Doesn't CSU, which used to be a perennial Mountain West top dog, now seem like No. 4 long shot in a three-horse race?

With New Mexico head coach/defensive coordinator Rocky Long having hired his former UCLA boss, Bob Toledo, as the Lobos' new offensive coordinator, is there enough spotlight in Albuquerque to be shared? Doesn't the creation of the New Mexico Bowl seem like the case of "if you can't beat 'em ..."?

What were other MWC coaches thinking when former Oklahoma offensive coordinator and first-year San Diego State head coach Chuck Long received a five-year contract at $700,000 per? And when will the talent-laden Aztecs get an offense and defense that's on the same page the same day?

How does TCU coach Gary Patterson figure recruiting against Texas, Texas Tech and Baylor make the Horned Frogs' talent pool better than the rest of the MWC? TCU has faced Tech once since the final season of the old Southwest Conference in 1995 and hasn't seen Texas or Baylor since. Also, the Frogs have beaten Texas only once since 1968, Tech twice since 1985 and Baylor once since 1989. Beat them in recruiting and on the field, and then talk to us.

How about giving transfer-happy UNLV a new name — Dew Drop Inn U.? And maybe a new mascot, the Statue of Liberty? You know, the NCAA equivalent of "give me tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."

While Utah may have started summer drills with a talented threesome of QBs competing for playing time, who wants to be standing exposed in the backfield without an established running game if no back steps up? A lack of a running attack could jeopardize the health of more than one quarterback — and the Utes don't want to run through all three in one season, do they? And with Utah touting its string of bowl successes, will fans be as quick to utter "Emerald Bowl" as they did "Fiesta Bowl" the season before?

And with Wyoming having addressed two of its major concerns by locking up coach Joe Glenn with a 10-year pact (yes, contracts were made to be broken — or, at least, bought out) and an average attendance of 20,000-plus last year, will the Cowboys address the other two worries — late-season slides and having to play November home games in Laramie?

Just wondering.

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E-mail: taylor@desnews.com