A total of three schools have gone on to win the Mountain West since the title game was brought to inception back in 2013. Those three teams include the Boise State Broncos, San Diego State Aztecs and Fresno State Bulldogs. To little surprise, all three teams are currently listed as favorites to take home conference bragging rights in 2019 at online sportsbooks. As top heavy this conference has been in recent memory, there’s a number of upstarts that could throw a wrench into the proceedings should everything fall into place. They include the Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada and Wyoming. Heck, even UNLV figures to have a shot with Armani Rogers back under center, but it needs to figure out how to play a semblance of defense before it can be taken seriously. With that, here are three teams I suggest getting involved with on the college football betting lines this upcoming season.
ODDS TO WIN MWC
Boise State -110
San Diego State +440
Fresno State +625
Utah State +925
Air Force +1250
Hawaii +1400
Nevada +1800
Wyoming +2450
UNLV +9000
Colorado State +11000
New Mexico +14000
San Jose State +30000
FAVORITE TO BACK: San Diego State +440
As easy it would be to recommend a Boise State Broncos outfit that’s represented the Mountain Division in the title game each of the last two seasons, I’m going to give Rocky Long’s Aztecs some love instead. This is a team that surprisingly only went on to win seven games a season ago after logging 10, 11 and 11 wins the previous three seasons. The secret to SDST’s success is no secret; it runs the ball down your throat and plays a nasty brand of defense. With seven back on the offensive side of the ball to go along with a healthy Juwan Washington in the backfield, the Aztecs are going to be a bear to deal with. Pair that with a defense that returns six starters that limited opponents to just under 22.0 points per game, and it looks to be the offense’s perfect compliment.
Getting Utah State, Wyoming, Nevada and Fresno State at home is huge, though trips to San Jose State and UNLV could prove to be tougher than they currently look on paper. That visit to the island the second to last week of the regular season won’t be a walk in the park either. Even so, San Diego State looks to be by far the nastiest squad in the West Division, and it should allow it to punch their ticket to the MWC title game after a two-year hiatus.
UNDERDOG TO BACK: Wyoming +2450
Wyoming managed to win six games last season, but was still passed over by the bowl committee. Think Craig Bohl’s kids take to the gridiron with a chip on their shoulder? The answer to that question is a resounding yes, and at a near 25-1 return on investment at top rated sportsbooks, I simply can’t hold off throwing some beer money on the kids from Laramie throwing a wrench into the Mountain Division title chase. The Cowboys still went on to close last season out on a high by logging four straight wins while going 4-1 against the spread over their last five games. A whopping 46 lettermen which includes quarterback Sean Chambers returns looking for some redemption, and I believe they get it.
Should Wyoming pass what’s likely to be a stiff test at home against Mizzou the opening week of the season, it will gain the self-confidence needed to become a player in the MWC right out of the chute. Taking on five of its first eight opponents in front of the hometown faithful will likely have it ready to take on a nasty end of season schedule that finds it playing at both Boise State and Utah State before returning home to face Colorado State. The season then closes out on the road in Colorado Springs against the Flyboys. Much would have to go right to have a shot at cashing this ticket in, but it’s certainly worth an investment as value packed the rate of return currently is.
LONGSHOT TO BACK: UNLV +9000
So what do you like to do when you go to Vegas? Gamble, right? That’s exactly what we’re doing here by getting involved with a 90-1 underdog that won a grand total of four games last season and went 2-6 in conference play. However, UNLV went on to split its first four games before Rogers was lost for a bulk of the season. Once he succumbed to the injury, the Runnin’ Rebels went on to drop six straight games before snaring upset wins at SDST and at home against Nevada. I fully expect UNLV to carry that momentum into 2019-20 and look to build upon it in a big way.
This is a make or break campaign for Tony Sanchez who needs to experience some success in the final year of his contract. For the first time since taking over the gig years back, Sanchez finally gets to play with a full deck of scholarship players and has the most depth at his disposal since….ever! With nine starters back on offense and loads of depth and experience on the offensive line to go along with one of the most explosive wide receiver corps in the conference, UNLV is going to roast some scoreboards along the way. On top of all that, it gets the added advantage of hosting Boise State, San Diego State and Hawaii. It might sound ludicrous to expect this team to take such an enormous leap in the standings, but the ingredients are there to pull off a worst-to-first jaunt. If nothing else, UNLV goes on to surpass its 4-game season win total at betting sites and likely lace up its bowling shoes for the first time since 2014.
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