After years of at least competing, Wyoming found itself in the basement of the old Mountain West, and neither Craig Bohl nor Josh Allen are walking through the door to save the Cowboys.
Wyoming has won just seven games in the two years since Bohl retired and longtime defensive coordinator Jay Sawvel took over. The Cowboys went 4-8 and won just two conference games last season. Sawvel’s seat may start getting pretty hot if that doesn’t change this fall.
A new-look Mountain West does offer some hope. Boise State, San Diego State, Utah State, Fresno State and Colorado State are gone. North Dakota State, UTEP and Northern Illinois are in, and the race for the conference championship is as wide open as it has been in more than a decade.
A revamped backfield and a solid offensive line should give the Cowboys a fighting chance, but new offensive coordinator Christian Taylor is going to have to get a lot more out of a unit that ranked No. 131 in the country with 16 points a game last season.
Wyoming Season Preview
The Cowboys lost a lot of star power to the transfer portal after last season, including starting quarterback Kaden Anderson (Tarleton State), top wide receiver Chris Durr (Maryland), promising defensive lineman Lucas Samsula (Utah) and cornerback Tyrese Boss (Arizona).
Cowboys Tote The Rock
For years, Wyoming has been known for two things: a punishing rushing attack and a stingy, problematic defense. The Cowboys’ backfield should be the team’s shining star this year.
Samuel Harris is back after leading the team with 558 rushing yards last season as a freshman. He’ll get plenty of carries again this year, alongside transfers Markel Holman (Western Illinois) and Diore Hubbard (West Virginia).
Hubbard led the Mountaineers with 335 rushing yards last season. He’s also a receiving threat out of the backfield. Holman led the Ohio Valley Conference with 1,063 rushing yards and caught 39 passes for 314 yards last season.
Will A New QB Spark The Offense?
Wyoming brought in a transfer quarterback familiar with Taylor’s up-tempo offensive scheme. Taylor recruited Tyler Hughes to William & Mary before he left for a stint with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. Now Hughes and Taylor are reunited and charged with adding a spark to what was a lifeless unit last season.
Hughes is an exciting athlete. He’s the first quarterback in William & Mary history to throw for more than 2,000 yards and run for more than 600 in a season after posting 2,330 yards and 20 touchdowns through the air and adding 670 yards and 11 scores on the ground.
Hughes and the Cowboys will miss Durr’s downfield presence, but a group of young receivers are expected to take on larger roles, including Eric Richardson Jr., Jackson Holman and Deion DeBlanc.
The good news for Hughes is he’ll have two of the Mountain West’s top tackles protecting him in Rex Johnson and Braylon Jenkins.
Who Is The Next Star On Defense?
Wyoming has a lot of production to replace on defense, including linebackers Brayden Johnson and Evan Eller, who combined to make 156 tackles last season, and defensive lineman Ben Florentine, who led the team with four sacks.
Two of this year’s top candidates to lead the unit reside in the secondary. Safety Jones Thomas was No. 3 on the team with 57 tackles and snagged two interceptions last fall. Fellow safety Desman Hearns added 35 tackles, five pass breakups and two interceptions.
Ethan Stuhlsatz should lead the linebackers after posting 24 of his 41 tackles in the final four games of last season. He’ll be joined by Gary Rutherford, who was a role player last fall, and USC transfer Anthony Beavers Jr.
Jayden Williams will anchor the defensive line. The 6-foot-3, 296-pound junior finished with 24 tackles and three tackles for loss last season.
Wyoming’s Breakout Candidate
WR Deion DeBlanc – DeBlanc played in 11 games last season as a true freshman. He caught 17 passes for 90 yards, carried the ball 10 times for 54 yards and returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown against San Jose State.
Wyoming’s Mountain West Championship Betting Odds
Wyoming’s college football betting odds of winning the Mountain West championship are at +2000, according to BetMGM. UNLV and New Mexico are the favorites at +270.
Wyoming’s Betting Odds and Over/Under Win Total
- Wyoming’s Over/Under win total is 5.5 games, according to BetMGM.
- The Over is at -110.
- The Under is at -120.
2026 Wyoming Schedule
Sept. 5 at Colorado State
Sept. 12 vs. Northern Colorado
Sept. 19 at Central Michigan
Sept. 26 vs Hawaii
Oct. 3 at North Dakota State
Oct. 9 at San Jose State
Oct. 17 vs. Northern Illinois
Oct. 23 vs Air Force
Nov. 7 at UNLV
Nov. 14 at UTEP
Nov. 20 vs New Mexico
Nov. 28 vs UConn
Bold indicates Mountain West games
Wyoming Season Prediction
I predict Wyoming will not win the Mountain West championship but the Cowboys will win more than 5.5 games.
There aren’t very many down years on defense at Wyoming, and the Cowboys appear to have the muscle to get back to dominating on the ground. Hughes should add a spark on offense and put a few more points on the board.
It helps that the Cowboys don’t have a Power Four opponent on their schedule and that they get Hawaii, Air Force, New Mexico and UConn at home. The Lobos and Huskies have to make the trek to Laramie in late November.
