Falcons picked sixth in Mountain West preseason poll;
7/16/2025 8:06:00 AM | Football
Senior Punter Luke Freer named preseason all-MW
Coach Calhoun at MW Media Day
Air Force was picked sixth in the 2025 Mountain West football preseason poll, announced by the conference at the Old Trapper Mountain West Football Media Day held at Circa Casino & Resort.
Two-time defending champion Boise State was picked to win the conference, receiving 464 points and 35 first-place votes. UNLV was picked second with 415 points and four first-place votes. San Jose State was selected third (359), Colorado State fourth (326) and Fresno State fifth (301). The Falcons received 280 points for sixth, followed by Hawaii (213), San Diego State (202), Utah State (165), Wyoming (150), New Mexico (84) and Nevada (83).
The sixth-place selection is the lowest preseason rank for Air Force since 2014, when the Falcons were also picked sixth in the division. Air Force has finished at or above its predicted preseason finish in 17 of 26 years as a member of the Mountain West, including 11 of head coach Troy Calhoun's 18 seasons.
Air Force senior punter Luke Freer was the lone Falcon selected for the preseason all-Mountain West team. Freer averaged 47.5 yards per punt last season to set a new single season Air Force record, breaking the mark of 47.3 set by Mark Simon in 1985. Freer would have led the Mountain West and ranked fourth nationally, but lacked enough attempts to qualify. He had 10 punts inside the 20 and 14 of 50-plus. He recorded a career-long of 72 yards which ranks 12th in program history vs. San Jose State last season.
Boise State junior quarterback Maddux Madsen is the Preseason Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, while San Diego State junior EDGE Trey White is the Preseason MW Defensive Player of the Year. Aztec senior placekicker Gabe Plascencia is the Preseason MW Special Teams Player of the Year.
Madsen led the Mountain West with 3,018 passing yards and 23 passing touchdowns last season and was second in the league with a 142.5 passing efficiency. As a sophomore in 2024, the American Fork, Utah, native quarterbacked the Broncos to the No. 3 seed in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff field, with Boise State making an appearance in the quarterfinals at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and finishing the year ranked inside the top 10 in the CFP, Associated Press and US LBM Coaches polls. Madsen helped BSU to a 12-2 overall mark, a 7-0 MW record and a win over UNLV in the Old Trapper Mountain West Football Championship. A member of the Davey O'Brien Award Quarterback Class of 2024, he earned national recognition in consecutive weeks, as he was named to the Davey O'Brien Award Great 8 after accounting for 267 yards of total offense and a pair of scores in a Week 9 win over UNLV and was tabbed a Manning Award Star of the Week after throwing for 307 yards and four touchdowns, both career highs, in Week 10. Madsen is Boise State's fourth MW Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and second straight, following former teammate and current Las Vegas Raider Ashton Jeanty.
A first-team All-Mountain West selection as a sophomore in 2024, White was fourth nationally in both sacks per game (1.04) and tackles for loss per game (1.5). The EDGE from San Diego, California, totaled 18.5 tackles for loss, good for seventh in the FBS and 13th in program history, and 12.5 sacks, ranking fifth in FBS and tied for third in a season in SDSU history. A midseason All-American and addition to the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list, he helped San Diego State rank 28th in the FBS in team sacks at 2.67 per game. White, who finished the 2024 campaign with 60 total tackles, 10 quarterback hurries and a forced fumble in 12 starts for the Aztecs, was the MW Defensive Player of the Week for Week 6 after logging 4.0 TFLs, including 3.0 sacks for 26 yards, in a come-from-behind win over Hawai'i. White is San Diego State's fourth MW Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and first since Patrick McMorris in 2022.
A second-team All-Mountain West performer as a junior last season, Plascencia led the MW and ranked ninth in the FBS with a school-record 92.9 field-goal percentage. The Oakland, California, native went 13-for-14 on field-goal tries in his first season as the Aztecs' primary kicker, converting his final 12 attempts, including a pair from 40-plus yards. Plascencia also converted his final 18 point-after tries after missing his first of the season and recorded 23 touchbacks on kickoffs in 11 games. Late in the 2024 season, Plascencia was named a nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy, which honors the most outstanding player in college football who began his career as a walk-on. Plascencia is San Diego State's sixth MW Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year and first since Jack Browning in 2023.
2025 Mountain West Predicted Order of Finish
Rank, Team (first-place votes) -- Points
1. Boise State (35) -- 464
2. UNLV (4) -- 415
3. San José State -- 359
4. Colorado State -- 326
5. Fresno State -- 301
6. Air Force -- 280
7. Hawai'i -- 213
8. San Diego State -- 202
9. Utah State -- 165
10. Wyoming -- 150
11. New Mexico -- 84
12. Nevada – 83
Air Force preseason poll history
Year Sel (Finish)
1999 2nd (7th)
2000 4th (2nd)
2001 5th (T5th)
2002 5th (3rd)
2003 3rd (T4th)
2004 7th (T4th)
2005 7th (7th)
2006 7th (T6th)
-----------------------------
Troy Calhoun era
2007 7th (2nd)
2008 6th (4th)
2009 4th (4th)
2010 4th (4th)
2011 3rd (5th)
2012 6th (4th)
2013* 3rd (6th)
2014* 6th (4th)
2015* 4th (1st)
2016* 2nd (4th)
2017* 4th (4th)
2018* 5th (4th)
2019* 3rd (2nd)
2020* 3rd (5th)
2021* 3rd (2nd)
2022* 2nd (T2nd)
2023 2nd (4th)
2024 4th (T5th)
* - Division selection
Air Force was picked sixth in the 2025 Mountain West football preseason poll, announced by the conference at the Old Trapper Mountain West Football Media Day held at Circa Casino & Resort.
