2009 SD Conference Preview - WAC

Written by Grubb | 08 July 2009

We begin our 2009 conference previews with the boys by the Pacific (no, not those boys).  Of course I mean the Western Athletic Conference.  Except for Lousiana Tech, which is actually 2 time zones over and by the Gulf of Mexico.  But I digress.

Last year's WAC Championship was won by 12-1 Boise State, who not only ran roughshod through conference play--notching only 2 wins by less than 20 points--but nearly capped off its second perfect season in three years, losing to TCU 17-16 in the San Diego County Cre...zzzzz.. Poinsettia Bowl, and finishing ranked #11.

Many prognosticators have this years Smurf Turfers ranked in the top 15, and poised for another run at a BCS bowl.  Opening the season against highly-ranked Oregon at home will be the only real test for the first month of the season, and with a mid-year vacation to Hololulu in October, the Broncos should have no trouble winning the WAC again this year.

Players to Watch: 
Louisiana Tech RB Daniel Porter.  This 5'9" bowling ball had 1000 yards last year and averaged over 5 yards a carry.  Expect his TD count to rise from 9 to somewhere around 14 this year as he gets more touches.

Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick.  This is one of those guys you may see rise on NFL draft boards over the next 2 years.  He had a fantastic sophomore year in '08, throwing for 2800 yards and 22 TDs and only 7 picks in over 380 attempts.  His 6-6 200lb machine body withstood plenty of beatdowns last year.  He lost 2 starters at wideout, but has 6'1" Chris Wellington returing to catch his passes.  Look for an increase in productivity here, and a stable pick count (7) with 3 returning starting upperclass linemen.

San Jose State LB Duke Ihenacho.  He ranked 8th in the nation last year, averaging 1.54 TFL's a game (which was second on his team to overall NCAA leader Jarron Gilbert, currently under a 4 year deal with the Chicago Bears.)  If that's not scary enough, here's a video of  him jumping out of a pool... without using his hands.  No word yet if Ihenacho has been practicing the jump this summer.

Newcomers:  DeWayne Walker, fresh off Rick Neuheisel's staff at UCLA, Walker is taking over the reigns at New Mexico State.  His only NCAA head coaching game was a 17-16 UCLA loss to BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl after Karl Dorrell was fired.

Circling the Drain:  Idaho Vandals.  Sure, maybe Dennis Erickson left them in a lurch after notching 4 wins in 2006.  But they do have a dome indoor arena, and... well... all the recruiting... er...  Their win total improved by 100% from '07 to '08.. to 2.  There's really not much good to say here when you are competing with Boise and Hawaii for the local 3-star talent.

Predicted Finish:
1 - Boise State
2 - Nevada
3 - Fresno St
4 - San Jose St
5 - Hawaii
6 - Louisiana Tech
7 - Utah State
8 - New Mexico State
9 - Idaho (gets 3 wins)