BYU will lead the MWC out of the wilderness and into the limelight with a BCS bowl win and top three ranking. This is the MWC's year!

I wish Football season was starting now! The excitement is killing me. I guess I will go fishing to pass the time till game day. Good luck to the Cougars and all the other MWC teams in their non leage play.

Moving up every year!
Late progress:
Byu beats UCLA and Arizona
Utah whips UCLA
New Mexico over Arizona
Wyoming trashed Virgina
Utah, BYU and TCU should
all have a chance to shine
and show what the MWC can do.

Hey I think that it might come down to the last game this year and the game is at Utah and I don't think that Utah will let byu beat them twice on their home turf. I think byu you wll lose and it might not be pretty for them.

If BYU wants to carry the banner for MWC, they need to win a BCS bowl game, and start getting past the first round of the NCAA tournament.

I agree with you that this is the MWC's year! But it will all start with Utah beating Michagen. Go UTES..

One team does not a conference make. If the Mountain West wants to be noticed and prove to everyone how much better we are than our WACky brother, we need five teams to beat up on out of conference foes and win bowl games. I love BYU, but whn talking about the MWC as much attention needs to be focused on TCU, New Mexico, Air Force, Wyoming, and (at least for out of conference play) Utah.

Yeah, playing on channel 236 on DirectTV is going to bring so much exposure!!

Being on DirecTV does allow MWC fans to see the games, but that is about it.

The casual fan watches espn.

Put up or shut up. If you want to make this article really interesting, why don't you detail each teams record in out of conference play. Even though BYU is tops in the league, their out of conference record really drags the MWC down. Who's been bringing it for the last 10 years?

Go Utes!

It is not simply a matter of BYU carrying the banner for the MWC. The bottom line is that no one else has shown that they can step forward and do it on a consistent basis.

The "banner" is there for the taking.

There's no way Utah is going to beat Michigan, so it's up to the Y to win big OOC games this year.

lets get excited about being on direct (but not dish)
and all the chances the mwc will to have to be seen
and then forget that it used to be on espn just about every other thursday night all by its self, and still no one cared. only wins will do it, no matter what venue is used

Sad that the Cougars will be viewed as another "tough" team from a lame conference. MWC deserves no respect and in turn doesn't seem to get it. It doesn't help that our own BYU beats a 6-6 UCLA time with a miracle. Blah blah blah they won the game but really shouldn't they against the middle/lower tier of the PAC-10 if they are as good as they think they are. Wish Provo would wake up and see BYU is really not as good as Bronco and the rest of the sheltered BYU minds think, until we move to a different conference where we get our proper due BYU will continue to be a big downer for the valley, same goes for the Yewts.

The MWC is a nice competitive conference that provides exciting football. It will never be a SEC (not even close) or PAC 10, Big 10, Big 12, ACC. Did I forget any? The in-state talent availabe to teams in those conferences is staggering. The long term reputations of power schools is hard to overcome also. A couple of schools can and will be in the mix from the MWC some years but finding consistency is the goal. Every conference has three levels-high, middle, low-but the power conferences have stronger highs and middles than the MWC. That is not to say a team or two cannot break through at times (and have) but I do not see any major conference strength change. But, never say never!

It's amusing observing Utah fans trying to make the case that their recent OOC wins and winning a few bowl games is proof of the overall success of their football program.

How many times has Utah actually finished the season ranked in the top 25, EVER?

How many times has Utah won a conference championship, in the last 50 years?

And, the most telling statistic, how many times has Utah won the conference championship and then played in and won the bowl game designated for the conference champion, EVER?

Finish in the top 25 a few times. Win a few conference championships. Then, your OCC wins will be more meaningful.

Creaming UCLA one week is not nearly as impressive when you get shutout by MWC bottom-dweller UNLV the following week.

