The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Media Days/Preseason Awards

Media Days are weeks behind us and we are only a few weeks away from Mountain West football. We may be in the middle of fall camp, but the predictions of preseason champions, players of the year, and national watchlists have been in focus. Let’s take a look at the good, bad, and ugly moments of Media Days.

The Good

Championship Game

They got this one right and, if you are a neutral observer, I think this would be the best matchup for a variety of reasons. Both teams play an entertaining brand of football and they have one of the best rivalries in the conference. Jake Haener and the Fresno State offense will be electric, and an experienced Boise State defense should make this an exciting game and rematch of an early season matchup in Boise. This could be ratings gold.

Awards

The voters got this right for the most part. Haener was an obvious choice for offensive player of the year. There were plenty of good candidates for defensive player of the year and Cade McDonald and Patrick McMorris were both solid candidates. My only argument would be special teams player of the year, where Jordyn Byrd of San Diego State got the nod. I would have gone with Boise State kicker Jonah Dalmas.

The Bad

Utah State Disrespect

The defending Mountain West champions may have received a few first place votes, but they did not come close to sniffing the top spot. The Aggies were picked to finish third in the Mountain Division behind Boise State and Air Force. The Aggies return a ton of production and should be a good football team this fall.

The Ugly

Colorado State Earns A First Place Vote

I would love to know who gave Colorado State a first place vote. I love the Jay Norvell hire and think that the Rams have a potential to play spoiler this fall. But predicting them to finish first is a stretch to say the least. Norvell will have this team trending up, but let’s not forget that even his best team in Reno fell short of expectations.

That’s it for this edition of “The Good, the Bad, the Ugly.” Who do you see facing off in the Mountain West Championship Game? Who do you think comes away with the hardware at the end of the year? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.