The top of the Mountain West has never looked better. Unbeaten TCU sits at No. 4, and also undefeated Utah at No. 8. Only the SEC (No. 1 Auburn, No. 7 Alabama) and Big Ten (No. 5 Michigan State, No. 10 Wisconsin) also have two top-10 teams.
The bottom of the Mountain West, which will be on display Saturday when winless New Mexico ventures to Colorado State (2-6, 1-3), couldn’t be much worse.
Therein rests the hidden obstacle to the Mountain West gaining coveted BCS automatic qualifying status.
Buried in the fine print of the BCS manual is a three-part requirement. A league must place in the top six of each column to earn (AQ) status when the current four-year window ends after the 2011 season.
Even with Boise State replacing Utah and BYU’s slide off the map, the MWC is in good shape for Part I: position of highest finisher. Likewise, it’s up there in top 25 rankings (Part II). But in the third category of overall first-to-last ranking within a conference, the MWC misses the cut — in seventh place.
“Every major conference has a bad team, maybe two, but the MWC usually has about four,” said Jerry Palm, owner/editor of the poplar and . “That’s the biggest difference between them and the AQs.”
Of the 120 schools that play in the top division, Palm ranks CSU at No. 84, UNLV No. 105 and New Mexico No. 118.
The bottom line: “The MWC has very little chance of getting AQ in the current cycle,” he said.
For all MWC commissioner Craig Thompson and the league heavyweights have accomplished, even he admits it doesn’t look good.
A conference can request a waiver if it finishes below sixth in any category.
“Do you want to go in front of a presidential oversight panel on the basis of a waiver?” Thompson asked rhetorically. “The answer is no.”
The commissioner attributes part of the problem to scheduling variables years ahead. Of the newer (third season or less) coaches, only San Diego State’s Brady Hoke is bridging the gap to the perennial powers.
“They were probably the most overscheduled school in the conference the first six or seven years, now they have a more manageable schedule,” Thompson said.
Yet TCU, Utah and at times in prior years BYU, have used wins over teams from AQ conferences to get to the top.
“When you have three in the top 25, it’s not a good time to step in the Mountain West,” Thompson said.
In past years, Thompson noted the league members posted four to six wins well down the standings. To wit, back-to-back 5-7 records got Mike Sanford fired at UNLV. Former Wyoming coach Joe Glenn was shown the door the year the Cowboys won at Tennessee.
Rocky Long took New Mexico to bowls in five of six years then was forced out after a 4-8 record.
New Mexico is 1-18 under Mike Locksley, a proven assistant and recruiter at Illinois and Florida.
CSU coach Steve Fairchild was the first to admit there are excuses other than youth and he insists that’s not an excuse. Unlike Wyoming (four of first seven opponents have been in the top 10) or UNLV with trips to Wisconsin and West Virginia, CSU certainly hasn’t overscheduled.
Locksley said this week he inherited a program that had relied heavily on junior college transfers, his team has been hit by the injury bug and a probation created a shortage of scholarships.
“No one is going to feel sorry for us for where we are record-wise,” Locksley said on the MWC conference call.
Fairchild knows when the season is over, at least he’ll have an experienced quarterback, unlike the past three offseasons.
A loss Saturday to visiting New Mexico would guarantee CSU another losing season, not to mention humiliation on Legends Weekend when former players and coaches are visiting.
“We will try to win every game this year with the best possible lineup and mode of operation,” Fairchild said. “We will worry about next year when we come back in January.”
Three questions for Colorado State
1. New Mexico had some encouraging efforts last week against San Diego State. Can the Lobos show improvement for a second straight week? Sophomore tight end Lucas Reed had a career day with two TDs, injured linebacker Carmen Messina had 14 tackles and the Lobos cut SDSU freshman running back Ronnie Hillman’s 130 yard average in half.
2. The Rams gave up after halftime against TCU, Utah and Air Force. Knowing New Mexico is one of the most disparaged teams in the country, can CSU put together four quarters? Rams can’t afford to take anyone for granted. Only two teams haven’t put CSU away by the fourth quarter — Idaho and UNLV. UNM has gone through four quarterbacks this season, so CSU true freshman Pete Thomas is the veteran here and it’s a chance for a confidence boost down the final three-game stretch.
3. Who will show up for CSU at running back this week? Leading rusher Leonard Mason is out of a one-week stay in the doghouse. Redshirt freshman Chris Nwoke looked promising at times the past two weeks. Original starter Raymond Carter returns from missing a month with a knee injury.
Natalie Meisler, The Denver Post
