Myriad factors nipping at MWC

PROVO — This week's postponement of the BYU-San Diego State football game to Dec. 1 seems to suggest several delays — a Mountain West Conference team returning soon to the national rankings, the determining of a conference champion and at least one or two of the league's four bowl berths staying unresolved as late as early December.

Of course, there are myriad factors why the Mountain West — as well as current league-leader BYU — is flying well under the national-attention radar screen.

First, the conference's contract with two lesser-profile "national" cable/satellite networks in Versus and CSTV coupled with the league's own limited-reach and seldom-seen network, The mtn., has resulted in the Mountain West taking a major hit in terms of cross country exposure.

Second, Mountain West teams have been inconsistent on the field in calling attention to themselves. Sure, there have been some notable victories — Utah's upset of then-No. 11 UCLA being the headliner — but many more near-misses against top opponents and awkward losses to lesser foes and so-called "quality" wins.

The last time the Mountain West had a ranked team in either major national poll was after the first week of the season, with TCU hanging on to the No. 19 spot after its 27-0 opening victory against Baylor in both the AP and USA Today top-25 rankings.

With TCU falling to then-No. 7 Texas, BYU getting beat by then-No. 13 UCLA and Utah falling to an unexpected 0-2 start, the confer- ence's big three were smarting, and the Mountain West was without a Top-25 team — an absence that continues to date.

In this week's rankings, Air Force and BYU are the equivalent of Nos. 32 and 33 in the AP Top 25, with the Falcons nearly doubling the Cougars' total of ballot points. The USA Today poll has BYU at No. 37 with a handful of votes. The Harris Poll has BYU at No. 39 and Air Force at No. 40 with a smattering of consideration, and the Master Coaches poll has only Air Force at No. 33 with a couple of points.

One could project BYU, with its 5-2 overall and perfect 3-0 conference records and the Cougars' earlier victories over second-place Air Force (6-2, 5-1 MWC) and third-place New Mexico (5-2, 2-1 MWC), as perhaps the conference's most deserving of any Top-25 consideration.

And with New Mexico playing host to Air Force tonight, all but two MWC teams will be saddled with a pair of league losses as conference play essentially reaches its midpoint. BYU and the second-place team will be the best candidates for bearing the Mountain West banner before national pollsters over the next couple of weeks.