July 28, 2004

RENO, Nev. - Two-time defending champion Boise State has been named the favorite in the 2004 Western Athletic Conference football media poll announced Wednesday at the league's football media days being held in Reno, Nev. The Broncos were 13-1 last year and have won 18 straight conference games dating back to 2001.

Boise State received 434 points and 23 first place votes from media members around the WAC. Fresno State was picked second after garnering 427 points and 20 first place votes. Hawaii earned three first place votes and finished third with 384 points. Tulsa picked up the final first place vote and was selected fourth with 312 points followed by Nevada (256), Rice (212), Louisiana Tech (199), UTEP (179), SMU (95) and San Jose State (87).

The media also voted on preseason players of the year. Hawaii quarterback Timmy Chang was voted the Offensive Player of the Year while Boise State linebacker Andy Avalos was picked as the Defensive Player of the Year.

Chang, a senior from Waipahu, Hawaii (St. Louis School), is already the school's all-time leader in total offense and passing yards. He is second on the WAC all-time passing list and needs just 2,218 yards to surpass NCAA record holder Ty Detmer. Last year, Chang was sixth in the nation in total offense with 318.4 yards per game and finished with 4,199 passing yards on the season.

Avalos, a senior from Corona, Calif. (Corona HS), was a first-team All-WAC selection last season after leading the Broncos in tackles for the second consecutive year. He finished with 112 stops including eight for a loss last season.

The following is the complete 2004 WAC football media poll with first-place votes in parentheses: