Rick Figurin
pigskinpress.com

Boise State-Chris Petersen
Petersen is a terrific coach, and a loyal one at that. Despite numerous offers to leave Boise, he remains a Bronco. Surprisingly, Boise’s recruiting has not brought in a ton of big name recruits which ultimately doesn’t matter if they’re winning with who they have. We would like to see Boise stop playing FCS schools even if that means more MAC teams at home. Petersen has another good chance to run the table this season.
Stock: Sizzling

Fresno State-Pat Hill
Pat Hill’s best coaching is not done by any stretch of the imagination, but he seems to be losing steam at Fresno, at least with the fans. Hill has been dragged through the mud by media types who have accused him of believing his own hype too much and fans who apparently have forgotten that the Bulldogs won nine games just two seasons ago. The issue is that Boise keeps whooping em’, the defense is porous, and the “anyone, anytime, anywhere” attitude may be hurting them more than helping them. That being said, Hill is still a great coach but it may be time to take his act to a BCS school where he’ll be appreciated.
Stock: Dropping

Hawaii-Greg McMackin
Last year we said that McMackin could count it as a huge success if he could pull in six wins; he did us one better by winning seven. McMackin has recruited fairly decent, and if the Warriors can learn to play defense on the road, could have some success. It could be a rough season for Hawaii, but McMackin seems to be headed in the right direction.
Stock:Steady

Idaho-Robb Akey
Winning at Idaho is not easy, so doubling their win total last season should be counted as a good thing for Robb Akey, even if it was from one to two. Akey scored his first WAC win over NMSU, and that’s got to count for something.  Akey has out-recruited some MWC teams on a couple of occasions as well. Two wins is awful, but you’ve got to start somewhere.
Stock: Steady                                                           

La. Tech-Derek Dooley
Dooley is the best up-and-coming coach in football, but he may not have to leave La. Tech to make it to the big time. Dooley is not only the head coach, but the A.D. as well. His recruiting classes have been outstanding and he seems to get maximum performance on the field as well. Nov 6th against Boise at home could be a program changing game for Dooley and the ‘dawgs as they make a charge for a WAC championship. Dooley is going to get a lot of interest after this season is over.
Stock: Sizzling

New Mexico State-DeWayne Walker
Walker has his work cut out for him after Hal Mumme recruited air-raid-offense style players who quite frankly couldn’t get the job done. With only 10 returning starters it will take time for Walker to build, but he may be the right guy for the job; only time will tell!
Stock: Steady

Nevada-Chris Ault
There are few coaches in the game with the know-how or football sense of Nevada’s Chris Ault. As the creator of the pistol offense, Ault has a tremendous respect around the league. The trick for Ault this year is to avoid the hype and keep winning. The Wolfpack have arguably become the best athletic university in the state, and Ault keeps bringing in kids who know the system. Look for another big season from a coaching legend.
Stock: Rising

San Jose State-Dick Tomey
Tomey gets incredible mileage from his players and has managed to keep the enthusiasm that started  upon his arrival in 2005. San Jose State is becoming a breeding ground for NFL talent, especially on defense. Recruiting has been difficult due to sanctions put on the program, but Tomey knows how to find talent that isn’t necessarily drawing a lot of interest. Look for a solid year for the Spartans, and hopefully an extended tenure for Tomey in San Jose.
Stock: Rising

Utah State-Gary Andersen
No new coach picked a better time to take over a program than Gary Andersen. The former Utah offensive coordinator inherits a team with some talent that showed signs of life last year. With nine returning starters on offense, Andersen will have a chance to build on last year’s win total (3). Perhaps more importantly, Utah State fans are excited again and ticket sales are reflecting that. Look for Andersen to do good work in Logan.
Stock: Rising

A- A.J Jefferson- The Fresno State kick returner is the best in the conference, and in our eyes, vastly underrated nationally. Jefferson will get a chance to shine as a full time starter in the Bulldogs secondary as well.

