This summer, the city of Boise was set on "bake."

Even the mercury was sweating, with temperatures hitting triple digits for six consecutive days last week.

"It was like 111 degrees the other day," said Jared Zabransky, Boise State's quarterback. "It won't stop us. We can take the heat."

Indeed, every year the Broncos bask under the scrutiny. They have won four consecutive Western Athletic Conference football titles.

While many dismiss preseason polls as meaningless make-work activities, Zabransky and linebacker Korey Hall, picked as the WAC's Defensive Player of the Year, thanked reporters for predicting the Broncos to place first.

Even with a significant change in leadership — offensive coordinator Chris Petersen was promoted to succeed Dan Hawkins, who left to become Colorado's head coach — the Broncos believe the storyline will not be edited.

"We're still confident in ourselves and the players we have," Hall said. "We have tons of potential. We have to play up to it."

Zabransky said he enjoys being the leader of a team everybody wants to beat.

"We're always the team with the mark on its back," Zabransky said. "Every year, it's been growing bigger and bigger. We go into every game as the hunter. That's our mentality. We play to put 100 points on the board every game and stop the other team on defense every time. We don't feel we're vulnerable at all. That's the large key to our success."

For the fourth summer in a row, every returning player stayed in Boise to participate in the conditioning program. The three co-captains — Zabransky, Hall and linebacker Colt Brooks — lead the workouts. Miss a session, feel the burn of 160 stink eyes.

"I missed an an early morning because I overslept, and I got tons of phone calls and texts," Zabransky recalled. "It's very noticeable if somebody's absent."

Hall added: "We're all on the same page. We're here to win ballgames. It all starts in the weight room."

With training camps opening this week, a look at the WAC teams, in alphabetical order, is below:

BOISE STATE BRONCOS

WAC membership: Sixth year, four titles.

Last year: 9-4, 7-1 WAC.

Quick look: While Petersen will help craft the game plans, he no longer will call the offensive plays, leaving that job to new coordinator Bryan Harsin. Uh, thanks, fella. Harsin inherits a playbook that could double as a sandbag. While most players know certain plays, Zabransky knows all of them. That should help ease the transition. "Our offense is so versatile we can run 100 different sets with 50 different personnel groups, if needed," Zabransky said. "We don't run a thousand plays, but we definitely have the capabilities. We have so many shifts and motions, and we change the sets and formations on keys. Confusion is good." The Broncos return 20 starters — nine each on offense and defense, and both kickers.

Fun fact: It's fitting Zabransky, a native of Oregon, ended up in Idaho. His family owns a potato farm.

FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS

WAC membership: 15th season, three titles.

Last year: 8-5, 6-2 WAC.

Quick look: For the first time in four years, the starting quarterback is not named Paul Pinegar. Sophomores Tom Brandstater and Sean Nortan, who has been suffering from a knee injury since high school, are the top candidates. Last year's top two running backs have completed their eligibility, and Clifton Smith won't be ready for the opener because of a knee injury. The leading returning rusher is wideout Paul Williams. The eligibility clocks also expired for their best cornerback and kick returner. The good news is Pat Hill, the dean of WAC coaches, returns for his 10th season. Hill was contacted about the head vacancy with the Oakland Raiders. "I had a timeline (to negotiate)— a 10-day timeline — (and) it didn't fit for either one," he said.

Fun fact: Wideout Joe Fernandez's father is Mervyn Fernandez, a wideout for the Raiders in the 1980s and 1990s.

HAWAI'I WARRIORS

WAC membership: 28th season, two titles.

Last year: 5-7, 4-4 WAC.

Quick look: The Warriors have bolstered their coaching staff, promoting Jeff Reinebold to defensive line coach and adding Dennis McKnight as a graduate assistant. McKnight, who was UH's special teams coach in 1999 and 2000, will oversee kickoff coverage and assist with the offensive line. Defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville arrives today from Georgia, where he spent the offseason. He already has implemented a game plan for the season opener against Alabama.

Fun fact: The team's radio color analyst, Robert Kekaula, has 10 shower heads in his personal shower.

IDAHO VANDALS

WAC membership: 2nd season.

Last year: 2-9, 2-6 WAC.

Quick look: Two decades after leaving the Moscow campus, Dennis Erickson is again the Vandals' head coach. In the interim, he won two national championships with Miami, and was head coach of two NFL teams. This time, success might be on the layaway plan. The Vandals do not have an established receiver, and they only filled 78 of the maximum 85 scholarships. "It's going to take a little bit of time," said Erickson, who prefers to attack with three-wideout formations. "There's no magic wand." But quarterback Steven Wichman, who has a strong and accurate passing arm, believes in Erickson. "We want to go to a bowl game," Wichman said. "We want to give the WAC a run for the money. I want to surprise some teams."

