BY KTIK STAFF
LAS VEGAS – The 2018 Mountain West Football Media Summit, with players and coaches from every team, has completed its first day at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. The unofficial kickoff to the college football season continues through Wednesday, with complete coverage on KTIK 93.1 FM (live 1-6 MT both days) and constant Boise State football updates on KTIK.com, Twitter and Facebook.
MIKE PRATER’S OPINIONATOR THOUGHTS …
- Boise State coach Bryan Harsin has been served a softball season – but it will take an even better coaching effort than last year to pull it off. Respect doesn’t always equal blue collar/the Boise State way – and on Tuesday morning, the Broncos were served a ton of respect.
- Two Boise State OL on the 2018 preseason team is a huge improvement from 2017.
- No preseason all-conference love for Boise State senior STUD Jabril Frazier; he’ll start the season with a huge chip.
- Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien has never faced this type of pressure – can the senior handle it?
- Not buying the Wyoming/UNLV love in preseason team voting.
- When is the vote to kick San Jose State out of the league?
QUICK LINKS TO TUESDAY’S COVERAGE
- KTIK interview with Boise State coach Bryan Harsin … INTERVIEW HERE
- KTIK interview with Boise State quarterback and MW Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Brett Rypien … INTERVIEW HERE
- KTIK interview with Boise State cornerback Tyler Horton … INTERVIEW HERE
- The Day in Pictures … GALLERY HERE
- Commissioner Craig Thompson, address and Q&A … CLICK HERE TO WATCH
- Mountain Division coaches panel, featuring Harsin … CLICK HERE TO WATCH
- For additional interviews with MW coaches and players, see below.
BOISE STATE, FRESNO STATE VOTED PRESEASON FAVORITES
Boise State and Fresno State are predicted to win Mountain West division titles in 2018, based on a preseason vote released Tuesday at the Mountain West’s annual Media Summit at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
Boise State, which has been predicted to win the Mountain Division the last five seasons, was a unanimous first-place pick, garnering all 22 first-place votes and 132 total points. Fifth-year head coach Bryan Harsin returns 18 starters from 2017, including six on offense and 10 on defense. The rest of the Mountain Division voting: Wyoming (95 points), Colorado State (82), Utah State (78), Air Force (52) and New Mexico (23).
Fresno State earned 16 first-place votes in the West Division, earning 126 total points. This is the first year the Bulldogs have been favored to win the division since 2014. San Diego State picked up six first-place votes and 116 total points, followed by UNLV (78), Nevada (72), Hawaii (45) and San Jose State (25).
The two divisional winners will meet in the MW Championship Game on Dec. 1 at the home stadium of the divisional champion with the highest winning percentage in conference games only.
RYPIEN, WILLIAMS, WINGARD VOTED PRESEASON POYs
Boise State senior quarterback Brett Rypien (Offense), Boise State sophomore returner Avery Williams (Special Teams) and Wyoming senior defensive back Andrew Wingard (Defense) are the Mountain West Preseason Players of the Year, the league announced Tuesday at its annual Media Summit in Las Vegas.
RECORD EIGHT BRONCOS MAKE 2018 ALL-MW PRESEASON TEAM
The eight Boise State players named to the All-MW Preseason Team are senior quarterback Brett Rypien, junior running back Alexander Mattison, sophomore left tackle Ezra Cleveland, junior offensive lineman John Molchon, senior quarterback Tyler Horton, senior defensive tackle David Moa, sophomore STUD Curtis Weaver, and sophomore return specialist Avery Williams. The eight is the most Boise State has ever placed on the All-MW Preseason Team, which is voted on by the media.
| ALL-MW PRESEASON OFFENSE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Brett Rypien** | Sr. | Boise State |
| WR | KeeSean Johnson* | Sr. | Fresno State |
| WR | McLane Mannix | So. | Nevada |
| RB | Alexander Mattison | Jr. | Boise State |
| RB | Lexington Thomas* | Sr. | UNLV |
| OL | Ezra Cleveland | So. | Boise State |
| OL | John Molchon | Jr. | Boise State |
| OL | Aaron Jenkins | Sr. | New Mexico |
| OL | Keith Ismael** | So. | San Diego State |
| OL | Tyler Roemer** | So. | San Diego State |
| TE | Dax Raymond | Jr. | Utah State |
| ALL-MW PRESEASON DEFENSE | |||
| DL | David Moa** | Sr. | Boise State |
| DL | Curtis Weaver* | So. | Boise State |
| DL | Youhanna Ghaifan* | Jr. | Wyoming |
| DL | Carl Granderson* | Sr. | Wyoming |
| LB | Jeffrey Allison* | Jr. | Fresno State |
| LB | Jahlani Tavai** | Sr. | Hawaii |
| LB | Malik Reed | Sr. | Nevada |
| DB | Tyler Horton* | Sr. | Boise State |
| DB | Dameon Baber* | Sr. | Nevada |
| DB | Tariq Thompson** | So. | San Diego State |
| DB | Andrew Wingard | Sr. | Wyoming |
| ALL-MW PRESEASON SPECIALISTS | |||
| P | Ryan Stonehouse | So. | Colorado State |
| PK | Dominik Eberle* | Jr. | Utah State |
| KR/PR | Avery Williams** | So. | Boise State |
| Offensive Player of the Year: Brett Rypien, Sr., QB, Boise State |
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| Defensive Player of the Year: Andrew Wingard, Sr., DB, Wyoming |
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| Special Teams Player of the Year: Avery Williams, So., KR/PR, Boise State |
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| * – MEMBER OF THE 2017 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FIRST TEAM. ** – MEMBER OF THE 2017 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST SECOND TEAM. |
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ADDITIONAL KTIK INTERVIEWS FROM MW MEDIA SUMMIT
- Utah State coach Matt Wells … INTERVIEW HERE
- Wyoming coach Craig Bohl … INTERVIEW HERE
- Wyoming players Andrew Wingard and Carl Granderson … INTERVIEW HERE
- New Mexico players Aaron Jenkins and Alex Hart … INTERVIEW HERE
- Air Force coach Troy Calhoun … INTERVIEW HERE
- Colorado State coach Mike Bobo … INTERVIEW HERE
- New Mexico coach Bob Davie … INTERVIEW HERE
- Doug Kelly, Football Bowl Association … INTERVIEW HERE