B- Boise State- Yet again, there is talk that the Broncos could bust the BCS. If that is going to happen they’ll not only need to beat Oregon on their home turf, but win tough road games at Louisiana Tech and Fresno.

C- Colin Kaepernick- Scary good speed for a QB and very underrated as a passer. Don’t be shocked if he garners some Heisman talk if they can pull the early upset over Notre Dame.

D- December 5th- Fresno matches up with Illinois for their inaugural meeting. Could really be a return to prominence for the Bulldogs as a BCS beater if they can top a solid Illinois team in Champaign.

E- Estes, John- Another in the long line of terrific Hawaii centers. Most reliable WAC offensive lineman the last two seasons, and the next NFL center from Hawaii.

F- Fresno State- The Bulldogs folded last season under the high national expectations, but we think Fresno will have a rebirth while everybody else is fawning over Nevada and Boise State. Returning eight on defense will help after last season’s pitiful showing, and depth at QB will help to break even on the departure of Tom Brandstater. Great recieveing core!

G- Good for you!- Kudos to Idaho for playing a schedule with no 1-aa teams on the slate. A nice home schedule, and improved defense should increase attendance.

H- Home Games- The conference continues to improve on their out-of-conference home games with teams like Oregon, Missouri, Utah, and Wisconsin visiting WAC stadiums. This is part of the reason the WAC is seen on a higher tier than the MAC and C-USA.

I-Ihenachos- Future NFL brothers are the two most dominating defensive players in the conference. Could help San Jose State shock some teams.

J- Jeremy Avery- With Ian Johnson out of the picture, Avery is set to explode for the Broncos in 2009. Will put up 1,600 total yards and a dozen TD’s.

K- Kyle Wilson- Skipped the NFL to come back for his senior season. Wilson’s presence will be crucial in a conference that should see more passing in 2009. Don’t be shocked if the senior scores a 1st team All-American selection.

L- La. Tech- HC Derrick Dooley has gotten overachievement from his squad every year he has been at the helm. This season, the Bulldogs look like the strongest team he’s ever had with terrific skill position players returning. If only the student body would make a better effort to get out to the games….

M- Moore, Kellen- Staggering numbers as a freshman QB. How will he respond after losing 4 of his top 5 recievers this season? Look for Oregon to really pressure Moore in week #1 with a lot of reserves taking over starting offensive roles.

N- New Coaches- Utah State’s Gary Anderson and NMSU’s Dewayne Walker may have the two toughest jobs in the country right now. Anderson has fans in Logan excited again, but Walker is going to need to win a few games before the base in Las Cruces are willing to come home again.

O- Offensive Tackles- Only 5 of the returning offensive tackles in the league are seniors, which could make QB’s and coaches a little nervous while improving sack numbers as well. Only Fresno is replacing both #1 starters at tackle.

P- Phillip Livas- The nation got to see what La. Tech fans knew all along in last year’s independence bowl; Phillip Livas can flat out play! Livas is a special teams terror, and will see a 25-45% increase in offensive touches in 2009.

Q- Quigley Down Under- Terrible Tom Selleck movie that will probably be on TV during WAC football this season; hence, a great reason to watch the WAC instead.

R- Reed, Kyle- Will this be the year that the highly touted Cal transfer has ungodly passing numbers? We feel it is. With Kevin Jurovich returning, and Marquis Avery joining the mix, Reed will have two terrific targets to throw at. Don’t look for a quick hook if Reed falters, as Dick Tomey learned the horrors of revolving QB’s last season.

S- Seyi Ajirotutu- The Senior Fresno wide-out really came into his own in the 2nd half of last season. Ajirotutu is reminiscent of Wisconsin’s LEE Evans, who also had a knack for hauling in the long ball.

T- Taua, Vai- The Nevada sophomore RB racked up 1,567 yards in the stead of the injured Luke Lipincott. Lipincott returns this season, which will decrease Taua’s carries but shouldn’t hurt his effectiveness (6.4ypc). It will be interesting to see how long Chris Ault platoons the two running backs if Lipincott is rusty out of the gate.

