From
The Athletic Mountain West Preview (picked to finish 3rd in the West behind San Jose State and Nevada:
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Conference sleeper: Fresno State - The Bulldogs didn’t run any in-person team activities from mid-March to late September last year due to the pandemic, and it was Kalen DeBoer’s first season as head coach. They still put together a 3-3 record and Haener threw for 336 yards per game, fourth-most nationally. Now they have had a real offseason and real preseason camp with the coaching staff. San Jose State was my sleeper pick and won the Mountain West last year, With 18 starters back, including all of Haener’s targets and a front seven that was third nationally in sacks per game, the Bulldogs could be the overlooked team to watch to be a factor in the West division this season. <-
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3. Fresno State - With QB Jake Haener, a solid group of receivers and returning running back Ronnie Rivers, head coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb have a lot to like and a lot to work with — as long as the offensive line can hold up. There are at least nine starters back on both offense and defense, and the defense should improve with more experience in the new system. The schedule is challenging, with trips to Oregon, UCLA, Hawaii, Wyoming, San Diego State and San Jose State, but the Bulldogs could score some upsets. <-