No. 14 BYU Cougars

Editor’s Note: Beginning every May 1, Athlon Sports counts toward the release of its College Football Annuals by releasing one spot in its Top 25 every weekday for five weeks. The No. 1 team will be revealed June 4. Check AthlonSports.com every day to see who’s next in the countdown. The 2008 College Football Annuals hit newsstands June 3rd.

Since taking over as Cougars’ coach three years ago, Bronco Mendenhall has put the Cougars back on the map. A 6–6 record in his inaugural year of 2005 has been followed by two straight 11-win seasons and a perfect 16–0 record in the Mountain West Conference. And he has the material on hand in 2008 to keep it rolling, at least on offense.

Junior quarterback Max Hall is the triggerman. He threw for 26 scores and almost 4,000 yards last fall, with a 60.1-percent completion rate. His top four receivers all return as well. Tight end Dennis Pitta, who joined Hall on the All-MWC first team, combined with wide receiver Austin Collie for 115 receptions and 12 touchdown grabs, and Collie posted a team-high 16.9 yards per catch. Wideout Michael Reed pitched in with four TD catches.

Running back Harvey Unga, the reigning MWC Freshman of the Year, is another valuable receiver with 44 catches out of the backfield last fall. He also set the conference’s freshman rushing record with 1,227 yards at 5.0 per carry. He scored 13 touchdowns on the ground and four more on pass receptions. An offensive line that returns four starters, led by guard Ray Feinga and tackle Dallas Reynolds, both 6’5“, 330 pounds-plus, will keep Mendenhall’s high-octane offense firing on all cylinders.

The defense loses its top two tacklers and the entire starting secondary from a year ago, but end Jan Jorgensen should once again cause opposing offenses some painful moments after a 20-tackle-for-a-loss, 14-sack sophomore campaign in ’07. Linebacker David Nixon posted 66 tackles, including 10 behind the line, and should steady things in the rebuilt back seven.

BYU will test itself against the Pac-10 for two September contests — at Washington and home against UCLA. The Cougars will have to travel to take on their closest conference competitors — TCU on Oct. 16 and Utah in the Nov. 22 finale.

Sophomore sensation Hall became the Mountain West Conference’s most prolific sophomore quarterback of all time with 3,848 yards.

Fantastic freshman Unga set a new MWC record with 1,840 all-purpose yards.

Friendly confines BYU is a perfect 12–0 at home over the last two years.

BYU superlatives:

OL Ray Feinga is named Third-Team All-America and First-Team All-MWC.

QB Max Hall, RB Harvey Unga, WR and KR Austin Collie, TE Dennis Pitta, OL Dallas Reynolds and DL Jan Jorgensen are named First-Team All-MWC.

PR Bryce Mahuika is named Second-Team All-MWC.

C Tom Sorensen, LB David Nixon and P CJ Santiago join the All-MWC Third Team.

New: Tell us what you think! Rank your Top 25.

You can read the entire BYU preview in the 2008 Athlon Sports College Football magazine, available for purchase now at the Athlon Sports store.

Also coming to AthlonSports.com this summer:
— Top 25 Heisman Hopefuls
— Live chats with Athlon editors
— Conference-preview videocasts
— Launch of the 2009 Athlon Consensus 100
— Athlon's college fantasy football draft kit

Other in-season offerings:
— Previews for every college football game
— Fantasy games
— Sideline Spirit voting
— Scenes From Saturday
— Updated Athlon 119
— Much more

Be sure to return to AthlonSports.com after June 15 when complete team previews for all 119 teams will be available.

You can also get mobile text alerts on the Athlon Sports Preseason Top 25 by texting “Top25“ to “4INFO“.