Two-time defending champion Boise State was picked to win the conference, receiving 464 points and 35 first-place votes. UNLV was picked second with 415 points and four first-place votes. San Jose State was selected third (359), Colorado State fourth (326) and Fresno State fifth (301). The Falcons received 280 points for sixth, followed by Hawaii (213), San Diego State (202), Utah State (165), Wyoming (150), New Mexico (84) and Nevada (83).
The sixth-place selection is the lowest preseason rank for Air Force since 2014, when the Falcons were also picked sixth in the division. Air Force has finished at or above its predicted preseason finish in 17 of 26 years as a member of the Mountain West, including 11 of head coach Troy Calhoun's 18 seasons.
Air Force senior punter Luke Freer was the lone Falcon selected for the preseason all-Mountain West team. Freer averaged 47.5 yards per punt last season to set a new single season Air Force record, breaking the mark of 47.3 set by Mark Simon in 1985. Freer would have led the Mountain West and ranked fourth nationally, but lacked enough attempts to qualify. He had 10 punts inside the 20 and 14 of 50-plus. He recorded a career-long of 72 yards which ranks 12th in program history vs. San Jose State last season.
Boise State junior quarterback Maddux Madsen is the Preseason Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, while San Diego State junior EDGE Trey White is the Preseason MW Defensive Player of the Year. Aztec senior placekicker Gabe Plascencia is the Preseason MW Special Teams Player of the Year.
Madsen led the Mountain West with 3,018 passing yards and 23 passing touchdowns last season and was second in the league with a 142.5 passing efficiency. As a sophomore in 2024, the American Fork, Utah, native quarterbacked the Broncos to the No. 3 seed in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff field, with Boise State making an appearance in the quarterfinals at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and finishing the year ranked inside the top 10 in the CFP, Associated Press and US LBM Coaches polls. Madsen helped BSU to a 12-2 overall mark, a 7-0 MW record and a win over UNLV in the Old Trapper Mountain West Football Championship. A member of the Davey O'Brien Award Quarterback Class of 2024, he earned national recognition in consecutive weeks, as he was named to the Davey O'Brien Award Great 8 after accounting for 267 yards of total offense and a pair of scores in a Week 9 win over UNLV and was tabbed a Manning Award Star of the Week after throwing for 307 yards and four touchdowns, both career highs, in Week 10. Madsen is Boise State's fourth MW Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and second straight, following former teammate and current Las Vegas Raider Ashton Jeanty.
A first-team All-Mountain West selection as a sophomore in 2024, White was fourth nationally in both sacks per game (1.04) and tackles for loss per game (1.5). The EDGE from San Diego, California, totaled 18.5 tackles for loss, good for seventh in the FBS and 13th in program history, and 12.5 sacks, ranking fifth in FBS and tied for third in a season in SDSU history. A midseason All-American and addition to the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list, he helped San Diego State rank 28th in the FBS in team sacks at 2.67 per game. White, who finished the 2024 campaign with 60 total tackles, 10 quarterback hurries and a forced fumble in 12 starts for the Aztecs, was the MW Defensive Player of the Week for Week 6 after logging 4.0 TFLs, including 3.0 sacks for 26 yards, in a come-from-behind win over Hawai'i. White is San Diego State's fourth MW Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and first since Patrick McMorris in 2022.
A second-team All-Mountain West performer as a junior last season, Plascencia led the MW and ranked ninth in the FBS with a school-record 92.9 field-goal percentage. The Oakland, California, native went 13-for-14 on field-goal tries in his first season as the Aztecs' primary kicker, converting his final 12 attempts, including a pair from 40-plus yards. Plascencia also converted his final 18 point-after tries after missing his first of the season and recorded 23 touchbacks on kickoffs in 11 games. Late in the 2024 season, Plascencia was named a nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy, which honors the most outstanding player in college football who began his career as a walk-on. Plascencia is San Diego State's sixth MW Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year and first since Jack Browning in 2023.
2025 Mountain West Predicted Order of Finish
Rank, Team (first-place votes) -- Points
1. Boise State (35) -- 464
2. UNLV (4) -- 415
3. San José State -- 359
4. Colorado State -- 326
5. Fresno State -- 301
6. Air Force -- 280
7. Hawai'i -- 213
8. San Diego State -- 202
9. Utah State -- 165
10. Wyoming -- 150
11. New Mexico -- 84
12. Nevada – 83
Air Force preseason poll history
Year Sel (Finish)
1999 2nd (7th)
2000 4th (2nd)
2001 5th (T5th)
2002 5th (3rd)
2003 3rd (T4th)
2004 7th (T4th)
2005 7th (7th)
2006 7th (T6th)
-----------------------------
Troy Calhoun era
2007 7th (2nd)
2008 6th (4th)
2009 4th (4th)
2010 4th (4th)
2011 3rd (5th)
2012 6th (4th)
2013* 3rd (6th)
2014* 6th (4th)
2015* 4th (1st)
2016* 2nd (4th)
2017* 4th (4th)
2018* 5th (4th)
2019* 3rd (2nd)
2020* 3rd (5th)
2021* 3rd (2nd)
2022* 2nd (T2nd)
2023 2nd (4th)
2024 4th (T5th)
* - Division selection
Players Mentioned
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