Nevada football fighting for Mountain West crown in 2020

How will Nevada football fare in 2020?

Nevada looks to take that extra step this upcoming season since their 2010 season when they finished 13-1 and 13th in the AP Poll led by senior quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The West division is wide open the Wolf Pack will fight hard against San Diego State and Hawaii.

With the all conferences still looking into whether league games only or keep the non-conference slate for the 2020 season, the schedule will be based on all 12 games.

Here is the breakdown of the schedule for the Wolf Pack in 2020?

• Game 1: UC Davis (W) – The Wolf Pack start their 2020 season at home against an Aggies team that went 5-7 last season.
• Game 2: At Arkansas (L) – Arkansas’ offense will be more efficient now that they will be led by former Florida Gators quarterback Feleipe Franks.
• Game 3: UTEP (W) – The Wolf Pack quickly recover with an easy win over a completely Miners’ reloading offense and defense.
• Game 4: at South Florida (L) – South Florida’s defense will be up to the task against this more established Wolf Pack offense.
• Game 5: San Diego State (L) – The first Mountain West Conference game will put the winner in front of the rest of the West division through the rest of the season.
• Game 6: at Hawaii (L) – The Wolf Pack comes out of a tough conference match immediately into a tough road trip that features many talented and explosive playmakers.
• Game 7: at New Mexico (W) – Nevada looks to reload against a depleted Lobos defense with four returning starters.
• Game 8: Fresno State (W) – The Wolf Pack will up to the task against a Fresno State offense trying to assert themselves in the passing game.
• Game 9: Utah State (W) – Nevada will have an advantage at home against the Aggies looking to find their identity on the offensive side of the ball.
• Game 10: at San Jose State (W) – The defensive line for the Wolf Pack will play a huge part in slowing down a potentially dangerous Spartans passing offense.
• Game 11: Wyoming (L) – The Cowboys will be one of the toughest teams in the conference despite having home-field advantage.
• Game 12: at UNLV (W) – The Wolf Pack finish their regular season with a key game that will lock them into one of the top two teams in the division.

Prediction: 7-5, 5-3 Mountain West

The Wolf Pack will continue their bowl game streak with their 13th bowl game in 16 seasons. Their progress in their fourth season with head coach Jay Norvell won’t be as impactful as they intend to but it will be enough to make more pushes for a more efficient program. There will be spotlights in other areas of the team in 2020.

There is a lot of potential for this young Wolf Pack offense that is projected to start only four seniors this upcoming season. The air raid offense will continue to progress under their more experienced quarterback in Carson Strong and their talented receivers corps. Stability and efficiency of their offense throughout the season will depend on the development from offensive coordinator Matt Mumme.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Wolf Pack will rely on their star players for their leadership. Defensive end Dom Peterson, cornerback EJ Muhammad and safety Tyson Williams all have the potential to be all-conference players. They will likely be better defending the passing game but the Wolf Pack will need to be efficient this season in defending the run.