Justin Rice is MW preseason top defender. That could mean big things for Fresno State

The accolades continue to roll in for Fresno State linebacker Justin Rice, who on Thursday was selected the Mountain West Conference preseason defensive player of the year, and that might bode well for the Bulldogs if a 2020 college football season is played during the coronavirus pandemic.

Those conference awards have leaned toward the Mountain Division since the conference expanded in 2013, with nine of the 14 preseason offensive or defensive players of the year coming from Boise State, Utah State, Wyoming or Colorado State.

The trend continued Thursday: Colorado State wideout Warren Jackson was selected as the offensive player of the year and Utah State kickoff returner Savon Scarver the special teams player of the year.

But when a player from the West Division has been honored, their team has won at least a division title and on two occasions a conference championship.

That would be 2016 when San Diego State won the conference championship with preseason offensive player of the year Donnel Pumphrey and defensive player of the year Damontae Kazee, and 2013 when Fresno State won the inaugural Mountain West championship game with preseason players of the year Derek Carr and Derron Smith leading the way.

Smith, again, was the preseason defensive player of the year in the conference in 2014 when the Bulldogs ended the regular season on a three-game winning streak to win the division.

That has not held for the offensive or defensive players of the year in the Mountain Division.

The Bulldogs this week were picked to finish only fourth in the West Division in a preseason media poll, behind San Diego State, Nevada and Hawaii and ahead of San Jose State and UNLV.

But Fresno State, coming off an injury-riddled 4-8 season a year ago, does have some critical pieces back.

Rice, who is on watch lists for the Chuck Bednarik Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy and is a preseason all-conference selection, obviously is among them.

Rivers on Hornung list

Running back Ronnie Rivers, who on Thursday was one of 47 players selected to the watch list for the Paul Hornung Award, which is presented to the most versatile player in college football, is another.

Rivers last season ranked fifth in the Mountain West in rushing yards per game with 74.9 and led all running backs in the conference with 43 receptions.

He also is the Bulldogs’ primary punt return man and averaged 13.3 yards on nine returns, which would have led the conference if he had enough returns to qualify (1.2 per game).

Rice, the senior from Modesto, had one of the most productive seasons for a Mountain West Conference linebacker in 2019, averaging 9.3 tackles per game with 8.0 tackles for loss, eight pass breakups, two interceptions and four forced fumbles.

Over the past 10 seasons, nine linebackers in the conference have picked off more passes in a season, five have broken up more passes and just two have forced more fumbles.

None put them all together in one season while also averaging nine or more total tackles per game.