The whole Mountain West Conference television deal remains a downgrade for fans here in Utah. For fans everywhere else, this is fantastic. Being able to see The mtn. (as well as Versus and CBS C) through DirecTV means a Ute fan in New York or a Cougar fan in Florida can see more games than they could possibly have dreamed of in the past.

And I don't want to hear any complaining from you about what this costs.

As for those of us who live in Utah, we're going to complain. It's what we do. But it won't make any difference at all.

DON'T GET ME WRONG. I'm not suggesting that the DirecTV deal solves all of the MWC's exposure problems. If you believe that the limited exposure hurts member schools' recruiting, rankings and so on, this isn't going to help much.

But getting on DirecTV and not having it cost subscribers more than it will is definitely an improvement.

DISH NETWORK SUBSCRIBERS still want to know when they'll get The mtn.

I don't know. Neither, apparently, does anybody else.

We're told they're still talking. And, honestly, it makes sense to keep those talks quiet and not negotiate in public.

If (when?) The mtn. signs a deal with Dish, it will come as a bolt out of the blue. Unless, of course, San Diego State's athletic director blabs the news the day before the announcement.

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E-mail: pierce@desnews.com