U- Utah State- The amount of hype surrounding the Aggies since the arrival of new head coach Gary Anderson is higher than ever. The surprising thing, is Anderson has a good QB in Diondre Borel and eight other starters returning on offense. Don’t be shocked if the Aggies add to last year’s 3 wins and pull one conference upset.

V- Virdell Larkins- The Cal transfer made an immediate impact in the Idaho secondary in 2008 racking up 82 tackles. We think Larkins has a good shot at increasing on his interception totals and maybe be a dark horse NFL selection in 2010.

W- Winterswyk, Ryan- The Boise State DE had a solid sophomore season and will be called upon to provide bulk of the pass rush in 2009. Winterswyk knows how to use space well in the attack, and may be first team All-WAC.

X- X-Tra Coverage- 11 nationally televised games will help the league continue it’s unparralelled exposure over the last three years.

Y- Youth At The Skill Positions- Only 2 of the 9 QB’s in the WAC are seniors, and only 3 of the leagues starting RB’s. 7 of the leagues 23 WR’s are seniors. Look for big #’s in 2010.

Z- Zant, Michael- As a freshman, Zant garnered 28 tackles. He’ll have his hands full as NMSU tries to retool in 2009.

Archives/2007
by You Guys!
pigskinpress.com

I can't speak to the viability of the WAC, but as a MAC veteran...I wish I could tell you a partnership and a TV network is a great idea. But I can't.

This is a conference leadership without a clue. Sun Belt be damned, the MAC manages to do the least with it's resources of any 1-A conference. There are 6
schools in Ohio, probably half-a-million alumni remaining in the region, and no deal with any regional channel. Two schools are in the Cleveland market; SportsTime Ohio is the Cleveland Indians’ own network. How has this marriage not happened? Fox Ohio programs the Cleveland and Cincinnati markets separately, and no deal there either. There’s no coverage in Michigan, where the MAC has three schools.

Member schools have apparently given up on the MAC office doing anything. The Ohio Sports Network mentioned in your piece is Ohio University's "network" of an independently produced broadcast that gets picked up by Ohio News Network, a Columbus-based cable channel that is not carried statewide. Miami (OH) does the same to similar success. I mean no disrespect to these efforts to at least get something televised; they both produce very good work that has usually been picked up on ESPN Gameplan for a national pay-per-view audience. But neither has the budget to broadcast the entire schedule. It simply speaks volumes about what the MAC office has not accomplished.

Being a rabid Bobcat, I can tell you we made our first bowl in 36 years, and sold about 1000 tickets (last season). One Thousand. It’s been a similar story for every MAC team That has gone to a bowl; there’s simply not great demand to see our teams. The core group is committed, but far too small to support anything on a national scale. About 17 of my MAC brethren and I would pay premium price for a MAC-centric channel, and get cursed by our spouses for it because we're the same 18 people who are at the games.

Meanwhile, Big Ten fans will subscribe at top dollar to a network like the cattle their schools were founded to teach them about.
Pete C.
Bobcat in Exile to Pittsburgh, PA

I am a Ball State alumnus. This year we play at Navy, at Nebraska , at Indiana , and at Illinois ! It sure would be nice to see a home and home with a WAC team each year. If the WAC and MAC did this, our brother BCS schools would wake up to home and home with us – or they could just have to play 1-AA. Either way, a deal with the WAC would be beneficial.
David D.
Ball State Fan




Are you nuts? Neither conference has the resources to pull this off even though the WAC is almost there. Besides, the WAC is an up-and-coming conference where as the MAC is almost as useless as the Sun Belt. People want to see Boise, Hawaii and Fresno. Who are Eastern Michigan, Kent, and Buffalo? Partnerning with the MAC would be a bad business move!
Kelly J.
WAC Fan in Moscow, ID.