Colin Kaepernick, University of Nevada, leading a victory over UNLV (courtesy ISM.com)

The WAC is blessed with prolific quarterbacks, mostly because it is not blessed with many prolific defenses. From a Heisman darkhorse (or two!) to a new starter with upside, here are the top five WAC fantasy quarterbacks for 2009. 
 
1. Colin Kaepernick, Nevada 
If you have not heard Kaepernick’s name, then you probably live West of the Mississippi and know him only as “that beanpole no one can tackle.” Kaepernick went for 3979 combined yards from scrimmage, 39 total TDs, and a WAC Player of the Year honor as a sophomore last season. He is the best fantasy player the WAC has to offer. He returns for his junior season with more experience, a renewed desire to shore up his only weakness (completing passes), and the near certainty of improving on last year’s numbers. With a non-conference slate that includes UNLV and Colorado State, and a conference slate featuring WAC teams, Kaepernick has the potential to go off in a big way in 2009.  Read the rest of this entry →

The Fresno State Bulldogs were surprising overachievers a season ago - normally the Bulldogs go into a season with tremendous amounts of hype only to fizzle out when it matters most (and usually against subpar WAC teams). Last year, though, expectations were low after a disastrous 4-8 2006 season and injuries to two of their best players. Go figure, then, that Fresno exceeded expectations by finishing 9-4 and rolling over Georgia Tech in the Humanitarian Bowl.

It remains to be seen whether the 2008 preseason hype the Bulldogs are getting will prove to be a boom or bust for a team that has let down on many occasions. Certainly, Fresno State looks good on paper. Just as certain, there are a number of strong fantasy players that could have very productive seasons. Yet traditionally, a Bulldogs team that has lofty aspirations usually ends up failing somewhere along the line and never living up to expectations. David Carr (right) knows what I mean.

The offense is the reason why this year’s Fresno team is getting so much attention. Ten starters return from a season ago, and last year’s offense seemed to get better and better as the weeks went on.

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The WAC’s new fantasy Mecca resides in Reno.

With Hawaii’s rebuilding efforts and Boise State’s uncertain quarterback situation, Nevada has the most experienced sure-thing of an offense in the conference, and head coach Chris Ault has empirical evidence that the Pistol formation actually works.

The Wolf Pack went to their third consecutive bowl game last year (at 6-7, they were Exhibit A for having too many bowl games), and Nevada had freshman QB Colin Kaepernick (right, AP) to thank for that.

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With no June Jones, no career-TD leader QB Colt Brennan, and no experienced wide receivers, the Hawaii Warriors’ offense is far from the fantasy scoring machine it was a year ago.

Record-setting QB Brennan is gone, his four top receivers (who totaled over 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns last fall) have split, and Jones is plying his trade at SMU.

Former defensive coordinator Greg McMackin is in charge now, and suddenly the Warriors are expected to win games with…defense?

Can Armageddon be far off?

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The Air Raid offense is the encyclopedia salesman of football strategy, yet New Mexico State and head coach Hal Mumme are intent on hawking their version of Worldbook Britannica to the rest of the WAC.

Thus far, it has been incredibly unsuccessful. There are better, more dependable ways of scoring points, but Mumme and the offensive coordinator duo of Gary Goff and Matt Mumme (nepotism!) continue to believe in their eclectic style of play.

The Aggies only averaged 24 points per game last season and failed to score more than 20 in six games. Certainly, their scheme is designed for big plays and big stats, but until recently, NMSU has simply not had good enough players to make the system work effectively.

If the Aggies and the Air Raid stand any chance of moderate success, the responsibility will be entirely on Chase Holbrook. The senior quarterback had a solid sophomore year that he followed up with a injury-laden junior season equivalent to a giant step backward…resulting in an interception. Turnovers were Holbrook’s downfall; he threw 18 picks, which was twice the number he had in the season prior. Might he be in store for a 36-INT year this season?

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The more things change around the landscape of college football, the more they stay the same in Boise, Idaho.  The Boise State Broncos are perennial WAC favorites, perennial BCS busters and one of the most high-flying, entertaining teams in all the land.  Why should this year be any different? 

Well, actually there are a number of reasons why.  Boise State is coming off a two-game losing streak, having lost the season finale at Hawaii with the conference title on the line and following that up with a loss in the Hawaii Bowl.  To make matters worse, the defense underperformed at linebacker, two of the top defensive backs are gone, Ryan Clady is in the NFL and four of his O-line mates graduated.  A starting quarterback is undecided, the team’s leading receiver was suspended for the spring and a healthy Ian Johnson is growing increasingly rare.  Despite all that, the Broncos are still picked by everyone to finish no worse than second in the WAC.  Take that, parity.

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There is tangible buzz surrounding the Louisiana Tech football program.  Winning more than one conference game will do that.  The Bulldogs, who were 1-7 in the WAC in 2006, finished 4-4 in the conference last year.  This serves as a glimmer of hope for the team and fan base that has been re-energized by the excitement brought by head coach Derek Dooley (left, Icon SMI).  Relatively speaking, things are going well with his vision of success.  The Bulldogs improved by two wins overall last year in Dooley’s first season at the helm.  Managing to win four WAC games, albeit over the four worst teams in the conference, was seen as a big step in the right direction.  A bowl game is next on the agenda…look out Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl!.  After a narrow miss in 2007, expectations are high for a program and a head coach intent on going places.

The responsibility for those expectations lies on the shoulders of Louisiana Tech’s quarterback, who until a few months ago was nowhere near a sure thing.  With the departure of last year’s starter Zac Champion, the Bulldogs were left to find a replacement between a group of challengers, including Ross Jenkins and Steven Ensminger .  "Ugh" is right.

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Appearing in the 2006 New Mexico Bowl is one of the greatest highlights in the last 10 years of San Jose State football. The fact that is seen as a sign of success explains how low the bar of SJSU football has been set.

When Dick Tomey took the coaching job at San Jose State in 2005, he inherited a program in desperate need of help. For the most part, his tenure has been marked with moderate, San Jose-style success. The nine-win season of 2006 was a high point. Many see Tomey building a slow, steady winner that can compete in the WAC for years to come.

The only problem is the definition of “compete.” The Spartans show more fight than the Utah States and Idahos of the conference, but they are rarely seen as serious contenders for a conference championship. Success by association is rather easy with the dregs of the WAC, but SJSU has a ways to go before they are consistent championship material…

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