With new coaches at San Diego State, New Mexico and Wyoming, those schools could all be improved, while Air Force and Colorado State's programs both seem to be on the rise under young coaches. As for UNLV, who knows what to think? The concern for the league could be that the lower-division MWC teams become TOO good. Because the worst thing would be for parity to hit the MWC like in the ACC and Big East this year. The last thing the league needs is a 6-2 champion. Of course, the biggest key for the MWC prominence is winning as many of its non-conference games as possible. ...

Austin Collie's announcement that he's turning pro should have come as no surprise. Ever since the BYU receiver answered "no comment" during the Las Vegas Bowl week to a question about his plans next year, you had to figure he was a goner. I think he made the right decision, considering he's two years older than the average college junior and because it would be difficult for him to duplicate his outstanding 2008 numbers. ...

And finally let's turn the page to college basketball. It's turning out to be a pretty good year for the state's major-college teams. BYU is two last-minute losses to ranked teams away from an unbeaten season. Before losing to San Diego State, Utah had a No. 15 RPI ranking, best in the MWC. Utah State is 15-1 and on its way to a league title in a weak conference. And Weber State could add a basketball title to its football championship in the Big Sky the way it's going. After a slow start, the Wildcats beat Portland State by 14 on the road last week — the same Portland State team that knocked off then-No. 7 Gonzaga at home earlier in the season.

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