On Deck: Mountain West makes Pac-10 look silly

TCU doesn't have a chance to prove itself against a big conference opponent in the Fiesta Bowl, so the other teams in the Mountain West Conference have picked up the slack.

Utah's 37-27 win over Cal in the Poinsettia Bowl was the Mountain West's third-straight bowl win this season and second against a Pac-10 team. BYU defeated Oregon State 44-20 and Wyoming downed Fresno State 35-28.

Add that to Utah's win last year in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama and you see a conference, that from any other standpoint, would be considered one of the premier conference's in the nation.

To call the Mountain West a mid-major or a lesser conference is ridiculous. The team's have owned the Pac-10 from the regular season throughout.

Still ESPN's Craig James said during the Poinsettia Bowl's coverage that the Mountain West doesn't deserve an automatic in the berth in the BCS until "they can play at the level of these other conferences week in and week out."

And he's right, until the Mountain West teams decide to choke on the national stage more often than George Bush choking on pretzels they should step back.

Ridiculous.