BCS-bound Utes deserve better

Amid all the giddiness over Utah's impending trip to a BCS bowl, one important fact is being overlooked.

The Utes are being disrespected and abused, and it's TV's fault.

By no means do I mean to rain on the Utes' parade. On the contrary, I think it's unfortunate that they're being blocked from getting into an even bigger spectacle.

The big difference between Utah in 2004 and BYU in 1984 is that the be-all, end-all for the Utes is just getting into a BCS bowl. They have no shot at a national championship. Which is patently unfair. And it's because of a system propped up by television.

It's downright disgusting to hear all the TV experts talk endlessly about how there are three undefeated teams — USC, Oklahoma and Auburn — and only two of them will get to play for the national championship. And how unfair that is.

Um, there are five undefeated teams — those three as well as Utah and Boise State. And the fact that the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-10 have conspired with ABC to create a system that (barring some sort of unlikely miracle) bars any team from a "non-equity" league from a shot at No. 1 is unconscionable.

TV is all about money and ratings. And the feeling among TV executives is that teams from the "mid-major" conferences don't have what it takes to bring ratings and make money. So they're out. It's as if the NBA said, "Any team that's not in a top-20 TV market is ineligible to win the title. OK, we'll let you into a first-round playoff series, . . . but the winner advances nowhere."

Knowing the billions of dollars CBS pays for the rights to the NCAA basketball tournament, I've always hoped that similar dollars would create some kind of playoff. But that appears unlikely, given that Fox ponied up the big bucks for the BCS bowls (other than the Rose) when ABC declined, extending this farce through at least 2011.

It's great that the Utes have a shot at a big bowl. But it's indefensible that they don't have a shot at No. 1.

WELL, HE TRIED: It's often amusing to hear non-locals talk about the predominant local religion, like when ESPN's Mike Tirico told viewers in the midst of the Utah-BYU game that Cougar receiver Austin Collie would be going "on a Church of LDS Mormon mission."

I'm sure he meant well.

CALL US IN 2134: And I couldn't help but laugh when Tirico was reading some stuff about the Utes-Cougars series and talked about BYU's first win in 1942, accompanied by a copy of the Deseret News from that year headlining the game. Tirico was kind enough to tell viewers the paper "is still published out here."

Gee, thanks.

Oh, and give us a call in 130 years when 25-year-old ESPN celebrates the current age of the Deseret Morning News — 155. If you're still around, that is.

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E-mail: pierce@desnews.com