeat New Mexico.

 

Hauck comes from the three yards and a cloud of dust offense school, and he does not have the horses to make it run.  The current roster was recruited to play in the spread offense, and what talent there is was recruited for speed over girth.

 

Trying to improve on 18 points and 274 yards per game, the first order of business is finding a new quarterback.  Omar Clayton has left the building after finishing second in school history to Randall Cunningham in passing yards.  Caleb Herring should line up under center when the season opens on September 1.  He completed half of his 56 passes last year with four touchdowns and three interceptions (the latter stat too high to win in this league).

 

We expect improvement in the Rebels’ running game this year, but it would be hard to go downhill from last year’s weak results (103 rushing yards per game). Tim Cornett and Bradley Randle teamed for just 655 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, but both have looked solid so far in August drills.

 

UNLV has experienced depth at the receiver positions, but the leading receiver from 2010 will miss the start of this season.  Phillip Payne led the Rebels with 40 receptions, while proving to be the only breakaway threat on the team.  He is still recovering from a broken foot.  Payne has the potential to be an all-conference player.  Replacing him until he is ready to go will be tall and lanky Kurt Davis.  Marcus Sullivan has the potential to give the Rebels a solid one-two punch on the perimeter.

 

The offensive line is still a major liability, and expected starting tackle Allen Carroll has been a spectator in practices so far.  The transfer from Washington would be the one true talent on this line, but he has yet to suit up after being medically cleared.  Redshirt freshman Cameron Jefferson is well undersized to play tackle, but he will start at the all-important left tackle position.  Jefferson is 6-6 and only 265 pounds having been a basketball star more than a football star in high school.

 

With an inexperienced line and inexperienced quarterback, defenses may be able to choke off the running game and stop the Rebels’ offense again this season.  We are a little pessimistic on their prospects in year two of the Hauck regime.

 

The defense makes the offense look good.  UNLV had no defense last year.  The Rebels surrendered 40 points and 450 yards per game.  There was no pass rush; enemy backs enjoyed career days; and the secondary played like matadors.  Maybe having major graduation losses on this side of the ball is not such a bad thing.

 

There is one man among boys on this side of the ball.  Linebacker Princeton Jackson comes from Blinn Junior College (Cam Newton’s school) where he was a legitimate superstar in the Juco ranks.  Jackson is quick and strong, and he can make a tackle on either sideline.  He will immediately be the star on this side of the ball and team with Nate Carter and Tani Maka to give the Rebels respectability at this position.

 

You know things are not well when your leading returning sack master recorded just 1 ½ sacks.  UNLV only dumped QBs 12 times in 13 games last year.  B. J. Bell tied for the lead (with a defensive back) with just 1 ½ sacks.  The other starting end, James Dunlap, never touched a QB.  In the interior, Hauck has a couple of beefy bulldozers coming in at 300+ pounds, but there is very little experience or depth here.

 

The secondary might have been an asset this year, but the Rebels’ projected starting strong safety Chris Jones decided to quit playing the game.  The news is a little better at cornerback with the return of the top three players with starting experience.  Will Chandler and Sidney Hodge (the other player with 1 ½ sacks) combined to stop 10 passes last year with Chandler intercepting five of those.  Former starter Quinton Pointer returns after missing 2010 with a knee injury.

 

The schedule does no favors for UNLV.  The Rebels open the season with road games against Big Ten power Wisconsin and improving Washington State.  Then Hawaii comes for a visit.  Game four finds the Rebels hosting a dangerous FCS team in Southern Utah; the Thunderbirds are capable of pulling off the upset.  In conference play, UNLV faces the other two weakest teams on enemy turf, so this could be a very long season in Vegas.  The chances for an 0-12 season are there, but we believe the Rebels can find a way to win two times.

 

New Mexico

How many times have you seen something similar to this story? A publicly traded company has a history of turning a modest profit most quarters with an occasional loss but never a big loss.  The board decides the modest profit is not enough and brings in this promising assistant from one of the Dow Jones 30, and the modest quarterly profits all of a sudden became incredible losses, threatening to make the company the next Eastern Airlines.

 

New Mexico’s most influential supporters were not satisfied with Rocky Long’s typical six and seven-win seasons in a state that just does not have any recruiting base to expect anything more.  Long won nine games in 2007, and he should have been given a lifetime contract.  Instead, a rebuilding season in 2008 brought a 4-8 record and his dismissal. 

 

How do you feel about that now you influential supporters?  You traded five bowls in six years for back-to-back 1-11 seasons and with no prospects for much improvement if any. 

 

New Mexico’s most recent 1-11 season was much worse than the 1-11 season the year before.  The Lobos averaged 16 points and 266 yards (last in the nation) per game while giving up 44 points and 470 total yards per game last year.  Among the losses was a second consecutive defeat to rival New Mexico State, a team that finished 2-10.

 

Third year coach Mike Locksley has appointed two new coordinators, but that is not the problem.  As a popular commercial once made popular, “Where’s the Beef?”  There are not enough FBS-caliber players on the roster, and Vince Lombardi couldn’t win six games with this team.

 

There is talent on offense, but none of it as in the line.  Two starters return to the blocking corps, and this group may be weaker than last year.  Last year’s line gave up 27 sacks and opened holes for just 108 rushing yards at less than three yards per rush.  The top lineman, tackle Darryl Johnson, missed Spring practice.

 

The Lobos went through four quarterbacks last year, and two return for more pain and suffering.  Either B. R. Holbrook or Tarean Austin will start against Colorado State in game one, but with the lack of protection, it would be no surprise if true freshman Dustin Walton is starting at some point during the season.  Holbrook and Austin combined for 1,017 passing yards with a 51% completion rate and a 4/10 TD/int ratio.

 

The top two receivers from last year are back, giving the Lobos a chance to have a little better passing yardage this year.  Ty Kirk and tight end Lucas Reed teamed for 71 receptions and 936 yards.  New wide receiver Lamaar Thomas has world class sprinter’s speed; he started his career at Ohio State, and he could become the top receiver here.

 

Kasey Carrier and James Wright both return to the backfield.  The two gained 677 yards on the ground and scored four touchdowns last year, but it could be harder for them to gain yards with the raw offensive line.

 

It looked like the defense had a chance to improve quite a bit, but major defections/injuries/suspensions have put a major crimp in the trenches of the 4-2-5 alignment.  The big loss is tackle Calvin Smith, who was a big-time recruit.  He transferred to Purdue.  End J. J. Hugine transferred as well.  End Omar Castillo was dismissed from the team, while end Johnathan Rainey broke a bone in his neck and will miss the entire season.  Two juniors who played sparingly a year ago will be counted on to lead the front line.  Joe Harris and Reggie Ellis will join Jaymar Latchison as the only experienced players in the trenches.

 

UNM has some talent at linebacker.  Carmen Messina, Joe Stoner, and Javarie Johnson, and Spencer Merritt give Locksley a decent two-deep.  Messina led the Lobos with 115 tackles with six tackles for loss.  He batted away four passes as well. 

 

The secondary returns four starters from a year ago, but unless the line develops some threat of a pass rush, it will be hard for this quintet to improve by much.  Free safety Bubba Forrest made way too many tackles last year (100).  If he records triple digit stops again this year, the Lobos will be looking up at the rest of the MWC in the standings.

 

The schedule gives UNM a chance to win four times.  Colorado State is vulnerable in the opener due to their offensive line issues.  Sam Houston State visits on September 24, and if the Lobos lose that game, Locksley could be out.  New Mexico State visits Albuquerque the following week, and the Lobos have dropped the last two games to the Aggies.  On November 12, UNM hosts UNLV in a game that could decide which team avoids the basement.

 

New Mexico has so much room to make up on the rest of the league, it is really hard to predict that they will win any of these four winnable games.  We believe that lightning will strike at least one time—again.

