The best: Brigham Young, which goes after its sixth straight title. The Cougars came within a dropped touchdown pass of flooring Big 10 co-champion Ohio State in the Holiday Bowl last December. BYU could be deadly if it ever learns how to tackle an opposing ballcarrier. The defense gave up a whopping 475.7 yards per game last season. The Cougars return quarterback John Walsh, an NFL prospect who threw for a staggering 3,727 yards and 28 touchdowns last season.
The rest: It doesn’t say much for a league when its champ (BYU) winds up the year 6-6. The WAC will expand to 16 teams by 1996 (former SWC members Rice, Southern Methodist and Texas Christian come on along with UNLV, Tulsa and San Jose State). Unfortunately, more probably doesn’t mean better. The WAC is still largely a side show to the rest of the country, and entertaining only to late-night ESPN gridiron junkies. The WAC sent four teams to bowls last year, but so what? They all lost.
Key game: Brigham Young at Utah, Nov. 19.
Fast fact: Only six schools have produced a 1,000-yard rusher, 1,000-yard receiver and 3,000-yard passer in the same year. Three are in the WAC (Colorado State ’83, San Diego State ’93 and Wyoming ’93).
The picks: 1. Brigham Young; 2. Colorado State; 3. Utah; 4. San Diego State; 5. Fresno State; 6. Hawaii; 7. Wyoming; 8. New Mexico; 9. Air Force; 10. UTEP.
