The Mountain West improved dramatically in 2021, raising its average SP+ rating from minus-6.0 in 2020 to +0.1, putting the conference within shouting distance of the Pac-12 (2.6). Following up on that rousing success, however, will require a lot of new stars to emerge.
The conference has the lowest average returning production of any league for this fall, but that could be great news for the top dogs in the West division: Fresno State returns lots of star power and San Diego State isn't far behind, so last year's top two looks a lot like this year's top two.
Every week through the offseason, Bill Connelly will preview another division from the Group of 5 and Power 5 exclusively for ESPN+, ultimately including all 131 FBS teams. The previews will include 2021 breakdowns, 2022 previews and burning questions for each team.
