Ute fans can make tentative bowl plans

Following another stunning Utah victory Friday, Ute fans can start thinking about making holiday plans for a bowl game for the fifth year in a row.

The key word is thinking. I'm not saying the Utes are heading to a bowl, but at least they have a decent chance now, standing 3-3 instead of 2-4.

Best bet right now, and this won't thrill Ute faithful, would be the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 22 in Albuquerque.

With two league losses, Utah's chances of snagging the Las Vegas Bowl berth, which goes to the league champion, are slim. And seeing how bowls prefer to get different teams from year to year, the Dec. 31 Bell Helicopter Armed Forced Bowl in Fort Worth, where the Utes played last year, is probably out.

The Utes have never played in the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego, and that would be the first choice for local fans the week before Christmas. The Poinsettia Bowl kicks off the bowl season on Dec. 20, but with the second choice from the league, it may not take Utah unless it wins out or finishes 8-4.

The MWC also has a lesser agreement with the Texas Bowl in Houston, where TCU played in 2005. While the Texas Bowl plans to match the Big 12 No. 8 against Conference USA No. 6 this year, it has an affiliation that involves the MWC on a rotating but not annual basis.

With C-USA having a dreadful year so far with only four (out of 12) winning teams and an abysmal 13-29 non-conference record, it may have a difficult time finding six eligible bowl teams.

Of course the Utes need to get three more victories to be bowl-eligible. All they have to do is win all three remaining home games to make it to six and they still have a winnable road game against Colorado State, which just lost its 12th game in a row over two seasons. And road games at TCU and BYU don't look as formidable after the Utes knocked off Louisville on the road last week.

But then again, they are the Utes.

So who are the opponents in the various bowl games affiliated with the MWC this year?

The Poinsettia Bowl — actually the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl — will invite Navy or an at-large opponent if the Midshipmen aren't bowl eligible. But Navy should be, with a remaining schedule that includes the likes of Delaware, North Texas, Northern Illinois and Notre Dame.