What to expect from the Mountain West and friends?

With a few new friends joining an already-enigmatic bunch, this is gearing up to be a very Mountain West-like season. Seven of the conference’s 12 teams will be showcasing a first-year head coach, one of which is returning to the Mountain West coach and two of which still have an interim tag attached. Of those two, one is the youngest coach in the FBS and the other took the job so recently that it was his predecessor at Mountain West Media Days. To add to the strangeness and excitement, the 12-team playoff has arrived, providing a clear and defined path to the College Football Playoff. This has given the Mountain West a real opportunity and the stakes have never been higher. If things fall into place just right, the Mountain West championship could mean a chance to play in the College Football Playoff.