Is the MWC any weaker than the Big East? BYU needs to win OOC, Utah needs to maintain the fire and consistency it shows when it plays UCLA in SLC (as opposed to UNLV in Vegas) and BYU anywhere. TCU needs a statement game against Texas. UNM is the dark horse every year, upset minded and strong. The conference has potential to do exciting things. Bowl results are irrelevant since 6-6 teams regularly get invited to lower tier bowls. BCS showing does have merit, and (gulp!) thanks to Utah the MWC has that stink (shame on Hawaii).

It's ok little brother, you can puff your chest out and feel important if you need to. Enjoy your trip back East. See you in November....

Big Brother

Forget all the hype about gaining respect by winning OOC games; in the long run, consistently beating OOC opponents will only produce minimal gains in the respect department.

Until there is a seismic shift in population to Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada, the MWC conference will never have true national respect.

The vast majority of the media is on the east coast and in the upper-midwest. Even the PAC-10, with the most populous state, struggles for respect at times.

The only reason the Big Least remained a BCS member after Virginia Tech, Miami, and Boston College joined the ACC, is because the conference is on the east coast.

The Big Least is, at best, on par with the MWC and WAC, and their top teams are no better, probably worse, than the top teams in the MWC and WAC.

Top football conferences, in order:

SEC
Big 12
PAC 10
Big 10
ACC
MWC
WAC
Big East

Wow! Good article Mr. Harmon.

You didn't even have a quote from Bronco. That was a good unbiased article.

All the teams in the MWC are in this together. Of course the "High and Mighty" BYU fan might think otherwise. Good Luck to the MWC.

Don't know if I agree with Population-centric bias | 8:36 a.m. July 22, 2008 that the MWC is above the WAC. The WAC has had 2 BCS teams and usually ends the season with 2 top 25 teams.

OOC is one factor: Much as it pains me, Utah has been ranked in the top 25 many times, and I guess you are forgetting Urban's last year when the Utes busted the BCS and won impressively. That being said, it was only once. None of Utah's losses smell as bad as last year's in Vegas, however.

Sure it is. But it's the one factor that this article focuses on. Put up or shut up. Since the inception of the MWC, BYU has a long record of not showing up. They've pulled a good bowl game over Oregon two years ago and a lucky one last year over UCLA, but considering that can't manage to get past a pretty sad Arizona team, they don't have any arguement. I'd feel the same way about Utah against Oregon State if they hadn't lost Johnson and Asiata early, even though OSU finished with a much better record than Arizona. Utah will enact their revenge this season. Shut up.

Go Utes!

I agree completely with the perception of the Mountain West, but the facts just don't add up. The "Power Conferences" (everyone else calls them "BCS Conferences" due to the automatic ) contain the royalty of college football (USC, UCLA, Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, LSU, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Miami, Ohio State, Michigan, etc.). The list even includes Notre Dame, even though they're not in a BCS conference, they also have an automatic berth if they're in the top 8. Outside of these schools, however, there's no real "power" in any of the BCS conferences.

The problem with the "power" argument is that it's a classic case of self-fulfilling prophecy. Who do the champions of the non-BCS conferences play in Bowl games? 4th and 5th ranked teams from "power" conferences. Who did the first BCS-buster (Utah) play in 2005? The whole system follows the Girl Wrestling paradox. No matter how good she is, if you beat her, you beat a girl. But heaven help you if you lose, because the other 7th graders will never let you live it down...

What is a Ute?

Doesnt matter if the MWC does win. No one will see it. ESPN doesn't play MWC hightlights any more and come on when was the last time you watched a game on CSTV, VERSUS or the MTN just for entertainment? You only watch those channels when you know you're team is playing. Plus they aren't in HD so ESPN has another reason not to play the highlight.

Its time for BYU to leave the obscure MWC. BYUTV has more exposure than the MTN.

I agree with you about the big east with a couple of exceptions. 1. Tradition 2. West Virginia

The football tradition of some of the schools in the big east (Pitt, Syracuse, Louisville) blows away the football tradition of all the MWC and WAC schools combined.

