Top mid-majors: Searching for the next Utah

1. Boise St. Broncos (WAC) Team page | Schedule | Roster | TSN.com preview

Boise State went 11-0 during the regular season last year and came within four points of beating Louisville in the Liberty Bowl. This year the Broncos have a chance to be just as good, returning eight starters on both offense and defense. Dan Hawkins deserves a lot of credit for going 44-7 in his four years at Boise State.

Hawkins' success has been built around his offensive genius. The Broncos finished last season as the second-best scoring offense in Division I-A. All this firepower starts with the quarterback, and Boise State has a star in junior Jared Zabransky. As the replacement for Ryan Dinwiddie last season, he had a WAC-best passer rating and also rushed for 13 touchdowns. Balance is another trademark of Hawkins; last year's offense averaged 230 yards per game rushing and 262 passing.

The defense doesn't match up with the offense statistically, barely making it into the top 50. If the defense could match the lofty standards of the offense, one wonders just how far Hawkins could take the Broncos.

The Broncos open against four straight teams that finished last season with bowl victories. The trip to Georgia on Sept. 3 will be one of the best games of college football's opening weekend. However, it won't be until Nov. 12 at Fresno State, which the Broncos defeated 33-16 last year, that Boise State will find out if it can repeat as the WAC champion.

2. Fresno St. Bulldogs (WAC) Team page | Schedule | Roster

The Bulldogs ought to get some kind of trophy for being one of the all-time teams in college football that doesn't get any respect. Year in and year out, no team seems to beat more BCS-conference teams without getting credit for it. Last season the 9-3 Bulldogs knocked off Washington and Kansas State during the regular season and then polished off Virginia in the MPC Computers Bowl.

Coach Pat Hill is one of those guys who seems to pull points out of his keister. Fresno State averaged 40 points per game last season to rank fifth nationally in scoring offense. His triggerman is quarterback Paul Pinegar, who is 24-8 as a starter, including 3-0 in bowls and 6-3 against BCS-conference teams.

Defensively, the Bulldogs aren't half bad, although they haven't been top-25 material. Talented tackle Garrett McIntyre could be the most dominant defensive player in the WAC.

Fresno State's non-conference schedule includes defending national champion USC and very good teams in Toledo and Oregon. FSU would do well to win one of those games. Boise State is the team to beat in the WAC. Still, the Bulldogs should go bowling again this season.

3. Utah Utes (Mountain West) Team page | Schedule | Roster | TSN.com preview

The Utes can't just line up and go anywhere close to last year's 12-0 season after losing the hottest head coach in the country in Urban Meyer and the No. 1 player taken in the NFL draft in Alex Smith. Add the fact that the Utes also lost the offensive coordinator for the nation's third-highest scoring offense and the undisputed leader of their defense in safety Morgan Scalley, and new head coach Kyle Whittingham has some work to do in order to keep Utah from slipping down too far.

I find it pretty interesting that this is the third straight team in my mid-major favorites that is in the top five in scoring offense. It supports my belief that if you aren't at a traditional power program, you need to have an offensive system that can score a lot of points.

The offense will be led by sophomore quarterback Brian Johnson and the defense by lineman Steve Fifita.

They'll have their hands full with New Mexico in their battle for the Moutain West title, but Utah will likely qualify for a bowl – just not a BCS one.

4. Toledo Rockets (MAC) Team page | Schedule | Roster

The Rockets have utilized the spread offense to be the best in the MAC's Western Division over the past four years, winning three division titles and two conference crowns. I know how good the offense has been under coordinator Rob Spence because my brother, Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden, hired him away from Toledo to revamp the Tigers' struggling offense. The defense has not been nearly as effective, but expects to improve under new defensive coordinator Tim Rose, who had been at Louisiana Tech.

With senior quarterback Bruce Gradkowski back for his third year as a starter, the offense doesn't expect to lose a beat, and the defense should improve under a new leadership that worked hard in the spring to develop a more aggressive style of play.

The Rockets should make it back to the conference championship game and find themselves in another bowl.

5. UTEP Miners (Conference USA) Team page | Schedule | Roster

Second-year head coach Mike Price might be the most popular man in El Paso. Last year he took a program coming off three straight two-win seasons and led them to eight victories and a bowl game. It was also the first time in school history that the program appeared in the top 25.

This year the Miners have moved from the WAC to Conference USA and, with the defection of Louisville and TCU, are serious contenders for the championship.

The offense again will be led by quarterback Jordan Palmer, who threw for 2,818 yards last season and topped the 300-yard mark in each of the last three games. All of his top receivers also return. Star running back Howard Jackson is gone, but the backfield is loaded with the addition of UCLA transfer Tyler Ebell to go along with Marcus Thomas and Matt Austin. If the left side of the line can be replaced, the offense should exceed last year's 11th ranking in scoring offense.

Defensively, the Miners will be strong up the middle, returning both tackles, one linebacker and both safeties. All-WAC defensive tackle Chris Mineo is the best of the bunch. Replacements must be found for both ends and cornerbacks.

UTEP finds itself aligned on the weaker side of the conference. Every other team in the West Division had a losing record last year. Memphis and UAB are the toughest conference teams on the schedule. Look for the Miners to be favored in C-USA's inaugural conference championship game, most likely against Southern Miss or UAB, and go to a bowl again.

6. North Texas Mean Green (Sun Belt) Team page | Schedule | Roster

Head coach Darrell Dickey has led the Mean Green to 25 consecutive conference victories and four straight Sun Belt championships. North Texas should make that five in a row with one of the finest running back duos in the country. Patrick Cobb led the nation in rushing two seasons ago but redshirted last year after suffering a knee injury. Jamario Thomas stepped in last season and rushed for 1,801 yards and 17 touchdowns. Now, the toughest thing for Dickey is finding a way to get both of them in the game at the same time.

Parity is creeping up on North Texas in the Sun Belt, and there are enough question marks on defense to make the going tough. But the Mean Machine will make it five league titles in a row.

7. Bowling Green Falcons (MAC) Team page | Schedule | Roster | TSN.com preview

The Mid-American Conference has become a breeding ground for NFL quarterbacks, and the next great one, Omar Jacobs, resides at Bowling Green. Jacobs is the returning MAC Offensive Player of the Year after passing for 4,002 yards and completing 67 percent of his passes last season. He also is a nifty runner when the situation dictates.

The Falcons have moved back into the East Division with the departure of Marshall to C-USA. BGSU should represent the East in the conference championship against Toledo.

8. Wyoming Cowboys (Mountain West) Team page | Schedule | Roster

The Cowboys were not great in any specific area of play last year, but they found a way to go 6-5 before upsetting UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl. Now they return nine players on offense and eight on defense and return both punter and kicker to find themselves one of the favorites in the Mountain West Conference.

Joe Glenn, who has won at every level in his 20 years as a head coach, has a humdinger of an opener with Florida in the Swamp, but he could find his team in the top 25 when the season ends.

9. Navy Midshipmen (Independent) Team page | Schedule | Roster

Of all the teams outside the BCS conferences, Navy has found a successful way to implement an option offense (as opposed to the spread passing attack) into a Division I-A program. The Midshipmen won 10 games in 2004 for the first time since 1905.

Eighteen starters must be replaced, including quarterback Aaron Polanco, but there is an excellent group of replacements who are well-indoctrinated into head coach Paul Johnson's system. Look for the Midshipmen to take home another Commander-In-Chief's Trophy and visit another bowl.