Air Force preview: TCU, Boise State clear favorites in battle for MW title

If the Mountain West championship isn’t decided Nov. 12 on the blue turf of Bronco Stadium, it will be a surprise.

TCU is the class of the Mountain West, having won two straight league titles and 27 of its past 28 games. The Horned Frogs’ only loss in that span was to Boise State at the Fiesta Bowl in January 2010.

The Broncos come to the Mountain West this year after years of demolishing the Western Athletic Conference. Boise State had a staggering 65-4 record in the WAC from 2001-10 and won eight of the 10 conference titles while it was in the league.

There’s a reason why one game dominated the conversation at the Mountain West Media Days in late July. And it will be the last conference game between TCU and Boise State, because TCU is leaving the Mountain West after this year.

“We want to go out on top,” TCU receiver Josh Boyce said.

Boise State got 28 first-place votes in the preseason poll, and TCU got the remaining three. While those two teams are the clear favorites in the league, there’s no guarantee they’ll both make it to their November date undefeated in league play.

TCU will still be breaking in untested sophomore quarterback Casey Pachall, who is the apparent replacement for Andy Dalton, when it visits Air Force on Sept. 10. TCU has another tough road date at San Diego State on Oct. 8. And its game against Boise, which was supposed to be at TCU, was moved to Idaho.

Boise State has its own set of challenges. The Mountain West has a few capable teams aside from TCU. Air Force has a lot of experienced talent returning. San Diego State is coming off a bowl berth and has two of the biggest stars in the league in quarterback Ryan Lindley and running back Ronnie Hillman. Colorado State has the pieces to make a run at a winning record this season. And Boise State doesn’t really know any of those teams. As a newcomer to the conference, there isn’t much familiarity with its new conference foes.  

“That’s the trick, you don’t know them like you know the other guys, and it takes some time,” Boise State coach Chris Petersen said. “But you’re new to them too.”