1. Boise State
Lead by Demarcus Lawrence, the Boise State front four is superior to that of any other within the conference. Lawrence, with 8.5 sacks, was followed by two underclassmen who combined for 9.5 sacks. All three will be back to provide the secondary that just lost Jamar Taylor with support and force opposing quarterbacks to make throws they don’t want to, assuming they get the privilege to get the ball out at all.
2. Fresno State
NCAA interception leader Phillip Thomas is now a Washington Redskin, but not all is lost. His fellow safety, Derron Smith, had six interceptions last season as a sophomore and will step into a leadership role for the Bulldogs. As a collective group, the Bulldogs ranked first in the Mountain West last year in sacks, but no one player had more than 4.5. If the starters prove they are a lethal group, the depth becomes even more frightening.
3. Utah State
Utah State would have topped Fresno State in sack total had they been in the Mountain West last year. 2012 team sack leader Connor Williams, along with his runner up Zach Vigil, will be returning for his final season and should give his new opposing quarterbacks hell. Along with the two seniors, sophomore Jordan Nielsen, who recorded five sacks as a freshman last season, shows he could be a statistical leader, despite his young age. With Will Davis, starting cornerback who had five interceptions, won’t be back, leaving a question mark at defensive back.
4. San Diego State
While they weren’t ranked highest in the division in sacks, every player who recorded a sack in 2012 is returning this upcoming season. Such veteranship will give them an edge and we should see them improve on their 33 sacks. Other than cornerback Leon McFadden, most defensive playmakers, both linebackers and defensive backs, will be suiting up for San Diego State again.
5. San Jose State
Roughly half of the Spartans’ sacks are leaving with the men who recorded them. Although, Travis Raciti will be the new bearer of the leadership role along the defensive front after his 8.5 sack sophomore campaign. While he takes control of the front, the tail end will be headed by cornerback Bene Benwikere after he picked off seven passes as a junior.
6. Hawaii
All those who made an opposing quarterback look like a fool by intercepting them will, once again, put on a Warriors helmet. After setting an example for his fellow pass rushers in 2012, Tavita Woodard must assert his dominance along the front and continue to lead by example. Hawaii's defensive front, as a collective group, must improve on last season’s sack total if they plan on being taken more seriously.
7. Colorado State
Being both a positive and a negative, Colorado State’s defensive leader is sophomore Cory James as he lead in both sacks and tackles for loss as a freshman. Parallel to such young success is the sophomore defensive back combo of DeAndre Elliott and Jasen Oden, both of which had interceptions returned for touchdowns during their freshman year.
8. Nevada
20 sacks in a season as a team is a rather low, depressing statistic, but when twelve of them came from underclassmen, it can’t be helped but to get excited. Despite the potential up front, the defensive backfield is lacking in playmaking ability. Although, they shut down opposing quarterback’s to an average of 232 yards per game.
9. UNLV
Past sophomore Sonny Sanitoa, nobody on the Rebels could manage to get 2.5 sacks. Along with the abysmal pass rush, UNLV allowed over 200 yards rushing per game and roughly 240 passing yards. The Rebels make this list less because of their talent and more because of the lack of talent within the rest of the division.
10. New Mexico
As was the case with UNLV, New Mexico barely scrapes the bottom of the list due to the inefficiency of the remaining teams in the conference. New Mexico only racked up 21 total team sacks and most of their playmakers in the defensive backfield have graduated. They allowed nearly 270 yards through the air as well as 180 on the ground per game last season, and with the lack in returning talent, we shouldn’t see much, if any, improvement.