It's an impressive postseason for the MWC

How much good is the Mountain West Conference doing itself in the postseason? Plenty, in terms of positive commentary, analysis and respect from talking heads.

The MWC's limited exposure to outside competition in pedestrian bowls this December has been a blockbuster, off the charts.

If TCU can dispose of Boise State on Monday, the Mountain West will have registered a perfect 5-0 mark in postseason play.

"The MWC continues to prove itself on the field as one of the premiere football leagues in the country," according to MWC commissioner Craig Thompson.

"If you compare the win percentage of the top three teams in each of the 11 FBS conferences this season, the MWC currently ranks second, behind only the SEC. If you look beyond the top three, Air Force has won eight games for the third straight year and captured a bowl victory this season. Wyoming and Colorado State have also been successful in the postseason over the last two years, and as a league, the MWC owns the best win percentage in bowl games over the last six years."

Utah's Kyle Whittingham and Mack Brown of Texas are the only two FBS coaches to have won five consecutive bowl games. If Gary Patterson's Frogs win Monday, he'll join those two.

The MWC's bowl wins against BCS teams do not count toward automatic qualification into the BCS. These wins only add credence in the court of public opinion, with guys like commentator Lou Holtz.

Don't kid yourselves — to the commissioners of BCS conferences, it's like a walk at the zoo, seeing cute little otters chugging down fish. As long as the critters remain fenced and kept away from the big fish bowl, they're darling.

The BCS has safely guarded itself against another Utah embarrassment of Alabama by placing the Frogs against the Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl.

Just how good a postseason is this for the MWC? League schools have outscored their opponents 163 to 95, or an average of 40.7 to 23.7.

MWC schools have outgained their opponents 1,698 to 1,312 total yards, or an average of 424.8 to 328.

In terms of the key factor all coaches declare is critical — turnovers — the MWC schools have had just six compared to 13 by their opponents.

The most surprising victory was the 35-28 overtime win by Wyoming over WAC member Fresno State. In that game, the Cowboys produced a whopping 438 total yards after being 11-point underdogs.