There is a new look at Wyoming as Jay Sawvel takes over as head coach, replacing Craig Bohl, who resigned after 10 seasons and a 61-60 record.
Bohl’s final season had the Cowboys go 9-4 and 5-3 in the Mountain West while winning his final game, a 16-15 victory over Toledo in the Arizona Bowl.
Sawvel is the new head coach after being the defensive coordinator and safeties coach since 2020. The Cowboys should again have one of the top defenses in the Mountain West, and the key to the season is finding consistency on offense.
Wyoming Football’s Mountain West Title Odds
Wyoming’s odds to win the Mountain West are +1600, via BetMGM.
Wyoming Football’s Betting Odds & Over/Under Win Total
Wyoming’s win total Over/Under is 6.5, with Under 6.5 at -125 and Over 6.5 at +105.
Wyoming Football’s 2024 Schedule
8/31 @ Arizona State
9/7 vs. Idaho
9/14 vs. BYU
9/21 @ North Texas
9/28 vs. Air Force
10/12 vs. San Diego State
10/19 @ San Jose State
10/26 vs. Utah State
11/2 @ New Mexico
11/16 @ Colorado State
11/23 vs. Boise State
11/30 @ Washington State
Bold indicates Mountain West contests
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Key Wyoming Football Returners
2023 All-Mountain West 2nd Team
DL Jordan Bertagnole
Honorable Mention
DB Wyett Ekeler
RB Harrison Waylee
Evan Svoboda To Run Wyoming Football’s Offense At Quarterback
Evan Svoboda, who was the backup last season, takes over at quarterback. Last year, Svoboda threw for 200 yards and ran for 80. He saw his most action in a 31-10 loss at Texas, where he completed 17 of 28 passes for 136 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception.
Leading the ground game is last year’s top rusher, Harrison Waylee, who gained 947 yards and five touchdowns. Counting his time at Northern Illinois, Waylee has rushed for 2,876 yards and 15 touchdowns in his career. As if the ground game wasn’t strong enough with Waylee, one of Wyoming’s newcomers is running back DJ Jones, a transfer from North Carolina. Jones spent his first three seasons at UNC as a running back, but he moved to defensive back last season. Now he returns to running back.
The pass-catching group is unproven. The leading returning receiver is tight end John Michael Gyllenborg, who had 23 receptions for 360 yards and three touchdowns. The leading returning wide receiver is Alex Brown, who had eight receptions for 106 yards.
The offensive line returns four starters. Senior center Nofoafia Tulafono, junior guard Jack Walsh, and junior tackle Wes King started all 13 games while junior tackle Caden Barnett started 10 games.
The defense allowed 22.3 points per game, which was 36th nationally. This is an experienced unit that figures to be strong once again.
The top returning defensive lineman is second-team all-conference defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole, who started all 13 games. Bertagnole recorded 60 tackles, including a team-best 5.5 tackles for loss. He has made 34 career starts.
Linebacker Shae Suiaunoa was second on the team with 93 tackles. Free safety Wyett Ekeler was third on the team with 77 tackles. He also had seven passes defended and two interceptions. Strong safety Isaac White started all 13 games and recorded 61 tackles.
2024 Wyoming Football Season Prediction
I predict Wyoming won’t win the Mountain West and will win six games.
Last year, Wyoming was 7-0 at home. With home games this season against the likes of BYU, Air Force, and Boise State, it would be extremely difficult to again go unbeaten at home.
Last season, Wyoming also had a plus-11 turnover margin, which was tied for fifth in the nation. It’s difficult to expect that to happen again with a new quarterback, not to mention a new head coach.
This should be a highly competitive team, and even though this is a veteran-laden roster, it may take some time to jell due to a new coach and quarterback. The Mountain West seems pretty balanced past the top three teams – Boise State, Fresno State, and UNLV. So there is no doubt that Wyoming has the capability to better than the six-win total, but right now, I’m penciling the Cowboys as a .500 regular season team.