West Virginia has become a perinnial national title contender of late. Things may change with Rich Rod moving to michigan but there are only outside BCS hopefuls in the WAC and MWC, and no one is consistenly challenging the national scene (except maybe BSU).

is a mid major & always on the outside looking in.

To see real college football, just watch CBS on saturday afternoon.

re: Re: Top of the Mountain | 8:53 a.m. July 22, 2008 In '05, the Utes beat Texas A & M and I believe Cal.

Who cares about the BCS just play football. Go undefeated and you will get all the recognition you want. I can't believe all this moaning about the BCS,
If Utah or BYU or TCU go undefeated everything else will fall into place for the conference. Just beat people period.

Are you kidding me no power outside of these schools? Ever heard of Georgia? Cal? Clemson? Auburn? West VA? Tennessee? Penn State? Wisconsin?

And how can you include mediocre UCLA in your power teams and not some of these? AZ St and Oregon are consistenly better in the Pac-10 than UCLA.

This story comes out every year. Bill Reilly on CALL 700 spent yesterday saying basically the same thing. The bottom line is it hasn't happened. A couple teams have had their moments only to get blasted the next year or the next game. Reality is that the MWC is competing with the WAC and a few other mid majors to be the best mid major conference. Until at least three or four Mountian West teams start winning consistantley it is not going to change. BYU and Utah are as guilty as most of the rest of the conference. Oregon, UCLA, Tulsa, Boise any of those ring a bell.
I rank the conferences this way.
1. SEC
2. Big 12
3. Big Ten
4. Pac Ten
5. ACC
6. Big East
7. MWC
8. WAC
9. Conference USA
10. MAC
11. Sun Belt

What's a yoot, eweyet, zoobie, bronKo, ByU, Utard, byWHO?

Since we are now out of the third grade, and apparently representing two of the states larger Universities, shouldn't we leave stupid name calling off the board?

Mr. Ute Fan -

You do realize that BYU beat Arizona convincingly last year, right? Or did you forget to check those pesky facts before claiming that BYU can't claim to "get past a sad Arizona team." Just curious...

Also, while I'm at it, since you're allowed to rewrite history by not letting Johnson and Asiata get injured (and thereby losing the Oregon State game), can I disallow the 4 years in which BYU didn't have a decent coach (2001-2004). Pretty please? I'll be your friend if you let me...

The MWC is better than the WAC by far, the MWC worst teams are way better than the WAC's worst teams. Even though Hawaii made it to a BCS game last year, did they really deserve it? BYU was still ranked higher than Hawaii at the end of the year. I think the MWC is better top to bottom than the Big Least. MWC needs to play more teams from ACC and Big Least. Wyoming beat Virginia and Utah handled Louisville pretty easily at Louisville. This would allow the east coast to see MWC and quality they have from top to bottom!

I'm pretty sure Utah (starring as the first BCS-Buster) beat an 8-3 Pitt team in 2005. Unless they returned to a BCS bowl in 2006 that I don't know about, of course. Either way, the 8-3 Pitt team kind of snuck into a BCS game because no one wanted it, and they were offered as a sacrificial lamb to the Utes.

Even though I'm a Cougar fan, everyone should concede that Utah had an incredible team in 2004. Unfortunately, since they're from the MWC, they still got no respect and played Pitt, since no other BCS school wanted the lose-lose proposition of playing Utah. That's probably why the Utah-Pitt BCS game holds the record for the worst Television ratings in the history of the BCS.

"Utah has been ranked in the top 25 many times"

Really? Only if you consider 3 or 4 times, many.

