Air Force (14 returning starters)

Head coach Troy Calhoun proved last season that the Falcons still has a solid program. The academic and military restrictions are always going to be a hurdle that will limit recruiting The Falcons proved many critics wrong last season by making to a bowl game.

The Falcons were 0-3 against the top three teams in the conference ( TCU, BYU and Utah) getting beat by a combined score of 122-55 in 2008. The Falcons are coming back this season with a new quarterback in Asher Clark. That is a surprise, especially with the dynamic play of sophomore quarterback Tim Jefferson last season. Clark played running back last season and will be running the option behind a veteran offensive line.

The defense will be led by a secondary that has three returning starters. Chris Thomas is a special player at strong safety that came up to make over 100 tackles last year. They will have to play better against the more talented and get some help from the front seven. There are only three returning starters up front but they are led by last year's leading tackler middle linebacker Ken Lamendola (118 tackles).

The non-conference schedule has three winnable games. While going to Navy is always tough, Army should be a victory. Utah and BYU are both road trips with TCU coming to Colorado Springs. Unfortunately, five of the six road games are against teams that played in a bowl game last season.

Colorado State ( 12 returning starters)

The Colorado State Rams surprised everyone by getting to a bowl game last season and beating the Houston Cougars. In just one season, head coach Steve Fairfield was able to produce the first winning season in five years.

Starting receivers Reshaun Greer ( 63 catches for 1114 yards and 3 TDs) and Dion Martin ( 51 catches for 859 yards and 10 TDs) might be the best set of pass catchers in the conference. They will have a new undetermined quarterback that will be have the advantage of playing with an offensive that has a combined 129 starts.

The defense gave up over 400 yards a game last season and were the worst pass rushing team in the country. Five of the front seven players will have to be replaced. One bright spot spot will be the undersized but explosive outside linebacker Mychal Sisson. He led the team with 108 tackles and was a freshman all-American. The secondary have five players back with starting experience that will be effective if the Rams can get any kind of pass rush.

The schedule has the Rams on the road for six games but Weber State, Nevada at home and Idaho are winnable games. It would be a a big start of the Rams can knock off rival Colorado in the first game of the season.

Wyoming (16 returning starters)

The Cowboys were one of the worst passing teams in the country last season and it cost head coach Joe Glen his job. In comes David Christensen from Missouri with the no-huddle offense. The spring practices were very hard hitting with a new sheriff in town. There are eight starters back on a good defense but the schedule is not friendly.

The offense will need a new quarterback and senior Karsten Sween will get the first crack at the starting job after getting benched last season. Last years top two rushers are gone but the offensive line has four players back that starting experience and should make the transition to a new offense easier.

The defense has eight starters back from a unit that allowed just 330 yards per game. Everyone returns on the defensive line and they will be led by senior defensive tackle John Fletcher. The secondary has three returning starters and could put up some decent numbers if the offense can chew up the clock and allow the defense to get a rest.

The non-conference schedule isn't pretty with Texas at home while traveling to Florida Atlantic and Colorado. They were the second worst team in the country last year with -22 turnovers. With a more physical coaching philosophy in Laramie, the Cowboys have the players to pull off an upset or two if they are able to keep the ball and move the chains. However, A bowl game would be too much to ask for.

San Diego State (15 returning starters)

The Aztecs have a new head coach in Brady Hoke. He is coming off an undefeated regular season at Ball State and brings with him two of the best coordinators in the business in Al Borges and Rocky Long. As a team there were plenty of injuries last season and they only lose 10 lettermen. The Aztecs have never gone to a bowl game and will be looking for their first winning season since 1998.

The offense has talent with sophomore quarterback Ryan Lindey back after a solid rookie campaign. The top rushers are back to accompany five of the top six receivers from a year ago. The offensive line returns four players with starting experience but the whole unit will need some time to pick up the new schemes.

Hoke made a great decision when he hired rocky Long as his DC. Long was a successful coach at New Mexico and knows the conference extremely well. The defense gave up over 37 points game last season but they will improve under Long as this defense will be very aggressive blitzing at least two different players on every play. The defensive line will be led by junior defensive end BJ Williams.

The schedule starts off with a trip to UCLA but then gets pretty easy with games against Southern Utah, Idaho and New Mexico State. With six home games that include BYU and TCU. A bowl game will be tough but they they will improve on last year's two-win season and an upset towards the end of the season is possible.

New Mexico (9 returning starters)

The Lobos said good bye to Rocky Long and brought in Mike Locksley from Illinois. Known for his recruiting and high powered no huddle offense, the Lobos will have a much different look than they had in the last 11 years. Anyway you look at it it will be a rebuilding year for New Mexico.

The offense will definitely throw more than the miniscule four touchdowns they threw last year. The question will be which quarterback will be throwing them. Senior Donovan Porterie will get the first chance but he is not the mobile quarterback that Locksley is looking for. Highly recruited Darren Jones will step in if the offense sputters.

The defense was hit hard by graduation with only three starters back in the mix. The bigger problem is that the players will be switching back to a more conventional 4-3 alignment after playing in a 3-3-5 scheme last season. However Both SS Ian Clark and MLB Clint McPeek were all-conference last season and will have to play even better if the Lobos are to be ad solid on defense as they were last season.

The out of conference schedule is brutal with Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Tulsa. The Lobos will be more exciting under the new offensive schemes but getting to bowl game will be tough to do this season.
 

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