 

2011 Mountain West Conference Media Poll
Team	1st Place Votes	Points
Boise State	28	236
T C U	3	208
Air Force		176
San Diego State		160
Colorado State		104
Wyoming		80
U N L V		77
New Mexico		39

 

 

2011 Mountain West Conference PiRate Ratings
Team	PiRate #	Prediction
Boise St.	121.7	7-0/12-0
T C U	110.0	6-1/11-1
Air Force	106.6	5-2/8-4
S.D.State	100.3	4-3/6-6
Colo.State	92.4	3-4/6-6
Wyoming	90.4	2-5/4-8
UNLV	85.2	1-6/2-10
New Mexico	81.7	0-7/1-11

 

2011 Western Athletic Conference Preview

2011 Western Athletic Conference Preview

 

The WAC as we know it has been victimized by the Mountain West Conference.  In a move akin to the American League East losing the New York Yankees, the MWC stole Boise State.  Next year, Nevada, Hawaii, and Fresno State will join the Broncos in the Mountain West, leaving this conference a mere shell of itself.  The future of this league is in serious jeopardy, and the addition of two new teams to FBS football in 2012 (Texas State and Texas-San Antonio, may not be enough to save this league.

 

Without Boise State, the WAC race will be more open this season.  Four teams have the talent to contend for the conference championship, while a fifth has the capability of finishing over .500.

 

Nevada finished in a three-way tie for first with Boise State and Hawaii, and the Wolf Pack finished #11 in the final poll.  Gone from the school’s best ever team are stellar quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the WAC’s leading rusher Vai Taua, receiver Virgil Green, 1^st Team All-WAC tackle Jose Acuna and four of the top tacklers.

 

All is not gloomy in the biggest little town in America.  Coach Chris Ault will simply reload rather than rebuild, and with the absence of a blue turf in league play, Nevada will contend for a second consecutive WAC title.  

 

Tyler Lantrip is not the runner Kaepernick was, but he has a better arm.  Lantrip should pass for more yards this year than Kaepernick did last year (3,022).  He will get a Baptism under fire when the Wolf Pack play their first four games away from Reno.

 

Mike Ball is the new tailback in the Pistol Offense. Ball has speed and quickness to excel in this offense.  He averaged 6.8 yards per carry last year in limited action.  Lampford Mark will get his shares of touches and could challenge for a starting bid.

 

The top receiver in the WAC this year will be Rishard Matthews.  He may not lead in catches or yards, because those stats belong to Hawaii receivers, but Matthews is the best at his position.  The former Oregon recruit led Nevada with 56 receptions and averaged 15.7 yards per catch.  The unexpected loss of Brandon Wimberly, who was shot in the off-season, will force Matthews to face more double teams and combo defenses.

 

The offense will click because the blocking corps is the best in the league.  Junior Chris Barker is the best guard in the league, while center Jeff Meads is one of three really good snappers in the WAC.

 

Nevada averaged 41 points and 519 yards per game last year.  Those numbers will decline a little this year.  The Wolf Pack will not be able to move up and down the field at will, but in the new WAC, they can win the title with a 35 point and 450 yard performance.

 

Nevada’s defense was just as responsible for last year’s title run as the offense.  It surrendered just 21 points per game in a league where 28 points was average.  Seven starters return, including three with all-star accolades in 2010.

 

Up front, tackle Brett Roy is poised to contend for 1^st Team All-WAC honors.  He introduced enemy QBs to the turf eight times last year.  The loss of 3^rd round draft pick Dontay Moch will hurt.

 

Middle linebacker James-Michael Johnson should repeat as a 1^st Team All-WAC defender.  He led the Pack with 88 tackles last year.  In the back line of defense, Isaiah Frey is one of the best cover corners in the league.  He batted away 14 passes and picked off another last year.

 

The non-conference schedule is tough this year.  Nevada opens at Oregon and plays at Texas Tech and at Boise State, all in the first four games.  The schedule gets easier from there with home games against rival UNLV and helpless New Mexico.  In WAC play, Nevada hosts the other three contenders, and this should help the Wolf Pack claim another conference championship.

 

Hawaii recovered from a subpar 2009 with a 10-win season last year.  Once again, it was an aerial circus on the island, as the Warriors averaged 394 yards through the air to lead the nation.  The Run ‘n’ Shoot offense took a major hit with the loss of eight starters, but we would be surprised if Hawaii did not average more than 300 passing yards again this season.

 

One of those trio of returnees is quarterback Bryant Moniz.  Moniz topped 5,000 passing yards last year and threw 39 touchdown passes.  He tends to hold onto the ball a little longer than an average run ‘n’ shoot passer, and he went down 40 times last year, seven against Boise State in the lone game that UH failed to score in double digits.

 

Moniz lost his top two receivers, and they combined for 207 receptions and almost 3,200 yards.  Royce Pollard will be the new 100+-reception receiver for the Warriors.  There are questions at the other receiver positions, as two players figured to be starters are ailing and missing practice.

 

As pass happy as Hawaii is, they still run the ball with authority.  Alex Green rushed for almost 1,200 yards last year, but he must be replaced.  Sterling Jackson will be the new starter, but he lacks the speed and quickness of Green.  He will be more of a between the tackles pounder.

 

The offensive line was above average but not great last year, and four starters have used up their eligibility, including the two best blockers.  It will take a few weeks for the newly rebuilt line to come together, so Moniz may be facing a lot more pressure than last year.

 

The Warriors never get much credit for their defensive play.  They gave up a respectable 25.5 yards per game last year, only 20 in league play.  Coach Greg McMackin believes in aggressive attacking defenses, and he has the players to cause a lot of disruption to enemy offenses.

 

The front seven is the best in the WAC by far, and Hawaii should lead the conference in sacks and in lowest rushing average allowed.  Up front, tackles Vaughn Meatoga and Kaniela Tuipulotu are the best tandem in the conference.  Few teams will find success running line plunges up the gut against Hawaii.

 

The Warriors make hay at the linebacker position with multi-tool players.  Corey Paredes is a WAC Player of the Year candidate.  He led the conference with 151 stops, and he picked off four enemy passes last year while knocking away five others.  Aaron Brown is another linebacker who is strong against both the run and pass.

 

The back line of defense is the vulnerable unit on this side of the ball.  The two starters lost combined for 12 interceptions and 27 total passes defended.  Safety Richard Torres will need to step up and break out with a big year.

 

As usual, Hawaii plays a 13-game schedule, which means they will play six non-conference games this year.  The Warriors should beat UNLV, UC-Davis, and Tulane.  The opener against Colorado is a toss-up, but we believe Hawaii will have several intangible factors in their favor in this one.  Games with Washington and BYU should be losses.  The Warriors will only need to go 3-4 in the league to get back to the Hawaii Bowl.  They could double that amount.

 

Louisiana Tech is not far away from being a serious title contender.  Second year head coach Sonny Dykes has not been able to fully implement his version of Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense.  He believes the Bulldogs are ready to start making the offense click.

 

If the offense is going to start putting up numbers similar to Texas Tech in the Leach years. New quarterback Colby Cameron is going to have to improve by a great amount.  Last year, in limited action, Cameron could not complete longer passes, unless you count the high percentage of passes completed to the wrong colored jersey.  He ended up with five picks in just 91 attempts.

 

The Bulldogs took a hit with the dismissal of projected starting receiver Ahmad Paige and Tim Molton.  The Bulldogs still have their two leading receivers from last year; Taulib Ikharo and Richie Casey combined for 92 receptions and 962 yards.

 

Lennon Creer is another pass catching threat coming out of the backfield.  He caught 25 passes last year, but his running acumen is what made him a 2^nd Team All-WAC performer.  He gained 1,181 yards and scored 10 touchdowns.

 

The offensive line is not the best in the league, but it is not far from it.  The Bulldogs will be nearly lethal inside with excellent guards Kevin Saia and Oscar Johnson (Saia is nursing an injury) and center Stephen Warner.

 

Will this be the year LT breaks out with scary offensive numbers?  Probably not, but their numbers will head north.  Call it 270 passing yards and 425+ total yards with a scoring average of 30-32 points per game.

 

If the Bulldogs are to make an unexpected run for the conference title and earn a bowl bid for the first time in four seasons, their defense must improve.  Tech gave up 31 points and 460+ yards per game in 2010.

 

One area where there will be improvement is up front in the trenches.  The Bulldogs have an excellent pair of ends in Matt Broha and IK Enemkpali.  Broha has developed into a great pass rusher and led LT with nine sacks last year. 

