UNLV football team picked to finish fifth in Mountain West
For the first time since 2004, the UNLV football team was not picked to finish in one of the bottom two spots in the Mountain West Conference standings in the preseason media poll.
In fact, the conference announced on Tuesday morning that UNLV was picked by the media to finish in fifth place, ahead of Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State and Wyoming.
Texas Christian was picked to win the conference title, with Brigham Young and Utah also receiving first-place votes.
Air Force was picked to finish fourth.
The 2009 MountaIn West Conference Preseason Poll:
(First-place votes in parentheses)
| Team | Total Points |
| Texas Christian (15) | 207 |
| Brigham Young (6) | 190 |
| Utah (3) | 179 |
| Air Force | 130 |
| UNLV | 108 |
| Colorado State | 107 |
| New Mexico | 60 |
| San Diego State | 53 |
| Wyoming | 46 |