2004 Mountain West Conference football season

The 2004 Mountain West Conference football season was the sixth since eight former members of the Western Athletic Conference banded together to form the Mountain West Conference. It was the last season of the conference's original eight-team line up, as Texas Christian University (TCU) had agreed to join the conference for the 2005 season. The Utah won the conference championship in 2004, the Utes' third title since the league began in 1999. On the strength of their perfect 11–0 record in the regular season, Utah became the first team from a BCS non-AQ conference to be invited to a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) bowl when they accepted an invitation to play Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl.

2004 Mountain West Conference football season
LeagueNCAA Division I-A
Sportfootball
Number of teams8
2005 NFL Draft
Top draft pickAlex Smith (Utah)
Picked bySan Francisco 49ers, 1st overall
Regular season
Season championsUtah
Runners-upNew Mexico
Top scorerSteve Savoy (102 points)
2004 Mountain West Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 4 Utah $  7 0     12 0  
New Mexico  5 2     7 5  
BYU  4 3     5 6  
Wyoming  3 4     7 5  
Air Force  3 4     5 6  
Colorado State  3 4     4 7  
San Diego State  2 5     4 7  
UNLV  1 6     2 9  
  • $ Conference champion and BCS representative as top non-AQ school to meet automatic qualification criteria
Rankings from AP Poll

Bowl games

Utah Utes fans rush the field and carry the goalpost after defeating rival BYU, completing a perfect regular season, and becoming the first BCS Buster by clinching a spot in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl (hence the sombrero).
UCLA vs. Wyoming in the 2004 Las Vegas Bowl
Bowl Date Stadium City Result
Las Vegas Bowl December 23, 2004 Sam Boyd Stadium Las Vegas Wyoming 24, UCLA 21
Emerald Bowl December 30, 2004 SBC Park San Francisco Navy 34, New Mexico 19
Fiesta Bowl January 1, 2005 Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, Arizona Utah 35, Pittsburgh 7

Awards

  • Coach of the Year: Urban Meyer, Utah
  • Offensive Player of the Year: QB Alex Smith, Jr, Utah
  • Co-Defensive Players of the Year: LB Kirk Morrison, Sr, San Diego State and DB Morgan Scalley, Sr, Utah
  • Freshman of the Year: WR Austin Collie, BYU

Pre-Season All Conference Team

Offense
QuarterbackAlex Smith, Jr, Utah
Running backDarnell Stephens, Sr, Air Force
DonTrell Moore, Jr, New Mexico
Wide receiverDavid Anderson, Jr, Colorado State
Todd Watkins, Jr, BYU
Tight endJoel Dreessen, Sr, Colorado State
Offensive LineRyan Cook, Jr, New Mexico
Trenton Franz, Sr, Wyoming
Chris Kemoeatu, Sr, Utah
Erik Pears, Sr, Colorado State
Claude Terrell, Sr, New Mexico
KickerDeric Yaussi, Jr, Wyoming
Kick ReturnerBo Nagahi, Sr, Utah
Defense
Defensive LineSteve Fifita, Sr, Utah
Zach Morris, Sr, Wyoming
Marcus Parker, Jr, New Mexico
Sione Pouha, Sr, Utah
LinebackerKirk Morrison, Sr, San Diego State
Brady Poppinga, Sr, BYU
John Rudzinski, Sr, Air Force
Defensive backJamaal Brimmer, Sr, UNLV
Aaron Francisco, Sr, BYU
Brandon Payne, Sr, New Mexico
Morgan Scalley, Sr, Utah
PunterMatt Payne, Sr, BYU

All Conference Team

Offense
QuarterbackAlex Smith, Jr, Utah
Running backDominique Dorsey, Sr, UNLV
DonTrell Moore, Jr, New Mexico
Wide receiverSteve Savoy, So, Utah
Todd Watkins, Jr, BYU
Tight endJoel Dreessen, Sr, Colorado State
Offensive LineRyan Cook, Jr, New Mexico
Trenton Franz, Sr, Wyoming
Chris Kemoeatu, Sr, Utah
Erik Pears, Sr, Colorado State
Claude Terrell, Sr, New Mexico
KickerDeric Yaussi, Jr, Wyoming
Kick ReturnerHoost Marsh, Fr, Wyoming
Defense
Defensive LineSteve Fifita, Sr, Utah
Zach Morris, Sr, Wyoming
Marcus Parker, Jr, New Mexico
Sione Pouha, Sr, Utah
LinebackerKirk Morrison, Sr, San Diego State
Brady Poppinga, Sr, BYU
Nick Speegle, Sr, New Mexico
Defensive backJamaal Brimmer, Sr, UNLV
Aaron Francisco, Sr, BYU
Brandon Payne, Sr, New Mexico
Morgan Scalley, Sr, Utah
PunterMatt Payne, Sr, BYU
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