 

Two starters return to the second line of defense.  Linebackers Jay Dudley and Adrien Cole combined for 174 tackles but only 6 ½ for minus yardage.  This number needs to go up, for it will not help improve the defense if too many of those tackles come at the end of five yard gains.

 

The secondary is loaded with depth, and this should be the unit that shows the greatest improvement in 2011.  Look for more interceptions and passes defended this season. 

 

Louisiana Tech hosts Hawaii, so the Bulldogs will play a 12-game schedule.  Four of their five non-conference games will be tough to win, so the Bulldogs will need five conference wins at the least to become bowl eligible.  They are capable of achieving that feat this year.  

 

Fresno State has been so good for so long, it is hard to believe the Bulldogs have never won the WAC.  You have to go back to the days of the old Big West Conference to find FSU’s last title, when the Bulldogs finished 11-1-0 and clobbered Ball State in the old California Bowl.

 

The WAC is down, so Fresno State will benefit, because this will not be Coach Pat Hill’s best Bulldog team.  Too many good players are missing from both sides of the ball.  One of those is quarterback Ryan Colburn, who completed better than 63% of his passes with a 23/9 TD/Int ratio last year.  The new QB has a familiar name on campus.  Derek Carr is the younger brother of former FSU great David.  Carr has five games of experience from 2009, but he missed all of last season.  Look for Carr to struggle early but begin to live up to his family name as the season progresses.

 

Running back Robbie Rouse returns after enjoying a big season in 2010.  He rushed for 1,129 yards and eight scores.  Former UCLA Bruin Milton Knox should see some action as well.

 

Jalen Saunders is the best FSU has at the receiver position, but he is not a threat to crack the 1^st or 2^nd team all-conference roster.  Saunders caught 30 passes and scored three times.

 

The offensive line is not a team strength.  It could actually be the weakest in the league.  Two starters return, and the three that departed were all-league players.  Expect a considerable retreat in sacks allowed and rushing yards per carry this year.

 

The defense gave up 30 points per game last year, but the Bulldogs allowed just 367 total yards per game.  Their 37 sacks topped the league charts, as Bulldog players finished one-two in the league.  One of those players returns this season.  Tackle Logan Harrell is back after recording 10 ½ sacks and 14 total tackles for loss.    Three new starters will line up in the trenches, so Harrell will see more double team blocks this year.

 

Travis Brown and Kyle Knox are back to wreak havoc from their linebacker positions.  The two teamed up for 153 tackles last year.

 

There are some concerns in the secondary, and if the pass rush is not as good as last year, it will be exploited.  Free safety Phillip Thomas is the star of this unit.  He intercepted three passes and knocked away nine others.

 

Fresno State has a 13-game schedule since they play at Hawaii.  It will be difficult to match last year’s eight wins, but the Bulldogs have a chance to compete in the weaker WAC.  We still see this team becoming bowl eligible.

 

San Jose State has fallen on hard times in the last two seasons, finishing 2-10 and 1-12.  Second year coach Mike MacIntyre has a lot of experience returning from a team that took its lumps early but became much more competitive in the second half of the season.  With 18 starters returning, we see the Spartans could win more games in 2011 than they won in 2009 and 2010 combined.

 

The big bugaboo is at the most important position on the team.  As of this writing in mid-August, MacIntyre has yet to choose a starter, or even a leader of the pack, from among three candidates.  Senior Matt Faulkner has limited experience, but that limited experience is the most on the squad.  Contending with Faulkner are sophomore Dasmen Stewart and redshirt freshman Blake Jurich.  Too bad former Michigan starter Tate Forcier will not be eligible until 2012.

 

SJSU has a nice stable of receivers, and if a quarterback can emerge and at least be decent, this unit could shine in 2011.  Noel Grigsby is a breakaway threat.  He can get open deep and has good hands.  The sophomore could emerge as a 1^st Team All-WAC player.

 

The running game has been nonexistent for four years, as the Spartans have averaged 84, 87, 77, and 79 yards per game and less than three yards per carry.  Starter Brandon Rutley had one big run as a freshman when he broke free for a long touchdown against Boise State.  He has yet to show any flashes since then.  Actually, Rutley has been a better pass receiver than runner.  He did break off a long breakaway with a reception last year.  

 

The offensive line will be improved this season, but it will still be an overall liability.  Tackle Andres Vargas is the best of the quintet.

 

SJSU averaged just 16 points per game last year, but in four of their final five games, they averaged better than 30 points per game.  We see the Spartans scoring about 23-25 points per game this year.

 

The good news is that more than 11 (several saw more than 6 starts) defensive starters return in 2011; the bad news is that those starters were not all that good last year, as SJSU surrendered 464 yards per game (502 in league play) and nearly 35 points per game.

 

All joking aside, this defense will be much better this season.  In fact, the Spartans could easily shave 100 yards off what they allowed in WAC games.  It isn’t impossible that they could go from last to first in yards allowed!

 

Start in the secondary, where the four holdovers just might make up the best unit in the league.  The name “Peyton” is an important name in football, and SJSU has one of their own.  Peyton Thompson is the top cover corner in the league.  In 2010, he recorded 12 passes defended, and quarterbacks tended to throw away from him.  Safety Duke Ihenacho missed all of last year, but he should regain his starting job after earning 1^st Team All-WAC honors in 2009.

 

The secondary will benefit from an improved pass rush this year.  End Travis Johnson led the Spartans with 7 ½ sacks as well as four QB hurries.  He leads a two-deep of experienced players in the trenches.

 

The second line of defense features the reigning WAC Freshman of the Year.  Keith Smith earned that award after leading the Spartans with 116 tackles and 14 tackles for loss.  

 

San Jose State starts off the season with three tough games, and the Spartans will begin in an 0-3 hole after facing Stanford, UCLA, and Nevada.  Road games with Colorado State and BYU will leave SJSU at no better than 1-5, so 2011 will not be the year the Spartans get back to the plus side of .500.  They can win three or four games though.

 

Utah State has endured losing season after losing season with false expectations of an end to that skein.  Last year looked like ‘the year” when the Aggies upset BYU to open the season 3-2.  A 1-6 finish doomed them to yet another sub-.500 year, as the offense failed to ignite.

 

Coach Gary Andersen will choose between Adam Kennedy and Chuckie Keeton as his starting quarterback.  Thus far, neither has emerged as a primetime player.  The Aggies had poor play at this position last year, so it will not take much to surpass the production of 2010.

 

The rest of the skilled positions are in good shape.  Former all-conference running back Robert Turbin missed last season with an ACL injury, but he appears to be ready to pound his way through defenses.  He rushed for almost 1,300 yards two years ago.

 

Seven of the top eight pass catchers are back for more this year, but it’s the return of two 2009 starters that missed last season that will make this unit much better this season.  Stanley Morrison could top 1,000 receiving yards.

 

The offensive line returns four starters and will be the best this unit has been under Andersen.  Center Tyler Larsen and guards Fuanki Asisi and Philip Gapelu will contend for some all-conference recognition.  Larsen made the 2^nd Team Freshman All-American Team last year.

 

Utah State should improve its offensive number back to where they were prior to all the 2010 injuries.  We believe the Aggies could top 27 points and 380 yards per game.

 

Unfortunately, the outlook on the other side of the ball is a bit gloomy.  USU is a little suspect in the front line and only average in the secondary.  One area that will be a team strength is the linebacker position.  Bobby Wagner and Kyle Gallagher are studs.  Wagner is on NFL scouts’ radar.  He led USU with 135 tackles including eight for losses.

 

The secondary took a major graduation hit, but it returns its top player in safety Walter McClenton.  McClenton made 62 tackles, but Andersen would like to see him make less this year; too many of those tackles came about because opposing teams had already defeated the other 10 defenders on the field.

 

Up front, The Aggies were abysmal in 2010.  They recorded just 13 sacks and allowed opposing backs to gain five yards per carry.  Ends Quinn Garner and Levi Koshan are the lone holdovers from the two-deep, and Andersen is switching to a 3-4 defense to try to disguise this weakness.

