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

Now that Brian Polian is out in Reno and Jay Norvell is in, the Wolf Pack will have a stern enough test right out of the gate. Northwestern is hardly the definition of a powerhouse. What they are is a stable Big Ten school that has gone bowling each of the past two years. That said, they are susceptible to upsets, as evidenced by last year’s 22-21 loss to Western Michigan.

Nevada is nowhere near the class that the Broncos were last season as they romped to the MAC title and challenged Wisconsin in the Cotton Bowl. They were on the cusp of bowl contention last season, though, and cannot rely solely on MWC play to get to six wins. They also play Washington State in Pullman later in September, so wins out of conference are in short supply.

If nothing else, Nevada needs to keep the contest close in defeat. If they can at least look like a legitimate opponent for Northwestern, six wins aren’t entirely out of reach. But if the Wolf Pack come out of the gate listless and get run over in the opener, it could be a long rebuilding year for Norvell and the new staff in the Biggest Little City in the World.