This year will be an interesting study in the overall philosophy of Air Force football. A nice system is in place considering all the restrictions in recruiting and talent that the program has to face; young players get practice time learning the system on the junior varsity, and then they hit the ground running as upper-classmen. This works to make up for massive personnel losses that hit every other year, and it makes the whole better than the sum of the parts.
While that's fine when playing in a mediocre league with marginally-talented teams, it doesn't work against the upper-tier programs. The Mountain West has gotten a whole bunch better over the last few years with some new powers joining the established big boys Colorado State and BYU, so now the Falcons have to prove that the system can still work on a consistent basis against teams that growing, while they try to stay in place.
There are huge, gaping, screaming problems on both sides of the ball highlighted by the issues at quarterback with projected starter Adam Fitch tearing up his Achilles tendon in spring ball. The defense is bigger and faster than usual, but there are only three returning starters. Yes, Air Force football is at a crossroads; simply staying put won't work anymore or the rest of the league is going to blow on by.
The Schedule: The Falcons have a streaky schedule with only four road games grouped in pairs of two. Getting San Diego State, New Mexico and Colorado State at home will help out the Mountain West title chances, but going on the road early against UNLV and Utah could set the team back a bit.
Best Offensive Player: Senior RB Darnell Stephens. With all the uncertainty at quarterback, the good batch of running backs will have to play a more prominent role than usual. Fortunately, Darnell Stephens is among the most talented backs in the Mountain West good enough to carry the offensive load.
Best Defensive Player: Junior LB John Rudzinski. Injuries kept Rudzinski from having a huge season last year, but he was good enough and showed enough promise to look like the next great Air Force linebacker. He has the instincts and the toughness to be the anchor of the defense.
Key player to a successful season: Junior QB Andy Gray. Air Force needs its quarterback to be the star of the show. Gray has jumped into Chance Harridge's job now that Adam Fitch is hurt. He might not be Harridge, but he has to prove that he can keep the chains moving and come through clutch once or twice like the former star did.
The season will be a success if ... Air Force finishes with a winning season. It won't be easy with the Mountain West tougher than ever, but there are enough gimmes (Eastern Michigan, Army) to set a good foundation for a decent year. However, the Falcons will need to pull off an upset or three along the way.
Key game: Nov. 13 vs. San Diego State. The Falcons can't afford to lose many home games, and this will be a must-win if there are any dreams of a winning season or a bowl game. There's a chance they'll come in hot on a decent winning streak and could have the confidence to beat what should be one of the league's power teams.
While that's fine when playing in a mediocre league with marginally-talented teams, it doesn't work against the upper-tier programs. The Mountain West has gotten a whole bunch better over the last few years with some new powers joining the established big boys Colorado State and BYU, so now the Falcons have to prove that the system can still work on a consistent basis against teams that growing, while they try to stay in place.
There are huge, gaping, screaming problems on both sides of the ball highlighted by the issues at quarterback with projected starter Adam Fitch tearing up his Achilles tendon in spring ball. The defense is bigger and faster than usual, but there are only three returning starters. Yes, Air Force football is at a crossroads; simply staying put won't work anymore or the rest of the league is going to blow on by.
The Schedule: The Falcons have a streaky schedule with only four road games grouped in pairs of two. Getting San Diego State, New Mexico and Colorado State at home will help out the Mountain West title chances, but going on the road early against UNLV and Utah could set the team back a bit.
Best Offensive Player: Senior RB Darnell Stephens. With all the uncertainty at quarterback, the good batch of running backs will have to play a more prominent role than usual. Fortunately, Darnell Stephens is among the most talented backs in the Mountain West good enough to carry the offensive load.
Best Defensive Player: Junior LB John Rudzinski. Injuries kept Rudzinski from having a huge season last year, but he was good enough and showed enough promise to look like the next great Air Force linebacker. He has the instincts and the toughness to be the anchor of the defense.
Key player to a successful season: Junior QB Andy Gray. Air Force needs its quarterback to be the star of the show. Gray has jumped into Chance Harridge's job now that Adam Fitch is hurt. He might not be Harridge, but he has to prove that he can keep the chains moving and come through clutch once or twice like the former star did.
The season will be a success if ... Air Force finishes with a winning season. It won't be easy with the Mountain West tougher than ever, but there are enough gimmes (Eastern Michigan, Army) to set a good foundation for a decent year. However, the Falcons will need to pull off an upset or three along the way.
Key game: Nov. 13 vs. San Diego State. The Falcons can't afford to lose many home games, and this will be a must-win if there are any dreams of a winning season or a bowl game. There's a chance they'll come in hot on a decent winning streak and could have the confidence to beat what should be one of the league's power teams.