 

USU surrendered 34 points and 430 yards per game last year.  We do not see much improvement if any this year.  To make matters worse, the Aggies lose both their punter and place kicker from last year.

 

The schedule includes non-league tilts against defending champ Auburn, BYU, and Wyoming.  Unfortunately, the easiest conference opponents, Idaho and New Mexico State, must be faced on the road.  It looks like another long year in Logan.

 

Idaho took a step back last year after earning and winning the most exciting bowl game of 2009.  The Vandals could be looking at a major rebuilding project on the attack side of the ball with the departure of quarterback Nathan Enderle and three of the top four receivers.  However, there is cautious optimism that the newcomers are as talented as those they will replace.

 

The new signal caller is senior Brian Reader.  Reader looked sharp in limited action last year and appears to be primed to equal Enderle’s production.

 

Reader’s passing targets are not the most talented players in the league, but there are a lot of options.  Preston Davis figures to be much improved now that he is fully recovered from an ACL injury in 2010.  Walk-on junior college transfer Mike Scott could emerge as a key contributor.

 

The running game did not show much in 2010, and it will be a liability again this year.  Four backs should split time at this spot, led by former Arizona State Sun Devil Ryan Bass and Kama Bailey.

 

The offensive line is strongest at the terminals, where Matt Cleveland and Tyrone Novikoff are big and strong.  Cleveland should contend for 1^st Team All-WAC honors.

 

Idaho averaged 27 points last year, and we expect the Vandals to replicate that number this season. 

 

Even though the Vandals fell from 8-5 to 6-7 last year, the defense showed great improvement, shaving almost eight points off their average allowed.  Some of that had to do with an improved turnover margin.  The news is not all that good on this side of the ball.  UI was going to be strong at linebacker, but their top player, Robert Siavii suffered a season-ending knee injury in Spring practice.

 

The Vandals will rally around middle linebacker TreShawn Robinson, who recorded 10 total tackles for loss last year.  Homer Mauga returns to start at the other linebacker spot.

 

Up front, Idaho had a strong pass rush last year, but the chief instigator of mayhem is gone.  Aaron Lavarias departs after leading the team with 10 sacks.  Tackle Michael Cosgrove is the best of the holdovers.

 

The secondary returns three 2010 starters, but none of the trio figures to make 1^st Team All-WAC accolades this year.  If the pass rush is weaker, this group will be exposed and give up more than 250 passing yards per game.

 

Idaho has a fair schedule.  Non-league games with Texas A&M, Virginia, and BYU figure to be automatic losses.  North Dakota figures to be an easy victory.  The season opener with Bowling Green is a rematch of that great 2009 Humanitarian Bowl, and we consider this game a must-win affair for the Vandals.  If they win, and Reader proves to be as capable as Enderler, this team could make this prediction look silly.  If they lose, then Coach Robb Akey could become achy over his future.

 

New Mexico State has been one of the five weakest teams in FBS football in recent years, but luckily for them, the worst team has been in-state rival New Mexico.  Third year coach DeWayne Walker must show some form of improvement this year, or he could be headed away from the Land of Enchantment.

 

The offense scored 14 or fewer points five times last year and averaged less than 16 for the season.  Former Kent State coach Doug Martin takes over as the new offensive Coordinator.  Martin hopes quarterback Andrew Manley can solve the problem at quarterback.  Manley completed just 52% of his passes with a 1/6 TD/Int ratio last year as a true freshman.  Former starter Matt Christian completed just 48% of his passes but had a much better 8/2 TD/Int ratio.  There is only one way to go for this position.

 

The big problem with the passing game is the receiving corps.  Not only are the top two pass catchers from last year missing, those that are returning do not offer much in the area of quickness or mobility.  Taveon Rogers is the closest thing to a star, and he only caught 18 balls last year.  Juco Transfer Kemonte Bateman could emerge as the leader here.

 

Robert Clay figures to start at running back with 2010 leading rusher Kenny Turner at H-back.  The tandem rushed for just 687 yards and two touchdowns.

 

The one bright spot on the offense is an experienced and improving offensive line.  Sioeli Fakalata can play center or guard, and he is the best man in the front line.

 

The Aggies should see improved numbers all around this season.  Look for about 21 points and 325 yards.  However, that will not be enough to move them out of the WAC basement.

 

The defense figures to take another step backwards after giving up 40 points and 450+ yards per game last year.  It doesn’t help when two of your top players are declared academically ineligible.  Those two, tackle Augafa Vaaulu and end Donte Savage figured to be the stars of the front four.  Now, the Aggies are hurting in the trenches.

 

The linebackers are more of a liability than an asset, even though two starters return from last season.  B. J. Adolpho was a 3^rd Team All-WAC player last year, but he cannot make plays for the other six players in the front seven.

 

Any hope for defensive improvement must come from the secondary.  We fear that with little or no pass rush, the back four will eventually break down and give up too many big plays.  The Aggies may have the best tandem at cornerback with Donyae Coleman and Jonte Green.  Last year, the pair teamed for 166 tackles, many times being the last hope to prevent breakaway plays.

 

Things do not look hopeful for Walker and his Aggies.  At least they have a game with New Mexico, but that is not a given win.  Even though NMSU’s offense is much improved, they will not be able to outscore the other teams in the WAC.  It will be another long year in Las Cruces.

 

2011 WAC Preseason Media Poll
Team	1st Place Votes	Points
Hawaii	18	292
Fresno State	11	284
Nevada	11	264
Lousiana Tech		184
Utah State		166
Idaho		141
San Jose State		85
New Mexico State		60

 

 

2011 WAC PiRate Ratings
Team	PiRate #	Prediction
Nevada	101.4	7-1/8-4
Hawaii	98.4	5-3/8-5
Louisiana Tech	93.5	5-3/5-7
Fresno State	93.0	6-2/7-6
San Jose State	91.1	2-6/2-10
Utah State	90.2	2-6/3-9
Idaho	88.2	4-4/5-7
New Mexico State	78.8	1-7/1-11

 

Next: A look at the four independents, Friday, August 19

 

2010 Mountain West Conference Preview

Go to www.piratings.webs.com where we beat the spread 60.4% in 2009!

 

2010 Mountain West Conference Preview

 

The best of the non-BCS conferences will undergo a change next year, as Utah leaves for the newly named Pac-12.  Boise State will move here from the WAC and continue a great rivalry with TCU.  It wouldn’t shock us to see the Horned Frogs and Broncos meeting for a third consecutive season in a bowl, and it isn’t impossible for that bowl game to be the last one of the year!

The only mystery for this season’s race is who will finish second.  TCU will win the league and should go undefeated in the regular season for the second year in a row.  There is no clear-cut second best team as five teams could wind up in the runner-up spot.

Note: The PiRate Ratings are not meant to be used to predict the outcome of future games.  They are usable only as a basis for the current week’s games.  We do not use these ratings to make our selections.  They are only a starting point.  The predictions given below, as for every college conference and NFL division, are not taken from the ratings themselves.

Predictions

Pos	Team	MWC	Overall
1	T C U	8-0	12-0
2	Utah	6-2	8-4
3	Air Force	5-3	7-5
4	B Y U	5-3	7-5
5	Wyoming	4-4	6-6
6	San Diego State	4-4	7-5
7	U N L V	3-5	5-8
8	Colorado State	1-7	2-10
9	New Mexico	0-8	1-11

 

BCS Bowl—T C U

Las Vegas Bowl—Utah

Poinsettia Bowl—B Y U

Independence Bowl—Air Force

New Mexico Bowl—San Diego State

Armed Forces Bowl—Wyoming

 

Team By Team Breakdown

 

Team	Air Force Falcons
Head Coach	Troy Calhoun
Colors	Royal Blue and Silver
City	Colorado Springs, CO
2009 Record
Conference	5-3
Overall	8-5
PiRate Rating	102.0
National Rating	52
2010 Prediction
Conference	5-3
Overall	7-5

 

Offense: The Falcons have a feast/famine tug of war on this side of the ball.  Coach Troy Calhoun has molded three fantastic offenses in his first three seasons in Colorado Springs, and we believe the string will continue despite Calhoun having to start almost from scratch up front.

