The transition era for the WAC begins in 2011. Boise State has moved on the the Mountain West Conference. Fresno State, Hawaii and Nevada will be playing thier last season in the conference. There is a lot of uncertainty for 2012 and beyond and the sooner the conference can resolve those issues, the better.
1. Fresno State Bulldogs. Sure, there were some dissapointments to the Fresno State in 2010. They rolled the dice on defense on got burned a couple of times, but for the most part they were effective. There was also a close loss to Nevada. Ryan Colburn and and Robbie Rouse will be back in 2011 and this is the best chance Pat Hill will ever have at a conference title and possibly busting the BCS. If they can forget the "craps shoot" defense, they will be a tough team to beat in 2011. Biggest potential 2011 obstacle: Consistent defense.
2. Hawaii Warriors. In order for the run and shoot to work, you have to have some run. Hawaii surprised a lot of people in 2010 and QB Bryant Moniz deserse a lot of credit for their success. Does Hawaii have anyone in line to replace running back Alex Green? He was not spectacular, but did well enough to take the pressure off of the passing game and keep defenses honest. Hawaii will also be in the BCS busting conversation in 2011. They have a schedule that is just challenging enough, but every game will be winable. Biggest potential 2011 obstacle: All shoot but no run.
3. Nevada Wolfpack. Collin Kaepernick and Vai Taua both had incredible senior seasons and Nevada had their best year since moving up to the FBS. Arguably, they were just one game away from a BCS game. It was 4 turnovers in Hawaii that cost them. Now comes the rebuilding year. Biggest potential 2011 obstacle: replacing Kaepernick and Taua.
4. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. In 2010 the Bulldogs were in only 2 games that was decided by less than a touchdown. Both of those games were losses and the Bulldogs were 2 games short of being bowl eligible this year. So what could have caused them problems in 2010? Was it the running game? Was is defense? Was it turnovers? Yes it was. For example, the Bulldogs were 4-1 when Lennon Creer got 100+ rushing yards. Biggest potential 2011 obstacle: Consistency.
5. Idaho Vandals. Nathan Enderle had a pretty good season in 2010 to finish a pretty good career in Idaho. But, he did not have any support from the non-existent Vandal running game. This is the main reason Idaho did not get to a bowl game in 2010. The Vandals were not last in the nation in rushing, but pretty darn close. They were also too close to the bottom on defense as well. Biggest potential 2011 obstable: Running game.
6. Utah State Aggies. Utah State beat BYU for the first time in 10 years, and then they quit on the rest of the season. Sure, this may seem like a successful season after the most futile decade in school history, but on the other hand, it looked like a lot of wasted potential. They almost beat Oklahoma and they almost beat Nevada, but these are still losses. The week after beating BYU, USU ran up a 195 yards of total offense and two field goals against Louisiana Tech, who is not exactly a defensive power. Defining success on beating one rival and two almost victories is part of the culture that Gary Anderson has to change in Logan. He still has his work cut out for him. Biggest potential 2011 obstacle: Replacing Diondre Borel.
7. New Mexico State Aggies. I still believe that Dewayne Walker has great potential as a head football coach. Too bad he chose to begin his head coaching career in Las Cruces. In 2011 NM State had one of the most futile offenses in college football and were constantly appearing in ESPN's bottom 10. The good news is that they were not the worst team in the New Mexico. In 2011, getting four wins would be a good improvement. Biggest potential 2011 obstacle: Self belief.
8. San Jose State Spartans. Lamon Muldrow's touchdown late against Southern Utah was the only thing that kept SJSU from the golden donut in 2011. At least the passing game wasn't all that bad. Jordan La Secla finished with a respectable 125.84 rating and 2860 yards. There is no where to go from here but up. Biggest potential 2011 obstacle: Replacing La Secla
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