Fun fact: This summer, linebacker David Vobora worked as the athletic department's secretary. "I got to sit down and watch movies on my laptop," Vobora said. "I got paid, and the phone rang once every three hours. I'd answer it, and transfer it. 'I'm sorry, coach Erickson's not here ...' "

LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGS

WAC membership: Sixth season, one title.

Last year: 7-4, 6-2 WAC.

Quick look: Head coach Jack Bicknell returned from a vacation last week only to learn that defensive coordinator Randy Bates accepted a job at Northwestern. "Just as I was starting to like the guy, he up and leaves," free safety Dez Abrams said. "It took me four years to start to like the guy." George Darlington, who coached the secondary, replaced Bates, but the Bulldogs still are a coach short. Mark Dillard, who rushed for 155 yards and two touchdowns against UH last year, is moving to either linebacker or safety. The Bulldogs are deep at receiver — speedy Jonathan Holland, 6-foot-4 Josh Wheeler and Eric Newman, who had touchdowns in each of the last five games last year — but shallow at quarterback. Last year's platoon quarterbacks marched off to the next phase of their lives. Zac Champion, who has thrown eight passes in the past two seasons, is the most experienced of the three possible replacements.

Fun fact: Abrams was the bass guitarist for the R&B group, Dawgs of Soul, featuring former Bulldog running back Ryan Moats. Abrams' real first name is Dezarae. "I was ragged about that when I was little," said Abrams, who prefers to be called Dez. "That's the name on my credit card, my student ID and my college diploma."

NEVADA WOLF PACK

WAC membership: Seventh season, one title.

Last year: 9-3, 7-1 WAC.

Quick look: Head coach Chris Ault won a share of the championship last season with a redesigned offense known as the "Pistol," a scheme in which the running back hides behind 6-foot-5 quarterback Jeff Rowe in a small "i" formation. Now Ault is putting the final coat on the refurbished defense. He said the Pack is two-deep at each position in the front seven. J.J. Milan, who redshirted last season after suffering a broken foot, is back at defensive end after experimenting at outside linebacker. The Pack is so deep that Nick Hawthorne, who made a team-high five sacks in 2004 and represented the team at last year's WAC media day, is not in the mix.

Fun fact: Wideout Caleb Spencer, a Kamehameha Schools graduate, is married to the sister of former UH offensive lineman Manley Kanoa III.

NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES

WAC membership: Second year.

Last year: 0-12, 0-8 WAC.

Quick look: Even at 3,908 feet above sea level, the Aggies found rock bottom, tying the record (also shared by UH's 1996 team) for worst NCAA football record. Head coach Hal Mumme has helped upgrade the program, implementing a training table, hiring a full-time strength coach and securing a shoe contract with adidas. The school is building a meeting room and new locker rooms. "Our locker room was not a place where somebody would want to dress," said Mumme, who expects on-field renovations, as well. Quarterback Chase Holbrook, who followed Mumme from Southeastern Louisiana, takes over the offense. Last year, Woody Widenhofer, the defensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers' Steel Curtain defense in the late 1970s, installed his trademark 3-4 scheme. This year, he will add a full-blitz package.

Fun fact: Cornerback Gill Byrd II's father is a member of the San Diego Chargers' Hall of Fame and an assistant coach with the St. Louis Rams.

SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS

WAC membership: 11th season.

Last year: 3-8, 2-6 WAC.

Quick look: Last season, his first as the Spartans' head coach, Dick Tomey developed the offensive line and implemented his pet Desert Swarm defense. He expanded the rotation on the line, from six to eight players. The Spartans relinquished 14 sacks last season. "That's amazing," Tomey said. It also will help the winner of the three-man battle at quarterback. Matt Castelo, the leading tackler among WAC returning players, is moving from the weak side to middle linebacker, where he will make all of the defensive calls. Castelo is 5 feet 10 and 215 pounds. "He's better in the middle because you can't run away from him," Tomey said. Castelo said he welcomes the challenge. He has started every game since the middle of his freshman season. The Spartans will be helped by playing seven home games, the most since 1949.

Fun fact: Linebacker Mohamed Marah has composed his own album, "In the Dark," featuring 20 original songs.

UTAH STATE

WAC membership: 2nd season.

Last year: 3-8, 2-6 WAC.

Quick look: It has been a difficult summer for the Aggies. Quarterback Jerod Walker and receiver Dionte Holloway were arrested, and then released from the team. Last week, five players, including running back Marcus Cross, were arrested for investigation in possession of marijuana. Head coach Brent Guy said Cross' situation was "handled." Although Cross will face disciplinary action, he will not be suspended. Cross, who rushed for 1,163 yards and 14 touchdowns in 10 junior-college games last year, is expected to lighten quarterback Leon Jackson's workload. Jackson, who gained 15 pounds and now weighs 205, is a double threat as a passer and runner. He also is tough. Against UH last year, he played with a broken right (non-throwing) wrist.

Fun fact: Defensive end Bevan Howard, whose father was an All-America player at Stanford, raises ferrets.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.