The Mountain West Conference is 3-0 so far in bowl games and have 2 more teams left to play. Bowl teams from the Mountain West have been playing with a big chip on their shoulder and they are using the bowl games to show the country what their teams are capable of. Wyoming, BYU, and Utah have each won their bowl games (2 against Pac-10 opponents) and are commanding respect along the way. Air Force and TCU play at later dates and are looking to continue the good showing their conference colleagues have already initiated.
Mountain West officials have been pushing their conference’s strength for the past few seasons. Much to the dismay of football’s elite, MWC teams have performed exceptionally well out of conference and in bowl games. Mountain West followers have been clamoring for the conference to receive an automatic BCS bowl bid. As of now, the only way a MWC team can reach the BCS is through an at-large bid.
I’ll admit to being one of the many that dismissed the Mountain West as a type of step-child to the other well know conferences, but I also must admit that I am coming much closer to warming up to them being rewarded an automatic BCS berth. It’s as simple as this, if the Big East receives an automatic bid then there is no reason as to why the Mountain West cannot.
It will be interesting how Texas Christian handles Boise State, but it seems as if MWC teams are playing as if possessed and are crushing any team in their way. The college football world needs to accept the fact that the conference is more legit than it has been before in the past. It would be unfair to deny them a chance to dine at the table with other heavyweights.
