MWC commissioner talks about BCS battle

As expected, the Bowl Championship Series was the major topic at Mountain West Conference media days this morning.

During his news conference and later in a more intimate setting, commissioner Craig Thompson talked extensively about the MWC's role in trying hard this year to effect change in the system. The conference wasn't successful in trying to bring about immediate change, but Thompson hopes for a long-term payoff.

"We feel change needs to be made and inclusion to be broader, and we've communicated that to a lot of people," Thompson said. "We did that now because we didn't want to wait four years to begin talking about change."

Thompson seemed to be all over the country trying to push the Mountain West forward to receiving an automatic bid as well as changes to the system, even testifying in front of Congress. He also proposed a playoff system that BCS officials didn't waste time to shoot down.

This all stems from Utah going undefeated with a convincing victory over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and yet being denied any true shot at the national championship. One-loss Florida defeated one-loss Oklahoma for the title.

Now the Mountain West's best hope is to receive an automatic qualifying spot in three years when the cycle ends for evaluating conferences. The six automatic-qualifying conferences can't lose a spot, but the Mountain West could grab the seventh of the eight available positions.

If that happens, maybe a school like Utah could go unbeaten and have a legitimate chance to play for the national championship. But Thompson knows perceptions are hard to break.

"The only way to change is if the six conferences, four bowls and ESPN change," Thompson said. "The only way for us to make our best argument is to continue to win games.

"It isn't an easy topic. It looks simple on the surface. It's a complex topic."

STILL NO. 1

MAACO Bowl Las Vegas officials have been insistent on retaining the No. 1 selection from the Mountain West and not simply take the champion. That could change.

With the contract expiring after this year, the league is pushing for the bowl to take the champion. And the bowl is listening, though no decisions have been made.

Also, the bowl hopes to secure the No. 4 pick from the Pacific-10 Conference rather than trade off the fourth and fifth selections with the Emerald Bowl.

"The bowl we've been rotating with, there's no secret we've been paying more than them," bowl official John Saccenti said. "We'd like a little more stability in that spot."

Las Vegas pays $1 million compared to between $750,000 and $850,000 by the Emerald Bowl.

TIME TO CALL BOISE STATE?

Thompson has shot down expansion talk in recent years, but seemed more open to it this time. He said the presidents and athletic directors often informally discuss adding a 10th team.

But before making such a move — whether it's to bring in Boise State or Fresno State — the conference would have to be convinced the addition moves the MWC toward greater BCS inclusion.

"We've looked at the numbers, and no one there puts us over the top," Thompson said.

There also are other considerations, such as what an extra team would do to non-conference football schedules as well as those for the other sports.

MAKING THE ROUNDS

The Rose Bowl had two representatives at Thompson's address, but before anyone gets excited the Mountain West will replace the Big Ten Conference in the famed New Year's Day matchup, the game is sending reps to all the conferences for meet-and-greets.

There is a chance the Mountain West could have a team in the Rose Bowl if it loses a Big Ten or Pac-10 team to the BCS title game and needs an at-large school.

"I think they've made it so a non-BCS team qualifies (for such a game) every year," said Ron Okum, one of the reps and a former Rose Bowl president.