A 9-4 record, a share of a fourth straight Western Athletic Conference title and a sixth bowl game in seven years.

Those are accomplishments usually considered a success. That 2005 season for Boise State was viewed with frustration, a clear sign of how far the Broncos progressed under former coach Dan Hawkins.

"When you lose three games in the past three years and then lose more than that in one season, people don't like what's going on," new coach Chris Petersen said. "What we had done in the previous three years was very rare. You need a lot of things to go the right way. People got used to that and thought that was the norm. That's not the norm. That's extremely abnormal."

But those are the expectations that greet Petersen, who is a head coach for the first time since leading the freshman team at UC Davis in the 1980s. He replaced Hawkins, who left for Colorado after last season, having built the Broncos into a WAC powerhouse.

With a schedule that doesn't include a game as difficult as last year's season opener at Georgia and new rules making it easier for teams like Boise State to play in a Bowl Championship Series game, expectations are high in the land of the blue turf.

"For us to do something like that, we would have to go undefeated," linebacker Korey Hall said. "That's one of our goals this year. We have tough teams on our schedule, but no Georgia. There are no huge dragons to slay. This is the year we might have the chance to go undefeated."

There are plenty of contenders in the WAC who want to make sure that doesn't happen. Fresno State finally beat the Broncos last season, only to lose its last four games and miss out on a share of the conference title.

Nevada, which shared last year's title with Boise State, has star quarterback Jeff Rowe back and Hawaii also returns a big-play quarterback in Colt Brennan. There is even optimism at Idaho, which brought Dennis Erickson and the two championship rings he earned at Miami back to Moscow to try to turn around the Vandals.

"The bottom line is they brought me in to win football games," Erickson said. "If I don't, I'll probably be in Coeur D'Alene on the lake with my wife."

The WAC has become a league rich in coaching pedigree, headed by Erickson.

Hawaii's June Jones coached in the NFL with Atlanta and San Diego. Hall of Famer Chris Ault is in his third stint at Nevada. San Jose State's Dick Tomey is the winningest coach at Hawaii and Arizona, and New Mexico State's Hal Mumme took SEC also-ran Kentucky to two bowl games.

"This league is as well coached as any league in the country," said Fresno State's Pat Hill, who has 72 wins in nine years, worked under Bill Belichick in the NFL and interviewed for the Oakland Raiders' head job in January.

"You have Chris Ault who's a college Hall of Fame coach. You have Dennis Erickson, June Jones. You've got Dick Tomey who is the winningest coach at two schools. Just those four right off the bat are highly competitive coaches who have been in a lot of games at a lot of different levels."

A capsule look at the teams in predicted order of finish:

BOISE STATE -- Broncos are counting on steadier play from QB Jared Zabransky, who threw 16 INTs last season. ... RB Ian Johnson (5.6 ypc) and a line anchored by Ryan Clady and Tad Miller should ease the burden on Zabransky. ... LBs Hall and Colt Brooks anchor the defense. ... Schedule is easier this season, with toughest nonconference games coming at home against Oregon State and at Utah. Fresno State and Hawaii come to Boise.

NEVADA -- Averaged 34.2 ppg on the way to a share of the WAC title and a win in the Hawaii Bowl over Central Florida last season ... Rowe (2,925 yards, 21 TDs) is back but team must replace WAC Offensive Player of the Year RB B.J. Mitchell. ... All-WAC WR Caleb Spencer (889 yards, 7 TDs) also returns. ... Seven starters return from defense that gave up 31.9 ppg. ... Schedule is tough with season-opening games at Fresno State and Arizona State. Wolf Pack also travel to Hawaii and finish the season at home against Boise State.

FRESNO STATE -- Need to replace four-year starting QB Paul Pinegar and the team's top two rushers -- Wendell Mathis and Bryson Sumlin. ... Tom Brandstater and Sean Norton will battle for the QB role. They will have a talented pair of WRs in Paul Williams and Joe Fernandez to ease the transition. ... A difficult schedule as always, with a season opener against Nevada followed by a home game with Oregon and a trip to Washington. Bulldogs also travel to LSU on Oct. 21 and Boise State on Nov. 1.

HAWAII -- Brennan (4,301 yards, 35 TDs) returns to lead the dangerous run-and-shoot offense that averaged 30.7 ppg last season. ... WRs Ryan Grice-Mullen and Davone Bess combined for 26 TDs as freshmen. ... Defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville looks for more success in his second season with the Warriors. ... Hawaii has eight home games, including Purdue and Oregon State to end the season, but must travel to Alabama, Boise State and Fresno State.

LOUISIANA TECH -- Coach Jack Bicknell got a two-year contract extension after leading the Bulldogs to a seven-win season, capped with a 40-28 victory at Fresno State. ... QB situation is unsettled. Zac Champion, who has thrown eight passes in two years, will compete with redshirt freshman Michael Mosley and JC transfer Joe Danna for the starting job. ... Defensive coordinator Randy Bates left last month for a job at Northwestern. ... Nonconference schedule features road games at Nebraska, Texas A&M and Clemson, and the Bulldogs also must travel to Boise State.

SAN JOSE STATE -- All-WAC RB Yonus Davis (6.7 ypc) leads an offense that returns four starters from the offensive line. .. QB Adam Tafralis struggled last season with 10 INTs and will compete with JC transfer Sean Flynn for the starting job. ... Only two starters return on defense. ... After opening the season at Washington, the Spartans have four straight home games, including one against Stanford.

IDAHO -- Erickson will bring the wide-open passing game he used with success at Miami, giving QB Steven Wichman (2,746 yards, 15 TDs) plenty of chances to throw. ... RB Jayson Bird returns after missing most of last season with a broken collarbone to boost a running game that averaged 2.5 ypc. ... Schedule is brutal with road games at Michigan State, Washington State, Oregon State in the nonconference season.

NEW MEXICO STATE -- QB Chase Holbrook is eligible after sitting out a year when he followed Mumme from Southeastern Louisiana to New Mexico State. ... Holbrook's top target could be Miami transfer Aikeem Jolla. ... Lots of improvement needed for team that didn't win a game last year.

UTAH STATE -- JC transfer RB Marcus Cross will try to spark an offense that averaged just 18.9 ppg. ... QB Leon Jackson threw for 1,547 yards and ran for 328 in his first season as a starter but needs to show more consistency this year. ... After losing six of seven to end last season, the Aggies open the year with three out of four on the road, including trips to Arkansas and BYU.