Mountain West Football: 12 most important 2017 non-conference games

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Sep 10, 2016; Lincoln, NE, USA; Wyoming Cowboys linebacker D.J. May (7) tackles Nebraska Cornhuskers player De’Mornay Pierson-El (15) in the second half at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska won 52-17. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports /

Wyoming surprised everyone else in the MWC Mountain to take the division last season. They have Josh Allen back, and the quarterback is getting early talk for the 2018 NFL Draft. But the Cowboys also lose Brian Hill from the backfield after several highly productive seasons. Craig Bohl needs to have his team humming out of the gate if they hope to remain in bowl contention, much less the Mountain West fight.

The year begins with a trip to Iowa to face the Hawkeyes. Normally, this would be the biggest game of the year for a team like Wyoming. But while Iowa presents its own challenge, and victory there would be quite the boon for Wyoming, it is not their most important game of the year. That’s because a Power Five school is coming to Laramie.

We’ll get to see how the speed of the Oregon Ducks is impacted by the altitude. In their first season under Willie Taggart, the Ducks will hope to rebound from a 4-8 season. That means they won’t be overlooking the Pokes. If Allen can take advantage of the Oregon secondary, Wyoming could win its first game against a Power Five school at home since taking down Virginia in the 2007 opener.

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