Mountain West preseason poll is out. Where does defending champ Fresno State rank?

Fresno State won the Mountain West Conference championship a year ago and made some history doing it, becoming the first team in history to finish 10-4 following a 1-4 start to the season.

But the Bulldogs were a distant third to Boise State and behind Air Force in a preseason media poll released on Wednesday at the start of the conference’s media days.

Fresno State guard Mose Vavao and defensive lineman Devo Bridges were on the preseason all-conference team, which was led by San Jose State quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, Wyoming linebacker Easton Gibbs and San Diego State kicker/punter Jack Browning, the offensive, defensive and special teams players of the year .

Vavao, an honorable mention selection last season, has started 29 career games including 27 in a row the past two seasons. Bridges finished second on the Bulldogs’ defensive line with 43 tackles including 6.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and four quarterback hurries and was the defensive MVP of the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl.

But Boise State received 28 of the 36 first-place votes in the poll and 433 points. Air Force had two first-place votes and 364 points and Fresno State had five first-place votes and 351 points.

San Diego State received one first-place vote and was fourth in the poll followed by San Jose State and Wyoming, Colorado State, Utah State, UNLV Hawaii, Nevada and New Mexico. were seventh through 12th.

The Rebels, 5-7 a year ago, received the other first-place vote.

“They probably look at us as we’re losing a lot of high-powered people - Jalen Moreno-Cropper, Jake (Haener), obviously,” linebacker Levelle Bailey said. “The pieces definitely have to be filled, but I feel confident that they are filled or they will be filled and now we have a little chip on our shoulder going into it.”

Mountain West preseason all-conference team

Offense

QB Chevan Cordeiro (San José State)

WR Tory Horton (Colorado State)

WR Justin Lockhart (San José State)

RB John Lee Eldridge III (Air Force)

RB George Holani (Boise State)

OL Thor Paglialong (Air Force)

OL Cade Beresford (Boise State)

OL Mose Vavao (Fresno State)

OL Cade Bennett (San Diego State)

OL Frank Crum (Wyoming)

TE Mark Redman (San Diego State)

Defense

DL Payton Zdroik (Air Force)

DL Mohamed Kamara (Colorado State)

DL Devo Bridges (Fresno State)

DL Jordan Bertagnole (Wyoming)

DL DeVonne Harris (Wyoming)

LB DJ Schramm (Boise State)

LB Cody Moon (San Diego State)

LB Easton Gibbs (Wyoming)

DB Trey Taylor (Air Force)

DB Jack Howell (Colorado State)

DB Cam Stone (Hawai’i)

DB Ike Larsen (Utah State)

Specialists

P Jack Browning (San Diego State)

K John Hoyland (Wyoming)

PR Tory Horton (Colorado State)

KR Christian Washington (New Mexico)

This story was originally published July 19, 2023 at 8:06 AM.