Right guard A.J. Wallerstein started one game at left guard last year, and that represents all of the starting experience for this season’s offensive line.  It isn’t a complete disaster though.  Air Force frequently has a lot of turnover because traditionally, there has been a reliance on seniority.  Also, because the Falcons utilize the option offense, the blocking schemes rely heavily on double team blocks and leaving other defenders unblocked so the quarterback can read and option them.  We are not concerned with the new starters, but there is an issue of depth.  None of the next five are ready to play at this level.

The rest of this offense is loaded and lethal.  Returning quarterback Tim Jefferson went 4-1 as a starter last year.  He connected on 57% of his passes with five touchdowns against two interceptions.  Jefferson connected on longer passes than the two other quarterbacks, and his ability to throw the ball downfield will open more running lanes for a great stable of back.

All the contributing ball carriers return this season.  Fullback Jared Tew and tailback Asher Clark teamed for 1,835 rushing yards and 16 scores.  Z-receiver Jonathan Warzeka added 267 yards on the ground running misdirection plays.

Kevin Fogler benefitted greatly from having Jefferson under center.  He averaged 22.7 yards per catch and scored a touchdown every fifth time he caught a pass.  Warzeka added 18 more catches.

Air Force has averaged 29 points and 380 yards per game in Calhoun’s tenure.  There is no reason to believe those stats won’t be continued again this year.

Defense: The defensive line is a cause for concern with just one of the three regulars from last year returning.  AFA is a little small at Defensive tackle in their 3-4 alignment, so opponents will be able to run the ball up the gut on them. 

The four-man linebacking crew welcomes back both of the outside defenders, Andre Morris and Wale Lawal.  The two combined for 9 ½ stops for loss, but the Falcons will have troubles replacing their two excellent inside linebackers.  John Falgout and Justin Moore finished one-two in tackles.

Only TCU has a better MWC secondary than Air Force, and the Falcons may have a better pair of cornerbacks than the Horned Frogs.  Anthony Wright and Reggie Rembert picked off 10 passes and knocked away six others.

Air Force gave up just 15.7 points and 288 yards per game in 2009.  Those numbers will go up this year.  Expect the Falcons to give up 21-24 points and 320-350 yards per game.

Schedule: The schedule gives the Falcons a leg up on competing for number two in the league.  After an easy opener with Northwestern State that should allow the new offensive line to gain confidence, AF hosts BYU.  The Cougars have run defense issues this year, and we believe Air Force will win that game.  The following week, the Falcons visit Oklahoma, who is loaded this year. 

As usual, AF plays Army and Navy, and we feel that they will win at least one of those games.  The key to the season comes in back-to-back weeks in October.  They face TCU in Ft. Worth on the 23^rd, and then they host Utah a week later.  If they have anything left after the TCU loss, they could give the Utes a great game.  We feel that as the season progresses, the lack of depth in both trenches will hurt them.  Call it a repeat of 2009: 5-3 in league play and 7-5 overall before the bowl.

Team	Brigham Young Cougars
Head Coach	Bronco Mendenhall
Colors	Navy and White
City	Provo, UT
2009 Record
Conference	7-1
Overall	11-2
PiRate Rating	103.2
National Rating	50
2010 Prediction
Conference	5-3
Overall	7-5

 

Offense: 2010 will be a rebuilding season in Provo.  Brigham Young lost too much talent on this side of the ball, and there will be a substantial drop in production.  The Cougars lost a multi-year starting quarterback (Max Hall) who finished second all-time in passing yards at a school with a dozen excellent former QBs.  Also gone is the school’s career leader in rushing yards; Harvey Unga rushed for almost 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns.  He was dismissed from school and became a supplementary NFL pick.  2009’s top receiver, tight end Dennis Pitta, is now in training camp with the Baltimore Ravens after he led the team with 62 receptions (30 more than any other player).

It could be a blessing or a curse that BYU has two quarterbacks still competing for the starting nod this close to the first game.  They have totally different styles, and according to Coach Bronco Mendenhall, neither player has separated himself from the other.  Jake Heaps is the prototypical straight drop-back passer in the Peyton Manning mode.  He has all the physical tools to be the next in a long line of great passers here.  However, he is a true freshman.  Riley Nelson is more of a scrambler who can pass well on the run.  He saw very limited action last year, but he has starting experience from his days at Utah State.

BYU has no answer at tailback with the loss of Unga.  Unga rushed the ball 208 times last year, and the top reserve ran the ball just 55 times.

Without Pitta, BYU will once again concentrate on throwing the ball to wide outs and less to tight ends.  We believe O’Neil Chambers will emerge as the breakout star of this group.  Chambers caught 32 passes last year.

The one ray of sunshine on this side of the ball is the return of four starting offensive linemen.  Tackle Matt Reynolds has first round NFL draft potential.

BYU has topped 30 points and 425 yards per game for five straight years, but this streak will more than likely end this year.  Call it 25-28 points and 380-420 total yards per game.

Defense: There is more rebuilding to do on this side of the ball than on the other side.  The Cougars lost seven of their top 11 tacklers from 2009, including six starters.  Just two of the front seven return, so BYU will have a tough time against the run and rushing the passer.  It wouldn’t surprise us to see the Cougars give up 150 points in the first four games this year (see schedule below).

The one bright spot on this side of the ball is an experienced secondary.  Three starters return including leading tackler, free safety Andrew Rich.  Rich also tied for the team lead with four interceptions.

The Cougars lost their two best pass rushers, leaving outside linebacker Jordan Pendleton as the only quality sack man.  Pendleton had three sacks and three other tackles for loss.  He is a quality pass defender in the short zones as well.

Up front in the 3-4 alignment, BYU has a decent space-occupier in nose tackle Romney Fuga.  He won’t make 50 tackles, but he will command double team blocks, giving the linebackers a chance to be heroes.

BYU may not give up too many more points this year than last, because opponents will eat the clock running the ball much better this year against them.  Expect the Cougars to yield 22-25 points and 325-350 yards per game.  However, also expect the defense to be on the field for more plays this year.

Schedule: The month of September will be a back-breaker for the defense.  BYU opens with Washington and Heisman Trophy frontrunner Jake Locker.  Then, they must travel to Air Force, where their newly rebuilt defensive front seven will struggle against the option.  A week later, they will melt in Tallahassee against Florida State.  They close out the month with Nevada coming to Lavell Edwards Stadium.  It looks like a 1-3 start for this team.  After the annual first October Friday game (precedes the Church’s National Conference) with Utah State, BYU faces three of the league’s other four expected bowl-eligible teams—San Diego State, at TCU, and Wyoming.  By this point, we expect the Cougars to be out of the conference race just trying to salvage a winning season.  November gives them a chance for three quick wins before closing the season at Utah.  We will call it a seven-win ceiling this year.  And, you can take the Las Vegas bowl off the schedule for the first time in six years.  A trip to San Diego might be a nice alternative.

Team	Colorado State Rams
Head Coach	Steve Fairchild
Colors	Green and Gold
City	Ft. Collins, CO
2009 Record
Conference	0-8
Overall	3-9
PiRate Rating	85.8
National Rating	96
2010 Prediction
Conference	1-7
Overall	2-10

 

Offense: After starting the season 3-0 with wins over Colorado and Nevada, it looked like the Rams were primed to make a bid for a second consecutive bowl game.  Then, the bottom fell out.  CSU lost their final nine, including an embarrassing loss to a New Mexico team that went 1-11.  With only four starters returning on this side of the ball, don’t expect the Rams to match last year’s three-win season.  They will take a step backwards this year.

CSU lost both of their contributing quarterbacks, and the replacement will be one of two freshmen competing for the job.  There is a third quarterback on the roster that could eventually emerge as the starter sometime during the season; Junior Klay Kubiak is the son of Houston Texans coach Gary Kubiak.  Klay missed all of last season with an injured shoulder that required surgery.

The quarterbacks won’t have much opportunity to star, because there is very little talent at receiver.  CSU lost its top two pass catchers, who combined for 74 receptions.  Additionally, the Rams lost three receivers since spring that were expected to contribute including a possible starter.  Expect true freshman tight end Crockett Gilmore to see immediate action.

