2009 College Football Preview: Mid-Majors

With college football just a week away, KSJ will look at the players, teams, coaches, conferences, and issues surrounding college basketball. Here's the previous installments.

Well after the controversy surrounding Utah and their resounding victory over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, the mid-majors finally found some respect from the AP voters. For the first time ever, there is four teams (Boise St. TCU, Utah, BYU) start the season in the AP preseason Top 25.

And the mid-majors should get respect. Boise St. and Utah have both won their BCS games, TCU gave Oklahoma one of their better games last season, and BYU once won the national championship. This year though the four mid-majors ranked in the Top 25 all have a chance at a BCS game.

Boise St.- The Broncos start the season off ranked fourteenth. And they start the season off with a huge challenge. Next Thursday, Boise St. has the chance to show the nation that they are indeed a player for a BCS game when the face off against Oregon. If Boise St. can win this game, then I expect them to stay in the Top 15 of the AP poll.

The Broncos will start the season though with a lot of unknowns. They only have nine starters returning to the team, and they must replace their heart and soul in Ian Johnson. James Avery will get the first chance to replace Johnson. And if he falters, then it will be D.J. Harper's chance. The Broncos also lost their receivers and one half of their offensive line. So while Boise St. looks to replace their lost starters, quarterback Kellen Moore will have to carry the load. Moore set the record books on fire last season and he was only a Freshman. Moore will only improve as the year goes on.

If Boise St. can get past Oregon the first week, then they should be able to go undefeated again. Their toughest game will be in Hawaii where they have struggled before. Other that that game, Boise St. should be just fine. Their toughest opponents all come to the blue field throughout the season.

TCU- The Horned Frogs are right behind the Broncos in the AP poll at seventeenth. TCU beat Boise St. last year in their bowl game and were one of the only teams to hold Oklahoma to under 40 points. TCU also has to replace a lot of players, but they return some great talent to key positions.

Jerry Hughes returns to the defense which lead the nation in overall defense. And while the defense lost a lot during the offseason, head coach Garry Patterson always seems to be able to rebuild quickly. And Patterson has already stated that this team could have the fastest defense ever at TCU.

Also junior quarterback Andy Dalton returns to a offense that could be one of the best in the nation this season. The Horned Frogs are loaded at running back, which is what they wanted. TCU has always been about a strong running game, remember LaDainian Tomlinson used to play there, and this year should be no different. The running game will have to take pressure off of the passing game as the team looks for a number one receiver.

If TCU can get past September, when they have to play at Virginia and Clemson, then they could be the next BCS-busting team. And that is their goal after finishing last season 11-2 with a final ranking at 7.

Utah- I personally think Utah lost too much to compete this season. The Utes lost both of their coordinators, most of their offense, and veteran quarterback Brian Johnson. But head coach Kyle Whittingham has had to rebuild before. Whittingham was hired right after Urban Meyer lead Utah to a perfect season and a BCS bowl. So rebuilding is nothing for Utah.

This year though, I just don't see Utah busting through the BCS this season. The defense can carry this team for a while, but the offense must rebuild. There are only three starters returning to the offense and they are all offensive lineman. They have to replace their quarterback, receivers, and running backs. The one thing that might help the Utah offense is experience. Utah will be replacing most of their offense with juniors and seniors. So this could help out in the long run.

I just don't expect Utah to compete for a BCS game this season. Too much to replace on offense, new coordinators getting used to their jobs, and TCU and BYU should both be better teams than the Utes this season.

BYU- The Cougars finished last season in a whimper. After starting the season off 6-0, BYU lost to both TCU and Utah and then lost to Arizona in their bowl game. This season could be the exact opposite.

The Cougars start the season off in Arlington facing off against Oklahoma. Then Florida St. makes their way to Provo. So BYU could start the season 1-2. Either way though, the Cougars should be one of the best non-BCS teams in the nation. Max Hall returns to the offense which was sixth in the nation in passing. Hall though looks to improve from a disasters ending from last season. Fumbles and interceptions plagued Hall in BYU's games against Utah and Arizona. The offense will be young, but Hall is a veteran leader they can lean on.

The Cougars defense though is a different story. They return the majority of their starters, which as a unit ranked 39th in the country in scoring defense. The Cougars biggest problems though on defense is their quickness. They were exploited by faster teams at the end of last season. The Cougars must improve their secondary if they want to compete for the Mountain West title.