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The college football national title is over and the way-too-early top 25s are out for the 2016 season, so where do the Mountain West teams appear? For some reason San Diego State is not listed in any of these major publications despite them winning 10 consecutive games, returning six first-team all-Mountain West players and the player of the year for offense, defense and special teams.
Boise State is also returning a lot of talent and it seems their brand name is carrying them in the off-season and toward next year as they are ranked in a few of these meaningless early polls.
Bleacher Report: Nope
Campus Insiders: Nope
No. 24 Boise State
Fourteen straight senior classes have won at least 40 games in Boise. It will be difficult making it 15 in a row. (The last three seasons have totaled 29 wins.) Entering his third season, Bryan Harsin gets back 1,300-yard rusher Jeremy McNichols and budding quarterback Brett Rypien.
ESPN: Nope
Fox Sports: Boise State is noted as a team to watch.
Sporting News: They rank only 20, but no Mountain West is ranked.
No. 17 Boise State
It would be unwise to count out Boise State in the race for an Playoff's access-bowl bid, especially with a burgeoning star at quarterback in sophomore Brett Rypien. His growth under center gives the Broncos immense cause for confidence.
No. 24 Boise State
No matter what, you can't rule out Boise State. The Broncos had a rough nine-win season last year, but this team did a lot of maturing as the season progressed and could be poised for that Group of Five NY6 Bowl run many expected in 2015. Quarterback Brett Rypien and running back Jeremy McNichols are back, but some of the top receivers are gone. The Broncos do have a couple tough games on their non-conference slate with Washington State, Oregon State and BYU, but they should be one of the favorites to win the Mountain West.
Before we get to the individual polls and note where the Mountain West ranks, here is a composite of the top 25s and before the next batch come out after National Signing Day.
| 1 | Clemson 
|
ACC 
|
| 2 | Alabama 
|
SEC 
|
| 3 | Oklahoma 
|
Big 12 
|
| 4 | Florida State 
|
ACC
|
| 5 | Michigan 
|
Big Ten 
|
| 6 | LSU 
|
SEC
|
| 7 | Ohio State 
|
Big Ten
|
| 8 | Baylor 
|
Big 12
|
| 9 | Notre Dame 
|
uhhh, Notre Dame
|
| 10 | Tennessee 
|
SEC
|
| 11 | Stanford 
|
Pac-12 
|
| 12 | Houston 
|
AAC 
|
| 13 | Michigan State 
|
Big Ten
|
| 14 | Ole Miss 
|
SEC
|
| 15 | Iowa 
|
Big Ten
|
| 16 | Oklahoma State 
|
Big 12
|
| 17 | Oregon 
|
Pac-12
|
| 18 | TCU 
|
Big 12
|
| 19 | USC 
|
Pac-12
|
| 20 | North Carolina 
|
ACC
|
| 21 | Louisville 
|
ACC
|
| 22 | Georgia 
|
SEC
|
| 23 | Florida 
|
SEC
|
| 24 | UCLA 
|
Pac-12
|
| 25 | Arkansas 
|
SEC
|