Jul. 10—LAS VEGAS — Does a second-to-last selection in the Mountain West preseason media poll mean anything?
“No,” New Mexico wide receiver Luke Wysong said of the Lobos’ preseason poll ranking on Wednesday at Circa Resort and Casino. “I don’t care.”
“Does it mean anything to us? I felt like we already knew what it was gonna be,” UNM defensive end Gabriel Lopez added. “And already talked about this like, since Coach (Bronco Mendenhall) got here: We’re gonna be the underdogs.
“And that’s what they think of us. That doesn’t have any effect on what we believe we can do, what we can’t.”
So, if not that, what does matter?
It’s in the game
If the questions — and answers — levied during day one of Mountain West Media Days indicated anything, it was video game ratings.
Nine days ahead of release, EA Sports released its first batch of player ratings for NCAA Football 25, perhaps the most feverishly anticipated video game in years. Just two Mountain West players were rated in the top 100: Colorado State wide receiver Tory Horton (96 receptions for 1,136 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023) and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty (220 carries for 1,330 yards and 14 touchdowns).
Both were rated at 91 overall out of 100; for comparison, Michigan running back Donovan Edwards, Oklahoma linebacker Danny Stutsman and Georgia left guard Dylan Fairchild received the same rating, while Michigan cornerback Will Johnson, Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II and LSU left tackle Will Campbell all received a 96 rating, the highest in the game.
“It’s nice to see,” said Horton, a preseason All-Mountain West selection who admitted he thought he’d have a lower rating. “Kinda showing the world and NCAA that we have talent in the Mountain West — you can’t just try to overlook the Mountain West because of the conference … I feel like…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/mountain-west-media-days-ncaa-030100098.html
Author : Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
Publish date : 2024-07-11 03:01:00
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