It's nearly two months from the start of the 2019 CSU sports season.

Sports fans are hurting come mid-July.

To get our minds geared to the season, I asked fans on Twitter for questions about Colorado State University sports.

As always, they came through in force. Delve into our mega summer mailbag covering a wide variety of CSU sports and topics.

Questions for future mailbags can be tweeted to me @Kevin_Lytle or sent to KevinLytle@coloradoan.com.

What does vball need to do to get over the tourney hump? Such good teams that seem to exit too early. (@Matty_FoCo)

Do you think this is year the volleyball team makes a lengthy run in the NCAA tournament? (@Fastball_05)

I think one of the hurdles is only the top 16 in the 64-team bracket are seeded. The rest end up somewhat regionally placed, meaning the Rams end up against one of the top powers in the second round most years.

If the NCAA seeded volleyball like basketball, the Rams would usually receive a pretty solid seed and avoid a top power until more like the Sweet 16. That’s why ending up top-16 and hosting first- and second-round games is so huge, like the Rams did in 2014.

Once facing teams like Stanford and Texas, the Rams usually can't match the depth athletically. They've shown they can win these matches on occasion, but it’s hard to do. That’s why a Final Four type of run is very, very hard for a team like CSU.

That said, this 2019 edition of CSU should be very good. Kirstie Hillyer and Paulina Hougaard-Jensen are a devastating middle blocking duo. Breana Runnels could be an All-American hitter and could end up as one of the top outside hitters in school history.

Katie Oleksak is the best setter CSU has ever had (and there have been some great ones). Sasha Colombo is a rising star, and the versatility of Olivia Nicholson is unbelievable. This team should be excellent and needs to make a push to host NCAA tournament matches.

Will any team have a more dramatic shift from bad to good than the women’s basketball team? I’ve got big expectations for them after a rough 2018-2019. (@Flickerbock)

The change in fortunes for the women’s hoops team has been dramatic. The Rams were the dominant force in the Mountain West, winning four regular season titles in a row from 2013-17. Then last year the team went 8-22 overall and 2-16 in the MW (which is not a particularly good conference in women’s hoops).

As Mike suggests in his question, there are lots of changes. Tori Williams and Megan Jacobs transferred in from Utah. Jamie Bonnarens came from Cameron University, Marlee Kyles from Arizona and Roichelle Marble from Wisconsin. Makenzie Ellis (formerly of SMU and CU) transferred in.

More:CSU women's basketball expects big boost from transfers in 2019-20

Andrea Brady sat out last season after tearing her ACL and freshman Katia Stamatelopoulos joins as well. It’s a dizzying change as Grace Colaivalu, Mollie Mounsey and Lena Svanholm all transferred out.

It will be almost completely a new team, which brings its own challenges. The talent level should be up, but that much change can be hard. I think the team will be much improved, but not back to conference-title level yet.

What is the probability that Patrick O'Brien will be a starter this season? (@aarongharris)

Is it Hills job already? Or are we gonna pressure the starter with competition right up until the last day like we did the first few years (@CanadasRamFan)

No surprise that the QB-battle question came up quickly. This one is simple. Collin Hill is the starting quarterback.

Barring injury, (Hill, of course, has torn his ACL twice) Hill will be the guy from Day 1. The QB rotation was a disaster last year and coach Mike Bobo won’t have interest in doing that again. Patrick O’Brien — who sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules after joining the team from Nebraska — would need to be sensational in camp to have a chance to unseat Hill to start the season. From watching spring practice, it was clear Hill was ahead of O’Brien.

The incoming freshmen and transfers of CSU Women's Soccer? Pretty exciting stuff (@SGPonchi)

Who is missing the World Cup? Me. I am. How about CSU soccer though?

Time flies, because CSU is now entering its seventh season since beginning play in 2013. The six wins a year ago was the most in program history and there are signs that things are turning in CSU’s favor.

The Rams allowed the fourth-fewest goals in the Mountain West last season. The defensive part of the team has been solid. The problem is CSU just has never been able to score. The Rams scored just 10 goals in 19 games last season.

Without a consistent goal scorer, the ceiling is low. The Rams have 11 newcomers this season after adding transfers Addie Wright (Wake Forest), Gracie Armstrong (Washington State) and Kristen Noonan (Cal State Fullerton) in late July.

If the Rams can find goal-scoring, they could move into the top half of the conference. They have a gorgeous pitch at the former football practice facility and play in a soccer-loving community. It might be time they make a jump.

A side note: Soccer plays the first competition of all CSU teams, Aug. 22 at home against Marquette.

