Every summer since 2007 I have created an intricate set of college football predictions for each upcoming season.  This year is no exception, as I will be using my blog over the next few hours to publish my 19th annual college football preview guide which will contain 19 entries in all. The records below reflect each team’s predicted regular season overall record followed by their conference record.  These records include conference title games for the two division champions but exclude bowl games which will be previewed later on in a separate column on this blog.  The teams marked in bold font are the ones predicted to gain bowl eligibility.  Without further ado, here are my predictions for the Mountain West Conference in 2025, which is the preeminent conference in the far west until the Pac-12 returns next season.

1	Boise State (11-2, 8-0)– regular season champ/conference runner-up

Last Year’s Record: 12-2 (My 2024 prediction: 11-2)

Positional Strength: Quarterback

Positional Weakness: Wide Receiver

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at South Florida (August 28)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. San Jose State (December 6)

Bottom Line: The milion dollar question is how much with the loss of Ashton Jeanty affect this team? Running backs are typically one of the most replaceable positions ont he field but Jeanty was so special in 2024. The Broncos are still the most talented squad in the league by a large margin, but I am calling for them to get nipped by San Jose State in the conference championship game, as Ken Niumatalolo has proven to be a giant killer over the years.

———————————————————————————————————–

1	San Jose State (10-3, 6-2)– conference champion

Last Year’s Record: 7-6 (My 2024 prediction: 3-9)

Positional Strength: Linebacker

Positional Weakness: Running Back

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at Boise State (December 6)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Utah State (October 18)

Bottom Line: Ken Niumatalolo’s squad exceeded mine and everyone else’s expectations last year year by posting a winning record in his inaugural season. Now, he has an experienced unit returning that brings back its starting quarterback, top four rushers, and three of their top four tacklers. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think this squad isanywhere near as talented as Boise, but in a one game conferece title matchup where all the pressure will be on the Brocons, I am calling for the Spartans to shock the world and win the 2025 Mountain West title!

———————————————————————————————————–

3	Colorado State (9-3, 6-2)

Last Year’s Record: 8-5 (My 2024 prediction: 6-6)

Positional Strength: Linebacker

Positional Weakness: Defensive Line

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Air Force (November 29)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Wyoming (October 25)

Bottom Line: Jay Norvell has done a nice job restoring prominence to this programn. This year they should take one more step forward thanks to an explosive offense lead by an experienced quarterback.

———————————————————————————————————–

4	Air Force (8-4, 5-3)

Last Year’s Record: 5-7 (My 2024 prediction: 9-3): I definitely overrated the Falcons in 2024

Positional Strength: Offensive Line

Positional Weakness: Quarterback

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Army (November 1)- I am predicing Air Force wins the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy in 2025 for just the secome time in the past nine seasons.

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Colorado State (November 29)

Bottom Line: Troy Calhoun’s squad had a rare down season in 2024 as they failed to make a bowl game for the first time since the 2020 Covid season. With that beign said, they ended the 2024 campaign on a tear winning their final four games and return 13 starters from that squad including 8 on offense. Expect a solid bounce back campaign from the Falcons this season.

———————————————————————————————————–

5	UNLV (6-6, 4-4)

Last Year’s Record: 11-3 (My 2024 prediction: 6-6): I definitely underrated the Rebels in 2024

Positional Strength: Running Back

Positional Weakness: Linebacker

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Utah State (November 15)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Wyoming (October 4)

Bottom Line: I am not as high on Dan Mullen’s team as many experts who have this squad contending for a Mountain West title this season. I just think you have to be cautious of these “mercenary teams” as they have been called that are comprised entirely of transfer portal kids who are entering the program for the first time. For every team like 2024 Indiana team that has vast success building their roster that way, you have two or three teams who struggle mightily due to the lack of chemistry (2024 Florida State, 2023 Colorado, etc.). With that being said, I still think this year’s Rebel squad has enough talent to find its way to bowl eligibility in 2025.

