2014-15 Football Previews – (Mountain West) – Cowboys
The Wyoming Cowboys are coming off of a 5-7 season that saw them finish fourth in the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference. They’re looking to improve upon that showing under new head coach Craig Bohl.
Wyoming
Mountain West Conference 2014-15 College Football Previews:
Head Coach: Craig Bohl
2013 Record: 5-7
Wyoming Gambling Odds to win BCS Championship:
Wyoming Gambling Odds to win Mountain West Mountain Division:
Wyoming Gambling Odds to win Mountain West Conference: 30/1
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Craig Bohl was brought in following his 10-season stint with North Dakota State University. Between 2011 and 2013, Bohl led his program to three straight Division I championships and hopes to bring similar success to the FBS Cowboys.
Team Strengths:
The past five seasons, we’ve seen this school run a spread offense, but that is about to change under new lead man Craig Bohl. Bohl will bring with him a pro-style offense, he’ll attempt to find a quarterback that fits the style.
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The good news is that this team has been known for its potent passing attack last year. In 2013, the team completed 282.4 yards per game through the air, which was good enough for 25th in the country in that particular category.
With the pro-style offensive scheme, it will be important to implement a power running game. This is definitely possible considering the line has experience and the team is bringing back experience in the backfield as well.
Sticking with offense, the receiving core is not only experienced, but deep as well. Senior Dominic Rufran led the group in 2013 with 75 catches and 960 yards, and he’ll be the lead man once again for whoever lands the quarterback gig.
Team Weaknesses:
The good news when it comes to the defense is that it returns a whole bunch of starters from last year. Eight players are coming back, and that’s good for a group that needed experience last season.
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The bad news, of course, is that these are the same starters who underachieved a year ago. In 2013, the Cowboys allowed opponents to score 36.7 points per contest, which was only good enough for 11th in the nation.
Gaining experience is a good thing, and it will likely help boost production. But as we know, talent is often times better than experience, and with the air attack in full force this season from Mountain West opponents, Wyoming will likely leave something to be desired when attempting to shut down the competition.
2014-15 Wyoming Football Gambling Prediction: 4-8
Predicting a duplicate season from last year to 2014 isn’t unreasonable. The defense has a chance to be better, but you have to assume improvements will be minimal. Offense, however, will likely take a slight dip in production, as a new quarterback will lead to adjustments and a new scheme will do the same.
The bigger problem is that the non-conference schedule is hardly conducive to racking up early-season wins. Contests against the Oregon Ducks and Michigan State Spartans won’t do their record any favors, and the fact that both are on the road simply make things tougher.
At this point, going 5-7 would be a win for this group, as mentioned above. But with things not exactly looking their way at the start of the year, a one-loss dropoff from 2013 is the safest bet, with the bulk of improvements likely coming in 2015 and beyond.
2014 Wyoming Schedule
- Sat, Aug 30 vs Montana
- Sat, Sept 6 vs Air Force
- Sat, Sept 13 @ Oregon
- Sat, Sept 20 vs Florida Atl
- Sat, Sept 27 @ Michigan State
- Sun, Oct 12 @ Hawaii
- Sat, Oct 18 vs San Jose State
- Sat, Oct 25 @ Colorado State
- Sat, Nov 1 @ Fresno State
- Fri, Nov 7 vs Utah State
- Sat, Nov 22 vs Boise State
- Sat, Nov 29 @ New Mexico
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