Do you expect any increase in fullback usage this fall? (@weloveprentice)

I mostly included this because Priceless Prentice is an awesome Twitter account (and not the real Adam Prentice). But yes, Bobo does love what Prentice brings, and his type of on-field nasty is what this team needs.

Who will be the breakout player for @CSUFootball? (@jimbcbs4)

Breakout player predictions? (@tysouthard11)

Who will be CSU's breakout stars? (@JmorganCSU)

I’ll give a few. Maybe not a traditional “breakout player” since he’s a grad transfer, but I really like the addition of linebacker Tron Folsom.

He led Troy in tackles each of the last two seasons and Pro Football Focus says he allowed quarterbacks just a 63.5 passer rating in coverage last season. The Rams will need him to have a big season.

Another I think will make a big jump is safety Quinn Brinnon. He played all 12 games last season as a freshman and made 10 tackles in the last game of the year. He plays with an aggressive, hard-hitting style that CSU needs. We’ll see a lot of Brinnon.

On offense, how about Trey McBride? Picking a tight end is a little risky because Cam Butler is still likely the No. 1 and the Rams have a lot of talent at the position, but I really like McBride. His 60-yard TD against Florida was eye-opening and I think he’ll have a big season.

I don't really consider him a breakout player because he was excellent last year, but sophomore cornerback Rashad Ajayi could be a legitimate defensive back star at CSU.

53 days till kick-off. I'm full of anticipation (per usual) but also very apprehensive (not so usual). A lot on the line-win 8+ and on to next year. Lose 7+ everything changes. CSU needs 8+. Think it happens? (@Matty_FoCo)

Eight regular-season wins is hard to see. CSU will likely be the underdog against at least Colorado, Arkansas, Utah State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Wyoming and Boise State. A couple of those are winnable, but not all. It would take a much bigger jump than I’m expecting to get to eight.

Maybe things will change when camp begins and I see some more of the new players, but right now bowl eligibility is the highest ceiling I can see.

Do you think Bobo will unleash the beast (Warren Jackson) so he can go after the "Fred Biletnikoff Award" and possibly a few more wins to boot? (@doraiders)

What kind of impact do you see Nate Craig-Myers have on the WR group this year? (@bvp4mvp)

These two tie together. First, right now I have Warren Jackson as the top receiver for the Rams. He’s in his third season in the system and very familiar with the playbook and Hill. He has all the tools to be another superstar receiver at CSU and I’m expecting a big year.

Craig-Myers is an interesting question. He has the resume grab attention, one of the top-rated receivers in the nation out of high school. His production in the SEC at Auburn (22 catches for 394 yards and four TDs) outpaces what Preston Williams did at Tennessee (16 catches for 247 yards and two touchdowns) before transferring to the Rams.

An advantage Williams had was time spent in the system before playing for the Rams. He was with the Rams for two springs and a full season (2017) he sat out due to NCAA transfer rules. Hard to say how much it helped since he was often away due to team suspensions, but some familiarity probably helped.

I think Craig-Myers will have a strong season, but it's more likely that he’ll come on later in the year than be a superstar right away. I peg the last five games (following a bye against New Mexico) as a prime time for Craig-Myers to really emerge.

As of now, Craig-Myers won’t even be eligible to play until the fourth game of the season. Bobo has said the Rams are hoping the NCAA will allow him to play from the start of the season, but that hasn’t happened yet.

What happens first: Volleyball doesn’t win the MW, or football does? (@NickPat48)

This happened in 2016, with Boise State stealing the volleyball title. The Rams have won the last two and nine of the last 10 though.

I don’t really know which way to go. I guess volleyball not winning it, not because I don’t think the Rams will continue to dominate the MW, I just don’t see football winning a conference title on the horizon right now.

Who wins a Mountain West championship first, football or men’s basketball? (@Nguyening41)

This is a tough one! Let’s be honest, neither is very close. I’ll say men’s basketball. I think Niko Medved has the program going in the right direction and in his second season will have a roster almost completely of his own construction.

His first true cycle of recruiting yielded an impressive class. Also, basketball is easier to turn around simply because three or four players can totally change a team. Neither will happen in 2019-20, but I think basketball will be closer to a Mountain West title than football a year from now.

Is Bobo safe in 19 regardless of results? (@jdncarlsbad)

I don’t think so. In my opinion, bowl-eligible or better and he’s safe. Three or fewer wins and his security is in serious peril. That four-to-five-win range would be murky and probably depend on how it happened (wins over, say, CU and/or Wyoming would help).

His buyout between now and Dec. 31 is $5.5 million, then it drops to $3 million. That $5.5 million is still a massive number, but if the program looks like it's still stuck in neutral (or worse) after this season, a change would be possible.

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