Even In TCU’s Bowl Loss, The Mountain West Conference Wins

Though it looks dark for TCU now, the future is bright.

TCU carried the Mountain West banner all the way to the BCS promised land this season. Their powerful defense was supposed to dominate the Boise State offense. Instead, the Broncos, aided by a trick play (which everyone in America was waiting for) edged the Horned Frogs, 17-10.

You know what? I like this turnout a lot better.

A down to the wire finish was probably the best thing that could have happened to either of these teams. A blowout for either side would have meant the loser would have been “exposed” as a BCS pretender.

Had TCU won by 40, we would have been talking about how they only played overrated mid-major teams and were never really tested. Had Boise State won by 40, you’d have heard the same thing. Instead, the game came down to the closing seconds and was an instant classic. A last second interception saved the game for Boise in dramatic fashion.

Closing seconds. Instant classic. Dramatic. These aren’t words you throw around with overrated mid-majors.

Boise will probably end up ranked third when the final polls come out on Friday. TCU probably only falls to sixth or seventh. Most programs would kill to finish ranked that high with only a loss to the no. 3 team in the country.

Obviously, this is a major success for the WAC, but it has to be a step forward for the Mountain West, too. The MWC has fielded a BCS team in three of the last six years. That’s without an automatic berth.

For comparison, that’s more at-large teams in that span than the ACC, Big 12, Big East, and Pac-10 have fielded combined.

And while the BCS busters have largely held their weight (2-1 so far), it’s not as though the rest of the conference hasn’t done their part. MWC teams posted a perfect 4-0 record before the Fiesta Bowl. The opposition has been solid, too; their victims include Fresno State, Oregon State, California, and Houston.

That dominance isn’t just limited to this year, either. Over the last three years, the MWC has posted a 9-4 record in bowl games.

Bowl games provide an excellent chance to measure conferences against each other, since they’re in direct competition, unlike most of the year. The Mountain West’s 4-1 record (.800) is better than the following BCS conferences this year: the ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-10, and SEC.

That’s right. All of them.

One can only make so many excuses for keeping the Mountain West out of the BCS before they start to sound old. Last year, the MWC complained loudly that they were being excluded. This year, they’re letting their play speak for itself.

So far, they have four impressive wins and one heartbreaking loss in what will probably be remembered as the best bowl game of the year.

Next year, they’ll probably start again with three teams in the top 25 (TCU, BYU, and Utah). TCU can probably expect to be a top-10 team. Though they’re on the outside for now, the Mountain West is knocking at the door of the BCS.

Only time will tell it’s opened to them.