SCENES FROM THE MOUNTAIN WEST
UNLV football picked to finish fourth in division; three make preseason team
UNLV was picked to finish fourth in its division, while three Rebels were named to the preseason All-Mountain West team, it was announced Tuesday during the league’s annual media days at the Cosmopolitan. The teams and standings are selected by members of the media.
All three Rebels selected are seniors on offense, and it’s the first time UNLV has had at least three players on the preseason team since 2006. Receiver Devante Davis, who caught 14 touchdowns last season, was a second-team all-league pick in 2013. So was offensive lineman Brett Boyko, who’s joined on the team by center Robert Waterman.
Those two lead a key position group whose only departure at the top was Cameron Jefferson, who transferred to Arkansas for his final season after UNLV was initially banned from postseason play for a low APR score. The Rebels were later cleared.
Last season, the league’s first with two divisions, the Rebels finished third in the West Division. UNR was picked to finish third this year and received three firstplace votes. Based on the voting point totals, UNLV was closer to fifth than third.
Boise State and Fresno State are the teams picked to win each division, while Utah State quarterback Chuckie Keeton and Fresno State defensive back Derron Smith took player of the year honors on offense and defense, respectively.
Craig Thompson is entering his 16th season leading the Mountain West. He’s the only commissioner the league has ever had, and on Tuesday at the Cosmopolitan, he briefly discussed that past before moving to the topic the assembled media was more interested in: the future.
Many conversations about the future of college athletics are broken into the haves and the have-nots. The Mountain West is part of the latter, one of the five FBS-level conferences that could be left behind if the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac- 12 and SEC decide to form their own league.
“It’s not a tipping point ... but it is a precarious position because of the unknown,” Thompson said.
A lot of things are coming to a head at the same time, with Thompson saying that the next three to six years could be spent as much in courtrooms as on the court. The class-action lawsuits, attempts to unionize and public support to pay players are all going to have an effect on how the collegiate sports system is run.
At this point, it’s impossible to say exactly how the Mountain West will fit into that landscape. One big hurdle that’s