2006 College Football Preview
The Western Athletic Conference, like its neighbors the Mountain West Conference, is often forgotten about in the greater scheme of college football. However, the last few years have shown that WAC teams like Fresno State and Boise State can compete not only for New Years Day bowl games but BCS championships and the improvement of teams like Nevada and Hawaii makes this conference more challenging for those teams. The WAC will prove to be a higher profile conference as this season goes along, with five legitimate bowl contenders and the top three teams competing for higher profile bowls.
1. Fresno State- There is little doubt that Coach Pat Hill is one of the best coaches in the nation, but he has yet to finish the big game. Last season’s close loss to the near-perfect USC Trojans showed that they have the potential to play at a high level, though they lost the last three games of their WAC season and fell off the BCS map. Hill’s offense has questions but the defense is the key, with linebacker Dwayne Andrews leading an athletic and hard charging squad against some prolific WAC offenses. If Hill wants a BCS berth, he will need the defense to shut down opposing passing games or they will have another disappointing season.
2. Hawaii- Colt Brennan has a go-to guy in wide receiver Davone Bess and look for this combination to be one of the more prolific in the nation. Big back Nate Ilaoa may be the unsung hero of this offense, giving some relief to Brennan’s arm and Jones’ pass-heavy playback inside the twenty and in short yardage situations. Defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville will have his squad much improved from last year, though they were dismal in 2005 so any improvement would be noticeable. Expect a lot of shootouts with the Warriors on the winning end of most.
3. Boise State- The loss of Dan Hawkins as head coach to the University of Colorado is underestimated by a lot of analysts. Hawkins was the heart of the Boise State successes of the last decade and his move upward in the coaching world means that less experienced coaches Chris Peterson and Justin Wilcox are taking over the head coaching and defensive coordinator positions respectively. While Jared Zabransky is a solid quarterback and the Boise State defense is the best in the conference, there are bound to be some poor decisions made by a young coaching staff. A few bad decisions in big games mean the difference between a WAC championship and an early bowl game.
4. Nevada- Jeff Rowe is one of the better quarterbacks in the conference and is underrated amongst college football analysts and observers. Rowe has a solid receiving corps and running back Robert Hubbard will be a solid starting back to aid the star quarterback in pass blocking and receiving. The defensive squad may have some troubles because of a general lack of athleticism and if linebacker Ezra Butler goes down, the Wolf Pack defense may fall apart. While Nevada is good, other teams will remain better or leapfrog past the Wolf Pack toward the top of the conference.
5. Louisiana Tech- Louisiana Tech starts out with seven of nine road games, which means that this team will really need to pull together early on. The offense is not prolific by any means and there is still a competition between several quarterbacks, including Matt Kubik and Zac Champion, to see who will lead this squad. However, the offense will be sufficient enough to keep the Bulldogs in most games. The real problem for Louisiana Tech is the defense, which returns few starters and has a new coordinator. While Louisiana Tech has traditionally had a solid defense compared to other teams in the WAC, they will fall back a bit against the great offenses within the conference.
6. Idaho- Dennis Erickson returns to Idaho after stints with the Seattle Seahawks, Oregon State, and the San Francisco 49ers. He will introduce an eclectic array of formations and passing routes that will dazzle the defensive eye, though it will falter if quarterback Steven Wichman can’t keep track of his receivers. Wichman is a solid quarterback and the Vandals will see instant improvement on offense in 2006. However, the defensive cupboard is bare and Erickson’s offensive proclivities means that Idaho will need to be the better passing team in every game to stay ahead.
7. San Jose State- The defense returns three starters and most of their newcomers are undersized or lack the required ability to cover big and better running backs, tight ends, and receivers. Running back Dominique Hunsacker is going to be a good one and will get help from an experienced defensive line, but the Spartans lack a good quarterback or a receiving corps to speak of. Look for Hunsacker to produce most of the offense while the defense sinks to the bottom of Division 1-A.
8. New Mexico State- Hal Mumme’s offensive schemes at Kentucky and New Mexico State have just never gotten off the ground, after so much promise as an offensive coordinator. Mumme has an experienced line and a good runner in Justine Buries, but no quarterback to speak of and a young offense overall. The defense was one of the worst in the nation, giving up 480 yards per game, and the New Mexico State defense could actually maintain their ineptitude in 2006 without a major player stepping up. Mumme maybe in the hunt for a new job by season’s end.
9. Utah State- The last decade has been tough for the Aggies football team and the 2006 WAC season does not promise to be any better. Aside from wide out Kevin Robinson, the offense is inconsistent and without a lot of talent. The defense allowed more than 400 yards and 33 points per game in 2006, with eight starters returning to a squad that was very bad. Sometimes bringing back that many starters from a bad squad means quality experience and improvement, but the Aggies have had these problems for years. Look for 2-3 wins for Utah State at best in 2006.
Best NFL Prospect- Quarterback Colt Brennan, Hawaii/Linebacker Korey Hall, Boise State- With a little bit of experience playing behind prolific Hawaii quarterback Timmy Chang, Colt Brennan looks like he will equal or surpass many of the records set by Chang in his tenure with the Warriors football team. Brennan is athletic, has a good arm, and in June Jones’ offense will get experience learning from a former NFL coach. On the defensive side, Korey Hall is easily the best defensive player in the WAC and one of the better linebackers in the nation. The Boise State offense has been so prolific over the last five years that the improvement of the defense has gone unnoticed. Hall will make a great addition to any pro team’s defense.
Most Improved Team- Hawaii- Hawaii will maintain their high scoring, high yardage offense of the last couple years under coach June Jones. The difference for the Warriors will be on Jerry Glanville’s defensive squad, where defensive end Meilila Purcell will lead an improved defensive effort though by no means as prolific as the offense. Glanville needs to get a few stops out of his defense this year in order for the Warriors to have a shot at the WAC title this year.
