Mountain West Conference rules bowl season

There are two sides to the argument of whether college bowl games determine the superiority of conferences.

Some say the bowl games have little meaning in determining which conferences are truly the best. Others say they carry great weight.

We tend to agree with the latter since teams should be at their peak during the postseason while meeting squads they (normally) did not play during the regular season.

That being said, it appears as if the Mountain West Conference is No. 1 this postseason. (And to think the MWC does not even receive an automatic BCS berth!)

The irony is that all four MWC teams listed as underdogs in the bowl season were winners: Wyoming (New Mexico Bowl), Brigham Young (Las Vegas Bowl), Utah (San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl), and the Air Force Academy (Armed Forces Bowl.)

Just as ironically, the only MWC team to lose in the postseason was favored to win. But Texas Christian just didn’t have the know-how to stop Boise State’s fake punt when it mattered most in the Fiesta Bowl.

Speaking of, what if Boise State joined the MWC? How could the BCS possibly exclude a conference that would then include traditional powerhouses Boise State, TCU, BYU and Utah?

The MWC certainly made its mark with two wins over the supposedly superior Pac 10 this postseason: BYU over Oregon State and Utah over Cal. And on the topic of the Pac 10, have you noticed how that conference is only 2-5 this postseason?

With two bowl games (out of 34) remaining, here are the conference standings:

Mountain West, 4-1
Big East, 4-2
Big 12, 4-3
Big Ten, 4-3
Southeastern, 5-4
Western Athletic, 2-2
Atlantic Coast, 3-4
Conference USA, 2-4
Pac 10, 2-5
Sun Belt, 1-0
Independents, 1-0
Mid-American, 0-4

BCS afraid of Texas Christian, Boise State

As sure as the Denver Broncos will always choke down the stretch, the BCS choked at the thought of having Boise State and Texas Christian University play anybody but each other this postseason.

That’s why TCU and the Broncos will meet in Monday night’s Fiesta Bowl.

Just think: If the Horned Frogs and Boise State (both non-BCS teams) were to play BCS squads, they could upset the system by both being winners.

And since the BCS excludes universities such as TCU and Boise State from automatic qualification, it would hate to see the little boys upset its big boys.

Let’s face it; both the Horned Frogs and Broncos would surely beat such BCS qualifiers as Iowa and Georgia Tech (Orange Bowl foes), as well as Sugar Bowl loser Cincinnati.

And the BCS certainly wouldn’t want the non-BCS schools playing Florida with the real possibility of the Gators being beaten by a non-BCS team.

After all, Utah (a fellow Mountain West Conference member of TCU’s) embarrassed Alabama in last year’s Sugar Bowl to finish No. 2 in the nation. And that came after the Utes beat BCS member Pittsburgh in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl.

As for Boise State? How could we ever forget the Broncos upsetting Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day 2007?

No, the BCS will not let Boise State of the Western Athletic Conference nor TCU get a shot to beat a "name" school in a BCS game.

In reality, there would be too much egg on the collective faces of BCS officials if two non-automatic qualifiers were to beat teams that gain automatic BCS berths in the same postseason.

Prediction:
TCU 27, Boise State 20

Cincinnati-Virginia Tech don't belong in Orange Bowl

Why are Cincinnati and Virginia Tech playing in the Orange Bowl, one of five BCS games?

Let’s forget about the controversy over whether there should be a national championship playoff.

How about what happens on the other end of the BCS spectrum?

Cincinnati (Big East) and Virginia Tech (Atlantic Coast Conference) are only in a BCS game because their respective conferences are guaranteed a spot.

What does this say for conferences such as the Mountain West and Western Athletic, which clearly have more deserving teams this year?

The Poinsettia Bowl features Boise State (12-0) of the WAC against Texas Christian (10-2) of the Mountain West.

Boise State is ranked No. 9 in the Associated Press poll; TCU is No. 11. Each is ranked ahead of Orange Bowl competitors Cincinnati (No. 12) and Virginia Tech (No. 21).

Yet Boise State and TCU are playing pre-Christmas, while Cincinnati-Virginia Tech is featured on New Year’s Night. Ridiculous!

When you include Utah (No. 7) and Brigham Young (No. 17) along with TCU, the Mountain West has three teams rated ahead of Virginia Tech. Yet only Utah is in a BCS game via its perfect 12-0 season.

So while most people (rightfully) argue that the BCS should have an eight-team playoff to determine a national championship, the entire BCS needs to be revised.

There’s no way Cincinnati and Virginia Tech should be in a BCS game while the likes of Boise State, TCU and BYU are on the outside looking in.