Mountain West Division Odds: Boise State Favored to Take Home Conference Title

The 2021 season was a strong one for the Mountain West Conference. Eight teams – Fresno, Utah State, Wyoming, San Diego State, Hawaii, Nevada, Boise State, and Air Force – earned bowl berths with the conference finishing 5-1 in those games (two games were canceled). San Diego State finished the regular season with a conference-best 12-2 record and a trip to the Mountain West title game. They faced a Utah State team that finished just behind them at 11-3 but would go on to beat them in the conference championship. With a new season nearly upon us, let’s take a look at a handful of teams that sit atop the Mountain West Division Odds for 2022.

Boise State Broncos (+200 to win Mountain West Championship)

Boise State didn’t have the season they were hoping for last year. The Broncos finished the season going 7-5, which equates to their lowest single-season win total since 1998. Boise State is a team that regularly posts 10-win seasons. In fact, outside of the shortened 2020 Covid-19 season, last season was the first time since 2015 that the Broncos failed to win 10 games.

The 2022 season marks head coach Andy Avalos’ second year with the program, bringing familiarity to the sidelines that the team lacked last season. The Broncos also return quarterback Hank Bachmeier and wide receiver Stefan Cobbs. Their offensive line will need to step up this year if they want their running game to be more effective. They have a talented running back corps led by George Holani, but the O-line needs to show improvement if they want that part of their offense to be more of a threat this season.

With Boise State’s win total sitting at nine, seeing the Broncos as the favorite in the Mountain West Division Odds isn’t too surprising.

Fresno State Bulldogs (+250 to win Mountain West Championship)

The Bulldogs have high expectations for 2022 after finishing last season with a 10-3 record. Their success stemmed from an exceptional offense which led the conference in total offense and ranked second in scoring. They have a chance to repeat that success with starting quarterback Jake Haener returning along with top receivers Jalen Cropper and Josh Kelly.

Fresno State’s schedule this season is going to be tough. They take on Oregon State and San Diego State at home while playing USC and Boise State on the road. The Bulldogs will have their work cut out for them, but they’re still the favorite to come out of the West.

Air Force Falcons (+450 to win Mountain West Championship)

Air Force narrowly missed the conference championship game last season after finishing the season 10-3. The Falcons return 11 starters from last year’s squad and head Coach Troy Calhoun will be back on the sidelines for his 16th season with the program. The bright spot for the Falcons in 2021 was their run game. They averaged 328 yards per game on the ground and with leading rushers, Brad Roberts returning are primed for another strong season.

QB Haaziq Daniels will also be back under center and has a number of his offensive line returning. The Falcon’s win total is set at 8.5 and it’s fairly safe to expect they’ll hit the over.

San Diego State (+600 to win Mountain West Championship)

The Aztecs had an outstanding season last year, finishing with the best record in the conference at 12-2. They earned a spot in last year’s college football Mountain West Championship game but lost to Utah State after having 20 players out with COVID.

San Diego State’s defense was a huge part of their success last year and should pick up where they left off with most of those players returning. Offensively they lost quite a few players, but have a new quarterback in Braxton Burmeister who transferred in after stops at Oregon and Virginia Tech. We do not see the Aztecs going 12-2 again this season, but they are still primed to have plenty of success and at +600 have solid value to make a repeat run at the conference championship game.

Utah State Aggies (+1000 to win Mountain West)

The Aggies won the 2021 Mountain West Championship after finishing the regular season 11-3. So, at +1000, why are their odds at a repeat title so long this year? Well for starters, receivers Deven Thompkins, Brandon Bowling, and Derek Wright are gone this year. Those three were a massive reason the Aggies were able to have so much success on offense, combining for 206 catches, 3,328 yards, and 31 of the team’s 41 touchdown grabs.

However, even with that trio gone, Utah State’s betting odds to repeat as conference champions seem a bit off. The Aggies return their offensive, defensive, and special teams coordinators, as well as quarterback Logan Bonner, and a ton of talent on the defensive end. Repeating as champions is undoubtedly difficult to do, but based on their personnel, the Aggies should not be finding themselves this far down the NCAAF Mountain West projections.

Mountain West Division Odds for Remaining Seven Teams

The Wyoming Cowboys are next up with their odds sitting at +1800, followed by the Colorado State Rams at +2200 and San Jose State Spartans at +2500. There is then a major jump to +4000 where the Nevada Wolfpack find themselves. Hawaii sits at +5000 before another big jump to UNLV at +10000. The New Mexico Lobos round out the list with the longest odds to win the NCAAF mountain west championship game at +20000.