Conference Breakdown: Ranking the WAC

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Every summer I make do with the monotony and the boring, college football-less Saturdays by doing my best to scout all 120 FBS teams. Plus, as a gambling man and a rabid college football fan, I like to know what I’m talking about.

In this 12-part feature, I’ll break down each conference, including the independents, ranking the teams in order of how good I perceive them to be heading into the season, complete with last year’s W-L record and my predictions for each team’s 2009 W-L record.

Feel free to comment on what a splendid job you think I’ve done and how my analysis and forecast is dead-on. Or you can disagree, whatever.

Part 11: Boise gets WACked




9. New Mexico State Aggies | Last Year: 3-9 | My 2009 Prediction: 2-11

New Mexico State will be an entirely new-look program this year as former HC Hal Mumme is out the door. Mumme’s style seemed to be a relentlessly pass-happy OFF, little to no running and with no apparent attention to DEF.

New HC DeWayne Walker, who was the DC at UCLA the past three seasons, takes over for the departed Mumme and will look to focus on two neglected areas of Aggies’ seasons past—DEF and ball control.

While the new DEF attitude will certainly help, Walker also has to find a replacement for QB Chase Holbrook and WR’s Chris Williams and AJ Harris, all of whom hold several of the school’s all-time records in passing and receiving.

The OFF does return a couple of good RB’s and eight O-linemen with starting experience, which will help with ball control.

The DEF, like the OFF, returns just five and will be moving to a new scheme with less experience at the line and in the secondary.

When your team is rebuilding this much, pretty much any schedule is going to be difficult and the Aggies not only play 13 games, but seven on the road. While it’s possible for this year’s Aggies team to improve upon the three-win total of last year, a winning season and their first bowl since 1960 could be a few years away.




8. Idaho Vandals | Last Year: 2-10 | My 2009 Prediction: 3-9

The Vandals have won a combined three games over the last two seasons with two of those games coming against FCS opponents. In fact, over the past five seasons, they’ve only won nine games total against FBS teams, three of which came against New Mexico St. The Vandals are also on their third HC during that same span, so to say it’s been tough-going is an understatement.

Current HC Robb Akey will start his third season with 13 starters returning—seven on OFF and six on DEF. The OFF welcomes back several skill players including QB Nathan Enderle, RB Deonte’ Jackson and two of the top three WR’s. The O-line takes a hit losing two four-year starters and one two-year starter.

The DEF was the worst in the conference allowing 42.8 points per game and 472 yards per game of total OFF, so losing several starters from the D-line and LB unit may not necessarily be a bad thing. The strength of the DEF should be the secondary where only one starter is lost.

The schedule could set up the Vandals for a solid start as their first three game’s opponents (NM ST, Wash., San Diego St) combined for five wins last season. The Vandals also get Hawaii and Utah St at home this season, so the potential is there to get at least five wins.

There should be considerable improvement this year in the Vandals team, but they’re still at least another year away from a winning season.

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