———————————————————————————————————–

5	Fresno State (7-5, 4-4)

Last Year’s Record: 11-3 (My 2024 prediction: 6-6): I definitely underrated the Rebels in 2024

Positional Strength: Defensive Back

Positional Weakness: Wide Receiver

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Georgia Southern (August 30)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Hawaii (September 20)

Bottom Line: New coach Matt Entz could find success in his first season in the San Joaquin Valley thanks to his experienced quarterback (E.J. Warner, Kurt Warner’s son) and a talented defense.

———————————————————————————————————–

7	Utah State (6-6, 4-4)

Last Year’s Record: 4-8 (My 2024 prediction: 7-5):

Positional Strength: Quarterback

Positional Weakness: Offensive Line

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. San Jose State (October 18)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at UNLV (November 15)

Bottom Line: The Aggies are on my list of surprise teams for 2025, as I am calling them to achieve bowl eligibility in Bronco Mendenhall’s first year at the helm. This squad will have a talented quarterback (Bryson Barnes) and a much improved defense in this season.

———————————————————————————————————–

8	Hawaii (6-6, 3-5)

Last Year’s Record: 5-7 (My 2024 prediction: 5-7)- I had a perfect projection for the Rainbow Warriors last season

Positional Strength: Wide Receiver

Positional Weakness: Running Back

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Fresno State (September 20)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Utah State (October 11)

Bottom Line: After three straight years of slow but steady progress (3-10 record in 2022, 5-8 record in 2023, 5-7 record in 2024), I am calling for Timmy Chang to finally get Hawaii back to a bowl game in his fourth season in Honolulu. This squad has a solid dual threat QB (Michah Alejadro), a plethora of talented receivers, and an experinced defense that returns nine starters from a year ago.

———————————————————————————————————–

9	Wyoming (5-7, 3-5)

Last Year’s Record: 3-9 (My 2024 prediction: 6-6)

Positional Strength: Offensive Line

Positional Weakness: Linebacker

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Colorado State (October 25)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at San Diego State (November 1)

Bottom Line: The Cowboys had a shockingly bad 2024 season under new coach Jay Sawvel, and while I expect them to take a step forward in 2025, I don’t believe they have the consistency at quarterback or talent on defense to return to a bowl game this season.

———————————————————————————————————–

10	New Mexico (3-9, 2-6)

Last Year’s Record: 5-7 (My 2024 prediction: 1-11): The Lobos far exceeded my expectations in 2024 despite falling just short of a bowl game.

Positional Strength: Running Back

Positional Weakness: Defensive Back

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. San Diego State (November 29)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. New Mexico State (September 27)

Bottom Line: The Lobos had their best season in nearly a decade under Bronco Mendenhall, but now he has moved on to Utah State and taken most of the roster with him. New Mexico has to start over again with Jason Eck at the helm this season, and this squad just doesn’t have the talent or experience to win much in 2025.

———————————————————————————————————–

11	San Diego State (5-7, 2-6)

Last Year’s Record: 3-9 (My 2024 prediction: 5-7): The Lobos far exceeded my expectations in 2024 despite falling just short of a bowl game.

Positional Strength: Defensive Back

Positional Weakness: Quarterback

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. San Jose State (November 22)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at New Mexico (Novembe 29)

Bottom Line: This perennial Mountain West powerhouse has fallen off a cliff the past seasons as they have gradually decreased their win total each season from twelve wins in 2021 to just three last season. Sean Lewis is too good of a coach for this team to stay down for long, but I still don’t think he has the personnel in place to operate his up tempo offense like he wants to. Expect this squad to fall just short of a bowl game in 2025.

———————————————————————————————————–

12	Nevada (2-10, 1-7)

Last Year’s Record: 3-10 (My 2024 prediction: 1-11)

Positional Strength: Running Back

Positional Weakness: Defensive Line

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. San Diego State (October 11)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at New Mexico (October 18)

Bottom Line: Jay Norvell’s very lateral move from Nevada to Colorado State four years ago was a sign that this program didn’t have the resources to compete in FBS football for much longer. Second year coach Jeff Choate came from the FCS level which is exactly where this program may be headed in a few years. The Wolf Pack once again lack talent and experience across the board to field a competitive team in 2025.

———————————————————————————————————–