Things look rosier at the running back position.  CSU has enough quality backs to flirt with running an old-fashioned two-back pro-set. 

Raymond Carter was a highly-touted recruit at UCLA.  He becomes eligible here this year and could supplant last year’s two-man platoon of Leonard Mason and John Mosure (a combined 1,416 rushing yards and nine scores).  Watch out for true freshman Tony Drake, who we believe could be a difference maker with his breakaway speed.  His size will keep him from being an every down back.

The offensive line lost four starters.  There is a little starting experience returning, but the Rams will field the weakest interior in the conference.

With a raw quarterback passing to inexperienced receivers and having to run for his life due to weak pass protection, expect Colorado State to struggle to score points and to turn the ball over more this season.  A negative turnover margin is a virtual given.  Look for about 14-18 points and 300 total yards from this side of the ball.

Defense: CSU had a lot more experience scheduled to return on this side of the ball, but the Rams lost both returning defensive ends (one to injury/one to academics), a defensive back expected to see a lot of time, and several reserves in the back seven.  This looks like a train wreck waiting to happen.

The one bright spot is at linebacker.  Will linebacker Mychal Sisson will compete for 1^st team All-MWC honors after leading the Rams with 91 tackles, six sacks, and 9 ½ other tackles for loss.  He knocked down five passes too.  Coach Steve Fairchild welcomes back Sam linebacker Ricky Brewer who was suspended last year.

The front four will now have four new starters, and it will be the weakest in the conference.  Expect teams to run the ball at will on the Rams and exploit their lack of a pass rush with play-action passes to keep Sisson occupied.

The secondary will be overwhelmed due to the fact that there will be so little pass rush.  Free safety Elijah-Blue Smith led the Rams with three interceptions and knocked down five others, but teams will throw away from him. 

The statistic is not kept, but we have a suspicion that CSU will finish dead last number 120 in scrimmage play differential.  They were -6 last year, and they could easily be -10 to -15 this year.  Expect this defense to give up 200+ yards rushing and 200+ yards passing while surrendering 31-35 points per game.

Schedule: By the time UNLV comes to Ft. Collins for homecoming on October 16, the Rams could be 0-6 and figure to be no better than 1-5.  Outside of league play, they face Colorado at Invesco Field in Denver, play at Nevada and Miami of Ohio, and host Idaho.  They open MWC play with TCU at home and Air Force on the road.  They have two chances to win a conference game—the homecoming game with UNLV and the revenge game at home with lowly New Mexico.  We will call for a 1-7 league finish and 2-10 overall.  If Fairchild can coax four wins out of this team, he deserves a raise.

Team	New Mexico Lobos
Head Coach	Mike Locksley
Colors	Cherry and Silver
City	Albuquerque, NM
2009 Record
Conference	1-7
Overall	1-11
PiRate Rating	81.3
National Rating	107
2010 Prediction
Conference	0-8
Overall	1-11

 

Offense: Lobo fans wanted someone else to coach this team after watching Rocky Long’s teams play conservative football and simply go to bowl game after bowl game.  So, they forced him out.  They got Mike Locksley’s new offense—the one that gained 315 total yards and scored 16 points per game.  We hope they enjoyed what they got.

Locksley may only last one more season in Albuquerque, because this year’s offense could make last year’s look like Boise State.

A true freshman will open up at quarterback.  Tarean Austin is a speedy multiple-threat player who could lead the team in rushing as well as passing.  Let’s hope he can run enough to avoid the oncoming slew of defenders shooting through the line.  Austin’s backup will be another freshmen—Darain “Stump” Godfrey.

New Mexico returns their top three running backs from last year.  None of them will be confused for DonTrell Moore.  The trio combined for 987 yards and five touchdowns last year, and with an even weaker offensive line, they may not equal that mark this season.

The receiving corps has some experience returning, but like the running game, Hank Baskett won’t be walking out on the field.  Ty Kirk led the Lobos with 36 receptions and 427 yards. 

The offensive line will struggle.  Two starters return, and there is much less experience here, but last year’s regulars were not world-beaters.  This year’s unit cannot be much worse.

Look for UNM to average about 14-18 points and 280-320 yards.   

Defense: As weak as the offense was last year, the defense was worse.  Without the defensive genius of Long, the Lobos gave up 13 more points and 83 more yards per game in 2009.  If the offense could hold onto the ball, the defense could show a little improvement this year.

The Lobos have strength in numbers up front.  Three starters return to the four-man line, including one of UNM’s two potential 1^st Team All-MWC performers.  End Johnathan Rainey finished second in the league (to the great Jerry Hughes) in sacks with 9 ½.  He added six more tackles for loss for good measure.  When he was busy dealing with double teams, counterpart Jaymar Latchison found time to pick up 4 ½ sacks and four other tackles for loss.

The other potential 1^st Team All-MWC performer would be repeating that feat if he made it again this year.  Middle linebacker Carmen Messina led the country with 162 tackles and eight for loss.  He will have two new partners on either side of him.

The secondary gave up 254 yards per game and 63% completions last year, even with the great press rush.  The Lobos need to find two new safeties.  Both cornerbacks return, but they were the two weakest corner starters in the league.

The defense will be a little more talented, but it may not show in the stats.  Because opponents emptied the bench early in five of their games last year, and New Mexico figures to be in these games a little longer this year, expect opponents to leave their starting offense in deeper into the game.  The result—opponents will still score a lot of points.  Expect 31-35 points and 400-425 yards allowed once again.

Schedule: The Lobos have a chance in two of their non-conference games, and we think they will win one of the two.  Expect an 0-2 start with a road game against Oregon and a home game with Texas Tech.  After losing at home to Utah and on the road at UNLV, the Lobos get UTEP at home and travel to New Mexico State.  If they are 0-6 at this point, then they will end up 0-12.  We believe they will be lucky once and finish 1-11 again this year.  Locksley won’t be so lucky.

Team	San Diego State Aztecs
Head Coach	Brady Hoke
Colors	Scarlet and Black
City	San Diego, CA
2009 Record
Conference	2-6
Overall	4-8
PiRate Rating	92.8
National Rating	80
2010 Prediction
Conference	4-4
Overall	7-5

 

Offense: Second year head coach Brady Hoke has the Aztecs on the right path, and he could soon replicate here what he did at Ball State.  Hoke’s 2010 Aztecs are going to be much improved on this side of the ball, and with a little bit of help from the other side of the ball, San Diego State could be playing a 13^th game in December.

Look for SDSU to move to a two-back pro-set and use the West Coast Offense this year.  The Aztecs are stocked anew in the backfield, and they will force defenses to stop the run first.  Brandon Sullivan moves from tailback to fullback after leading the team in rushing in 2009.  Last year’s number two rusher, Walter Kazee, may have trouble getting on the field this year.  Two outstanding freshmen may get most of the reps at halfback.  Ronnie Hillman is a blazing runner who can take a simple pitch and turn it into a long gain.  Ezell Ruffin moves to halfback from wide receiver in high school.  He is almost as speedy as Hillman, but at 205 pounds, he packs some brute force punch in his game.  The Aztecs could double their running production after rushing for less than 80 yards per game.

If the running game takes some heat off the passing game, then SDSU will have a potent attack.  Quarterback Ryan Lindley could challenge for 1^st Team All-MWC accolades.  With very little running game to supplement last year’s offense, Lindley passed for 3,054 yards and 23 touchdowns.  If he can cut down on his 16 interceptions of a year ago, he could challenge Andy Dalton for top honors in the league.

Lindley has a surplus of talent at receiver where two fine wide outs return.  DeMarco Sampson caught 62 passes for 851 yards and eight touchdowns, while speedy Vincent Brown added 45 receptions for 778 yards (17.3 avg.) and six scores.  There is depth behind these two.  For a West Coast offense to click, the tight end must be a pass catching weapon, and Alston Umuolo is that.  He grabbed 22 throws a year ago, and that number will improve to 30+ this year.

SDSU’s offensive line welcomes back four starters, and the new starter is a quality junior college transfer.  Expect much improved numbers in the running game and better protection for Lindley.

