Media Day thoughts — Day 1

The first day of Mountain West Conference Football Media Day functions here in Las Vegas are wrapping up. Interview sessions are done, but several writers — including me — that cover their respective teams and the league are working diligently in the media room.

No surprise to me that Wyoming was picked fifth. That’s where I picked the Cowboys. Senior free safety Chris Prosinski and junior linebacker Brian Hendricks were voted to the preseason all-conference squad. I thought senior receiver David Leonard and his 77 catches last season might make it. But receiving yards and touchdowns trump catches as San Diego State’s Vincent Brown and UNLV’s Phillip Payne got the nod.

Want to hear something a little scary Wyoming fans?

 Colorado State went 7-6 and won the New Mexico Bowl over Fresno State in 2008 — coach Steve Fairchild’s first season. In 2009, Wyoming went 7-6 and won the New Mexico Bowl over Fresno State.

CSU went 3-9 in 2009 and lost its last nine games. In that rough 2009 season the Rams played the “Big Three” in the MWC — BYU, Utah and TCU in consecutive weeks, but it did have a game in Idaho sandwiched in there. They played at BYU and TCU and hosted Utah.

This season, Wyoming gets “The Big Three” on three straight weekends starting Oct. 9 at TCU, Oct. 16 at home to Utah an Oct. 23 at BYU. Could the same fate happen to UW in 2010 as it did CSU in 2009?

Let’s hope not.

Other interesting news and thoughts from the day:

–Air Force may use senior cornerback Reggie Rembert at receiver this season. Rembert joked with coach Troy Calhoun that he wanted to play receiver. Calhoun threatened to make Rembert run more gassers at practice, and Rembert was cool with that if he could play receiver. We shall see.

–Colorado State senior Zac Pauga is a rarity in college football — a fullback that is used as a fullback. Pauga will block for a talented group of CSU running backs, including seniors Leonard Mason and John Mosure, UCLA transfer Raymond Carter and redshirt freshman Chris Nwoke. Pauga also can catch the ball with 25 receptions and three TDs last season.

–New Mexico coach Mike Locksley is in year two of trying to change the culture of Lobos football. His team went 1-11 last season. But did the culture need changing? New Mexico went to five bowl games this past decade under former coach Rocky Long. New Mexico was picked to finish last in the MWC in the preseason poll.

–San Diego State is the only team not to have played in a bowl game since the MWC started in 1999. The Aztecs were picked to finish sixth. They were 4-8 last season and lost their last four games, including two in the fourth quarter at home to Wyoming and at UNLV.

–Improving on defense, becoming more fundamentally sound in all aspects and teaching the fine points of the game to be more efficient are the top goals for first-year UNLV coach Bobby Hauck for the Rebels when fall camp begins.

MWC Commissioner Craig Thompson will give his “State of the Conference” address Wednesday morning. Will provide live “Tweets” via Twitter that you can follow on this blog.

See Wednesday’s Wyoming Tribune Eagle and Laramie Boomerang for what UW’s Prosinski is looking foward to the most this season, and if TCU can break another preseason jinx. You also can go online to both papers at www.wyomingnews.com and www.laramieboomerang.com.