Colorado State Should Contend For Another Title

West preview

Defending Western Athletic Conference champion Colorado State is expected to battle Air Force, Brigham Young, Fresno State and San Diego State for the league title.

The Rams, coming off a 10-2 season, kept coach Sonny Lubick, who stayed instead of pursuing the coaching job at Miami after Dennis Erickson was hired by the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.

Air Force won seven of its final eight last season, losing only at Notre Dame 42-30. BYU is coming off a 10-3 season, including a 31-6 victory over Oklahoma in the Copper Bowl.

Fresno State has added several outstanding junior college transfers in an attempt to rebound from a 5-7-1 season, while San Diego State has 16 starters back in Ted Tollner’s second year as its coach.

Nevada, UNLV and Southwestern Louisiana, all 5-1 in the Big West Conference last season, figure to fight it out for the title again.

Nevada, the preseason favorite, returns most of its key players.