Utah Top 25 Finishes (3 or 4)
Year      Record      AP#      Coaches#      BCS#
2004      12-0      4      5      6
2003      10-2      21      21      22
1994      10-3      10      8      n/a
1964      9-2      14      -      n/a

THIS, is what most fans would consider being ranked many times:

BYU Top 25 Finishes (15)
Year      Record      AP#      Coaches#      BCS#
2007      11-2      14      14      17
2006      11-2      16      15      20
2001      12-2      25      24      n/a
1996      14-1      5      5      n/a
1994      10-3      18      10      n/a
1991      8-3-2      23      23      n/a
1990      10-3      22      17      n/a
1989      10-3      22      18      n/a
1985      11-3      16      17      n/a
1984      13-0      1      1      n/a
1983      11-1      7      7      n/a
1981      11-2      13      11      n/a
1980      12-1      12      11      n/a
1979      11-1      13      12      n/a
1977      9-2      20      16      n/a

Mistaken you are Dick. Weak the Mountain West conference is. Never is the time they will become a power of National proportions. Confused you must be

This story was written in 1980 something and just gets printed every year. There is one change. They are now competing with the WAC instead of in it. ( Which is kinda ironic since they left the WAC because those other schools were holding them back.)

None of this matters. Football is worthless.

I apologize for my comment. I notice that there was an "etc." at the end of my list, but I didn't realize that there was anyone reading these comments that didn't learn what college football was until late last year.

I agree that all of the programs named are or have been good programs, but not necessarily perennially. Tennessee is a perfect example. They're awesome for a year or two i.e. 97-98) and then drop WAY off... Fullmer just got an extension after not winning the SEC for nine years. Yay!

Georgia is a great up-and-coming program, but they aren't royalty yet. They've only won 2 SEC Championships since 1983. Wisconsin? Seriously? They've won one outright Big Ten Championship since 1963. Penn State has only won two Championships since joining the Big Ten in 1993, but they do deserve the royalty title based on their prominence in the 1980s. I was wrong to omit them. UCLA was also a power team in the 1980s, but not much since, so you're probably right, I should yank them from the list. I was just trying to come up with another perenially decent PAC-10 team, which Oregon and ASU aren't.

Nice try Tricky Dick. As the in-bed (with BYU) reporter that you are, I understand how you write from the heart. However, you can't put a conference that has had BCS teams the past two years, and finishes with 2 teams in the top 25 year after year below a conference that struggles just to get someone in the top 25. If you don't believe me, just look at what the national media writes.

I hear MWC fans saying they need to get Boise State to come to the MWC. Why would Boise State want to come to an inferior conference that has a worse T.V. contract? I think Utah and BYU should try to get into the WAC.

The reason Utah was stuck with Pittsburgh in their BCS game was because the Fiesta Bowl had the very last pick and the only team left was the worst automatic qualifier from a BCS conference.

Pittsburgh was only ranked 21st in the final BCS poll and finished in a four-way tie for the Big Least conference championship with West Virginia/Boston College/Syracuse.

Pittsburgh is arguably THE WORST team EVER to play in a BCS game.

Utah deserved a MUCH better opponent in 2004, just as BYU did in the 1984 Holiday Bowl. If Utah had been in the Big Least conference, they would have played in the National Championship game.

This is a repeat of an article and discussions that get written and spoken every single year. We always say we can compete with anybody and "THIS YEAR" we get to prove it but we rarely have any "big" wins. This year will be no different.

Also, Dick, the Utah/Michigan game is not nationally televised, it is a regional broadcast.

I am so sick of the arguments about which conferences are better, yada yada. The question should be, does a school belong in division 1? Every division 1 school should have the same opportunity to win a national championship.

There are football programs in every conference where it is questionable whether they should be in division 1 and there are good programs in Non-BCS conferences who are getting the shaft.

The NCAA needs to create a separate division for the lesser division 1 schools and every division should have a national playoff.

Even if Utah had played in the Big East in 2004, they wouldn't have played in the NC game. 2004 was a weird year in that there were 4 undefeated teams at the end of the regular season. Even Auburn, an undefeated team from the SEC, didn't play in the NC game. Are you saying a Big East team (Utah) would have gotten in ahead of Auburn? Not a chance.