We believe San Diego State can improve from 23 to 28-31 points per game this season and from 342 to 375-400 yards of offense.

Defense: New Mexico’s loss was the Aztecs’ gain.  Rocky Long took over as defensive coordinator last year, and SDSU improved on defense by almost as many points and yards as New Mexico worsened.  With the entire three-man line returning up front, look for improved play against the run and a better pass rush.

Neither B J Williams nor Ernie Lawson proved to be a dominant pass rushing end last year, but with a better secondary this year, quarterbacks could be forced to hold onto the pigskin a bit longer.  Expect their sacks totals to rise.

The one suspect part of this defense is at linebacker, where two of last year’s three starters are gone and one other linebacker has been moved back one level. 

The back line of the 3-3-5 defense is loaded with talent and experience.  The aforementioned player that moved from linebacker is Andrew Preston.  He will man the “Aztec” position, a third safety that plays closer to the ball than a regular safety.  Preston played enough last year to record 46 tackles with four for loss. 

Expect more defensive improvement in the stat sheet this year.  We anticipate this team giving up 22-26 points and 350-375 yards per game.

Schedule: San Diego State scheduled well this year.  They should win three non-conference games, and they could stay surprisingly close in the one they lose.  Nicholls State will provide SDSU with an excellent chance to work out the kinks in game one.  A trip to New Mexico State should move the Aztecs to 2-0.  The following week, they could put a scare in Missouri at Columbia, but we expect them to lose by less than two touchdowns.  A home game with Utah State should give them a third win before MWC play begins.

The Aztecs host Air Force, Colorado State, Utah, and UNLV, while they go to BYU, New Mexico, Wyoming, and TCU.  They could be as good as 6-2 in the league or as bad as 3-5.  We’ll call for them to go 4-4, which will make them bowl-bound for the first time since 1998.

Team	T C U  Horned Frogs
Head Coach	Gary Patterson
Colors	Purple and White
City	Ft. Worth, TX
2009 Record
Conference	8-0
Overall	12-1
PiRate Rating	124.1
National Rating	6
2010 Prediction
Conference	8-0
Overall	12-0

 

Offense: Nine starters return to an offense that amassed 38.3 points and 457 yards per game last year.  That offense was quite balanced, churning out 240 rushing and 217 passing yards.  TCU will be virtually unstoppable on this side of the ball this year, and it wouldn’t surprise us any if the Horned Frogs challenged for 45-50 points and 500+ yards per game!

It all starts with the league’s top quarterback.  Andy Dalton will compete for the Heisman Trophy in his senior year.  As a junior, Dalton completed 61.6% of his passes for 2,756 yards and 23 touchdowns, while rushing for 512 (600+ without the sacks) yards and three more scores.

The leading rusher from last year has graduated, but TCU uses a running back-by-committee approach, and the Horned Frogs return several quality backs this year.  Expect another season of 200+ yards per game running, maybe as much as 275.

The receiving corps is downright scary and could be as good as Houston’s group of stars.  The top four receivers are back.  Jermey Kerly led with 44 catches and 532 yards.  Jimmy Young had 33 receptions for 517 yards.  Antoine Hicks caught just 23 passes, but he averaged an eye-popping 20.8 yards per catch with six scores.  Bart Johnson caught 33 more.  To this fine quartet, add two exceptionally talented youngsters.  Redshirt freshman Josh Boyce and sophomore Skye Dawson will see considerable playing time, and it wouldn’t surprise us if both finished with more than 25 receptions.  Dawson is even faster than Hicks and can turn a line of scrimmage bullet into a 75-yard touchdown.

Throw in the best offensive line in the league and possibly one of the five best in the nation, and you have an offense that will move the ball in every game.  Tackle Marcus Cannon has first round NFL draft potential.  Center Jake Kirkpatrick should make it to a pro roster next year as well (assuming there is a next year in the NFL).

The only drawback in trying to predict the points and yardage for this team is determining how often the bench warmers will be playing for long stretches in their games.  We’ll go with 42+ points and 500+ yards per game.

Defense: Here is the even scarier news: TCU’s defense is even better than their offense.  There is no weakness anywhere on this side.  All three units rank among the best in the nation.  Coach Gary Patterson’s Frogs have given up 12.3, 18.7, 11.3, and 12.8 points in the last four seasons, and it is not impossible for this year’s team to give up single digits in points per game.  The Horned Frogs led the nation in total defense last year by holding teams to 80 yards rushing and 159 yards passing. 

TCU utilizes a 4-2-5 defense, and they have both quality and depth at every position.  Up front, three starters return including two all-conference performers, tackle Cory Grant and end Wayne Daniels.  Even with the loss of All-American Jerry Hughes, this team won’t miss a beat.  His replacement, either Braylon Broughton or Stansly Maponga, will not record 11 ½ sacks, but the other three starters will make up for that lost amount.

The linebacking duo features 1^st Team All-MWC Tank Carder.  Carder is one of the best all-around linebackers in college football.  In 2009, he made 89 tackles with 10 for loss.  In pass coverage, he batted away 10 passes and picked off one.  Look for him to compete for a spot on the All-American team this season.

The back five feature a trio of great safeties, but it is the two new cornerbacks that could be the best defenders in the secondary.  Greg McCoy and Jason Teague saw a lot of action last year and combined for four interceptions and seven knocked down passes.

It is tough to improve on number one, but TCU can get better statistically on this side of the ball.  We are going to guess they will give up 10-12 points and 185-225 yards per game.  They could lead the nation in both categories.

Schedule: TCU opens with Oregon State on September 4 at the Cowboys’ Stadium in nearby Arlington.  The Beavers are good and could contend for a Rose Bowl berth, but they are usually a slow-starting team.  We believe TCU will win this game by double digits and continue to roll from there.  They could lead Tennessee Tech by 50 points before halftime.  Game three at home with Baylor will be interesting, and the Bears will be pumped for this game, but the Horned Frogs should score a 17 or more point win.  Game four at SMU comes on a Friday night, and the battle for the Iron Skillet will be heated.  The Mustangs need a little more defense before they can make a game of it with TCU.  The only conference team that could give them a scare is Utah.  The game comes November 6, and it will be at Salt Lake City.  We expect the Horned Frogs to win convincingly in a game that should be on national TV, and it just could propel them into one of the top two spots in the BCS.

We believe there is an outside chance that TCU and Boise State could hook up for a bowl rubber match.  Two years ago, it was the Poinsettia Bowl, and TCU won 17-16.  Last year, it was the Fiesta Bowl, and Boise State exacted revenge with a 17-10 win.  This year, both could return to Glendale, but this one would be for all the marbles.  The SEC, Big 12, and Big Ten champions must all lose one game after October 1 for this to happen, but if it does, it should be the most talked about national championship game in decades.  It could do for the NCAA what the New York Jets’ Super Bowl victory over Baltimore did for the NFL.

Team	U N L V  Rebels
Head Coach	Bobby Hauck
Colors	Scarlet and Gray
City	Las Vegas, NV
2009 Record
Conference	3-5
Overall	5-7
PiRate Rating	94.1
National Rating	78
2010 Prediction
Conference	3-5
Overall	5-8

 

Offense: New head coach Bobby Hauck comes to Las Vegas from Montana, where he guided the Grizzlies to the FCS Championship Game three times.  His arrival in Vegas comes at the right time, because former coach Mike Sanford left him a full cupboard on this side of the ball.

UNLV will transition from a shotgun spread offense to an old-fashioned quarterback under center offense.  Senior quarterback Omar Clayton, a former walk-on, comes back for his third season as starter after topping 60% in completions last year.  We believe he will improve his yards per attempt and cut down on interceptions this year.  Backup Mike Clausen saw a lot of action last year, as he is a better runner than Clayton.  Clausen suffered an ankle injury in early fall practice, but he should be okay for the season.

The Rebels had three productive receivers last year, and two of them return this season.  Phillip Payne and Michael Johnson teamed for 101 catches and eight scores.

