PRESEASON PICKS

• THE FAVORITE: Defending conference champion TCU topped the preseason poll with 16 first-place votes.

• LOCAL ANGLE: BYU (five first-place votes) was second in the poll. Utah (three first-place votes) was third.

• ELITE STATUS: Utah DB Eric Weddle and BYU QB John Beck both received preseason player-of-the-year honors.

• FRESHMAN FANFARE: First-year BYU receiver McKay Jacobson was named preseason freshman of the year.

• FIRST-RATE: Both the Utes and Cougars had five players each selected to the preseason all-conference team.

5 THINGS TO LOOK FOR

• TITLE HOPES: Colorado State (2002) and Utah (2004) are the only preseason favorites to go on to win outright MWC titles in the league's seven-year history.

• RETURNING STARTERS: Projected champion TCU sports a league-high 20 returning starters (10 offense, seven defense and one specialist). Colorado State and San Diego State are tied for second with 16.

• STREAKS: The Horned Frogs have won 10 straight games, the second-longest active streak in the nation behind Texas (19).

• BIG GAMES: MWC teams will face several BCS-conference teams this season. Opponents include: Boston College, Virginia, Baylor, Colorado, Iowa State, Missouri, Texas Tech, Syracuse, Wisconsin, Arizona, UCLA, Tennessee and independent powerhouse Notre Dame.

• BOWL ARRANGEMENTS: The MWC has four annual agreements in place (Poinsettia, Las Vegas, Fort Worth and New Mexico), plus a rotating deal with the Houston Bowl.