About the MWC status vis a vis other conferences
Here are the final Sagarin conference rankings from last year (this averages all teams, top to bottom):

1 SOUTHEASTERN 81.83

2 PAC-10 79.63

3 BIG 12 78.35

4 BIG EAST 77.12

5 ATLANTIC COAST 74.98

6 BIG TEN 74.17

7 MOUNTAIN WEST 70.84

8 I-A INDEPENDENTS61.79

9 WESTERN ATHLETIC61.72

10 SOUTHERN (AA) 59.92

11 CONFERENCE USA 60.06

12 COLONIAL (AA) 59.52

13 SUN BELT 59.25

14 MID-AMERICAN 58.51

I would tend to agree. Top to bottom, MWC is significantly below the power conferences, but significantly above the rest. We beat the Big East for a couple years, but other teams have risen to fill their gaps, and they are better than us again. The WAC has three decent teams (BSU, FSU, UH) and the rest are cellar-dwellers.

We should be happy that MWC teams have a decent shot at a BCS bowl (in fact, BYU can probably lose a game this year and make it) and stop whining about the rest. Money, recruits, reputation, TV, rankings, and clout all feed off each other, and I don't see a plausible way to break in.

Top to bottom, the MWC is much better than the WAC.

Jeff Sagarin's College Football Ratings 2007

RANK..CONFERENCE..CENTRAL MEAN..SIMPLE AVERAGE
1 SOUTHEASTERN (A) 81.99 81.83
2 PAC-10 (A) 79.47 79.63
3 BIG 12 (A) 78.62 78.35
4 BIG EAST (A) 77.46 77.12
5 ATLANTIC COAST (A) 75.21 74.98
6 BIG TEN (A) 74.63 74.17
7 MOUNTAIN WEST (A) 70.95 70.84
8 I-A INDEPENDENTS (A) 61.74 61.79
10 SOUTHERN (AA) 60.50 59.92
11 CONFERENCE USA (A) 59.54 60.06
12 COLONIAL (AA) 59.52 59.33
13 SUN BELT (A) 59.19 59.25
14 MID-AMERICAN (A) 58.37 58.51

Direct T.V. in California doesn't seem to know what is going on in regards to the MWC. I usually have to explain to them what is going on. One agent seems to think that IF, California gets MWC, it will only be in the San Diego area. I want to switch to Direct T.V. if I can get the MTN in the Riverside County of California. We are 7 miles away from San Diego County. No one from Direct T.V. can give me this information. Can anyone with any real knowledge reading this post tell me what is happening in California, if anything in regards to Direct T.V. covering the MWC. on MTN T.V.????

re: Dios | 10:14 a.m. July 22, 2008

Football is life. The rest is details.

... is a relative newcomer to 1-A football. They've had a great run since joining the WAC, and one very impressive win over Oklahoma in a BCS game. But, can they sustain their recent success?

Utah had a very impressive BCS win over a VERY UNIMPRESSIVE Pittsburgh.

Hawaii laid a Texas-sized egg and managed to destroy the momentum and fragile credibility that non-BCS teams were starting to build.

This year it will be up to BYU, Utah, TCU or possibly Fresno State or Boise State to help restore credibility that the top non-BCS teams can compete with the top BCS teams.

I don't buy that list.

The ACC and the Big 10 are FAR superior to the Big [L]East, and top-to-bottom, I give the edge to the MWC. West Virginia is overrated. So is So. Florida. Don't even get me started on UConn. The Big [L]East is a basketball conference.

Wasn't Navy the only "1-A Independent" team to finish above 0.500 last year? How could that [non]conference be ranked above the WAC? I can see how they had a more competitive schedule than them, but it doesn't matter if you don't win your games.

Shouldn't C-USA be ranked ahead of Southern? How can it be justified that Southern OR Colonial conferences be rated higher than the MAC?