UNLV returns the two running backs that saw most of the game action last year.  While neither is a threat to rush for 1,000 yards, C J Cox  and Channing Trotter will get the tough yards—three yards on third and two.  Redshirt freshman Bradley Randle is more of an outside threat, and we believe he will become part of the rotation this year.

Four starters return to the offensive line.  The tackles, Matt Murphy and Evan Marchal, rank near the top in the league.

Hauk’s first Vegas attack should average 25-28 points and 360-380 yards per game.  If the Rebels can cut down on turnovers, they could surprise a few teams.

Defense: This is the reason Mike Sanford was let go.  He could never mold together a decent defense, as UNLV gave up more than 32 points per game the last two seasons, while falling one win short of bowl eligibility both times.

The Rebels will be more of an attacking defense this year.  They may give up an occasional big play, but they should force more turnovers as well.  Six of the two-deep from the defensive line return this season.  Tackle Ramsey Feagai tips the scale at 350 pounds!  He won’t get to the quarterback, but he should plug the inside just by holding his ground.  His counterpart at the other tackle is “puny 300-pounder”  Isaako Aaitui.  Opponents will not run many line plunges between their tackles, but the Rebels will continue to search for pass rushing answers, and they will probably resort to a lot of blitzing on passing downs.

Two linebackers return to the starting lineup, and they could finish one-two in tackles this year.  Starr Fuimaono and Ronnie Paulo teamed up for 126 stops a year ago.

The secondary is the strength of this unit.  All four starters come back for another season, and they absolutely must improve on last year’s poor showing when they gave up 236 yards and 65% completions.  They combined for just two interceptions.

Expect immediate improvement in this defense, especially in yards allowed.  We’re looking for the Rebels to give up 25-30 points and 380-420 yards.

Schedule: If they had a couple more patsies, we might be inclined to call UNLV a sleeper team.  The out-of-conference schedule is too difficult.  The Rebels host Wisconsin and Nevada and play at Idaho, West Virginia, and Hawaii.  They should be 2-3, 3-2 at best.  They are better than Colorado State and New Mexico and should win those two games.  We think they could pull one upset, maybe over Wyoming or Air Force and finish with five wins for the third consecutive season.

Team	Utah Utes
Head Coach	Kyle Whittingham
Colors	Crimson and White
City	Salt Lake City, UT
2009 Record
Conference	6-2
Overall	10-3
PiRate Rating	104.0
National Rating	47
2010 Prediction
Conference	6-2
Overall	8-4

 

Offense: This will be Utah’s last year in the Mountain West, as they move to the Pac-12 next year.  They should go out with a bang and not a whimper thanks to a strong offense.

Coach Kyle Whittingham welcomes back two experienced quarterbacks this season.  Jordan Wynn will get the nod over Terrance Cain.  Wynn started the final five games of the year, and Utah averaged 34 points in those games. 

Wynn lost his top receiver, David Reed and his 81 receptions for 1,188 yards.  Jereme Brooks caught 56 passes and led with seven touchdowns, while earning 2^nd Team All-MWC last year. 

The running game will be special this season with the return of Eddie Wide.  Wide rushed for 1,069 yards and 12 touchdowns, earning 1^st Team all-league honors.

Like several of the other top teams in this league, the Utes have a talented and experienced offensive line returning.  Four starters are back including two who made all-conference.  Center Zane Taylor and guard Calb Schlauderaff will hear their names called early in the next NFL draft.

Utah averaged 30 points per game for the season, and we expect that number to top 35 this year.  We also expect total yards to top 400.

Defense: Here is the reason Utah will not give TCU a serious challenge for the title.  The Utes regressed on this side of the ball last year, and they don’t look any better this year.  In fact, we expect them to be even more generous with the loss of their top four tacklers.

Three of four defensive line starters are back.  Tackle Sealver Siliga had 49 tackles with 6 ½ for loss, while getting his hand on four passes.

The linebacking corps has been decimated by graduation.  Rover J J Williams had one start last year and made 20 tackles.  Keep an eye on true freshman V. J. Fehoko, who could emerge as a starter at some point in the season.  He is one of the highest-rated recruits Utah has had.

The secondary has just one starter returning, and that is lightning fast cornerback Brandon Burton.  Burton knocked down 10 passes and intercepted one other last year.  Justin Taplin-Ross saw considerable action at strong safety last year, but he has been shifted to free safety.

Utah will surrender 20-24 points and give up 320-340 yards per game this year, and that will be just enough to keep them from competing with TCU. 

Schedule: Utah opens the season with Big East runner-up Pittsburgh on a Thursday night at Eccles Stadium.  Other non-conference games include road games at Iowa State and Notre Dame and a home game with San Jose State.  The Utes could win all four games, which would help TCU’s strength of schedule when the Frogs come to SLC.  Utah could also lose three of those four and struggle to reach eight wins in their final go around in the conference.  We will call for a 2-2 non-conference record and 6-2 league mark.

Team	Wyoming Cowboys
Head Coach	Dave Christensen
Colors	Brown and Prairie Gold
City	Laramie, WY
2009 Record
Conference	4-4
Overall	7-6
PiRate Rating	95.6
National Rating	71
2010 Prediction
Conference	4-4
Overall	6-6

 

Offense: Dave Christensen inherited a veteran club from Joe Glenn and guided the Cowboys to a 7-6 record and bowl win in his first season in Laramie.  His second team should be as good as his first, and his second attack squad should be better.

Quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels earned MWC Freshman of the Year honors last year.  He completed 59% of his passes for more than 1,950 yards and ran for more than 600 yards when you factor out almost three dozen sacks.  His specialty was pulling victory out in the last minutes of games.  Christensen developed Chase Daniel at Missouri, and he Carta-Samuels should rapidly improve in his second season.

The Cowboys had one great receiver and six average ones last year.  Fortunately, the great one returns for his senior year.  David Leonard grabbed 77 passes last year, many of them in tight quarters, as Wyoming was a five yards and cloud of dust passing team.

The running attack had a freshman leading the way in 2009, as Alvester Alexander ran for 640 yards and seven scores. 

The offensive line lost two seasoned veteran starters last year, but two of the three returnees could earn postseason honors.  Guard Sam Sterner is the second or third best in the league at his position, while tackle Clayton Kirven could sneak onto the All-MWC team.

The Cowboys should top 20 points per game for the first time in four years and 325+ yards per game for the first time in five years.

Defense: Seven of the team’s top eight tacklers return this year, so Wyoming’s defense should improve more than the offense.  The strength on this side is the secondary, where all four starters return.  The quartet of Marcell and Tashaun Gipson at cornerback and Shamiel Gary and Chris Prosinski at safety combined for six interceptions and 22 passes broken up.  Prosinski led the Cowboys with 140 tackles, and I am sure Christensen would prefer he wouldn’t have to make so many this season.

Christensen has made a courageous move up front.  Because all three defensive linemen graduated, he took his two outside linebackers and moved them to end and switched to a 4-3.  Gabe Knapton and Josh Biezuns recorded 193 tackles with 14 recorded for lost yardage. 

Middle linebacker Brian Hendricks becomes the lone holdover in the second line with the moving forward of his two comrades.  Hendricks made 116 stops last year.  Ghaali Muhammad made 21 tackles in a reserve role last year and will start at one linebacker spot.  The other will probably go to Keith Lewis, who has three years of reserve experience.  Freshman Devyn Harris could see as much time at that spot.

Look for a little more consistency out of the Wyoming defense this year.  We believe they will give up around 25-27 points and 375-400 yards again this season, but they play a tougher schedule.

Schedule: The Cowboys face three teams that went undefeated in the regular season last year—Boise State at home and Texas and TCU on the road.  Other non-league games include Southern Utah at home and Toledo on the road.  The key to the season are the two games that come after Texas and Boise State and precede TCU.  Wyoming hosts Air Force on September 25 and goes to Toledo the next week.  They must win both of these games and sit at 3-2 at this point in order to get to six wins.  We believe they can do it.  Their two new defensive ends with past linebacker experience just may be able to shut down the option game, and their improving offense should be able to score enough points at the Glass Bowl.

Coming Tomorrow: We begin breaking down the BCS conferences.  First up: The Big East Conference—Five teams have a shot at the conference title.