Here's a couple MWC preseason previews.









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2026 Phil Steele writeup for the Mountain West.

A couple NIU preseason previews videos.

https://www.fox32chicago.com/sports/notr...l-addition

Quote:Northern Illinois - Quarterback Taron Dickens

Northern Illinois is in one of the most unique positions in college football.

So long, Mid-American Conference. Hello, Mountain West. The Huskies will take on the MWC in football only this year. They have interim head coach Rob Harley, who moved from defensive coordinator to interim head coach after Thomas Hammock departed for the NFL.

Now, with co-offensive coordinators Tony Peterson and Quinn Sanders, the Huskies have a chance to make a great first impression on their new conference.

The best way to do that is with a productive quarterback. NIU got one in Taron Dickens.

Dickens entered the transfer portal from Western Carolina and signed with NIU in July. This all came after he originally signed with North Carolina during the 2026 offseason, but de-committed from the Tar Heel program and re-entered the transfer portal.

Now, Dickens comes to NIU after a stellar year at the FCS level. He took over as the full-time starter in 2025 and threw a Western Carolina single-season school record and Southern Conference record 38 touchdowns. He showed dynamic playmaking ability as a scrambler, too.

Dickens will have to compete for the starting job with sophomore Brady Davidson, who saw playing time as a true freshman. But, whoever wins that quarterback battle will thoroughly earn it.

By the numbers:

Dickens caught the eyes of Power 4 teams in the portal after he threw for 3,508 yards, 38 touchdowns and just two interceptions in 2025. Against Mercer in the 2025 season, Dickens finished that game with an eye-popping stat line of 551 yards passing, seven touchdowns and 11.2 average yards per attempt. That was his second 500-yard game of the season, as he opened the 2025 season throwing for 582 and six scores against Samford.

Going deeper, Dickens’ success is more than just a one-year flash in the pan. In his two seasons at Western Carolina, he had a 74 percent completion percentage while throwing for 5,063 yards, 51 touchdowns and five interceptions for Western Carolina.

Mountain West media days start in two more days.

Quote:The Mountain West announced today the school represenatives for the 2026 Old Trapper Mountain West Football Media Days, held at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Each program will be represented by four student-athletes on Wednesday, July 15, and its head coach on Thursday, July 16.
 
Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez and MW Coordinator of Football Officials Mike Defee will also be available for interviews at MW Football Media Days.
 
The two-day media event will begin each day at 8 a.m. PT and will conclude around 4 p.m. PT

Thanks for the links!

Mountain West is advertising the media days as free on MW+.

Quote:These guys are ready to talk ?

The 2026 Old Trapper Mountain West Football Media Days are all set for Wednesday & Thursday in Las Vegas!

Watch for free on MW+ ️ watch.themw.com

#MWFB | #BuiltBold

MWC football media days starts in 15 mins. You can watch for free at watch.themw.com