What the Nation's Saying about Utah and MWC Football
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- Became first non-automatic-qualifying BCS conference to have three teams ranked all eight weeks of the BCS Standings in 2008. The MWC was one of three conferences with at least three teams ranked in the top 16 (Big 12 - 4, SEC - 3) of the final poll - Utah (12-0) ranked No. 6, TCU (10-2) 11th and BYU (10-2) at No. 16.
- The MWC will finish the season with two teams ranked in the top 10 for the first time in league history. It should also mark the first year the MWC has three teams ranked in the top 25 of the final polls.
- Three teams ranked among the top 20 in the national polls for eight straight weeks. Entering the bowl season, Utah ranked No. 7 in the USA Today Coaches, Associated Press and Harris polls, while TCU was No. 11 the Coaches' and AP and 12th in the Harris. BYU was No. 16 in the Coaches' and Harris polls and No. 17 in the AP.
- Utah is the only undefeated Football Bowl Subdivision team in 2008 and currently holds the nation's longest win streak at 14.
- Utah finished a season undefeated for the second time in the last five seasons (13-0 in 2008 and 12-0 in 2004). The Utes are the first team in the BCS era to have two undefeated seasons.
- Utah (13-0) became the first team from a non-automatic-qualifying conference to win two BCS bowls.
- Utah defeated four ranked teams in 2008, including an Alabama team that spent five weeks ranked No. 1 in the BCS Standings. Two of those victories came against teams that will finish in the top 10. Only Utah, and the winner of the Oklahoma or Florida game, will have defeated two teams that finished in the top 10.
- Utah boasts the nation's longest active bowl win streak having won eight consecutive games after defeating Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl.
- Utah is one of 12 teams that has made multiple appearances in the BCS bowl games since 2005 (Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas, USC, Virginia Tech and West Virginia). Of those 12 teams, Utah is one of five to have won two BCS games (LSU, Texas, USC and West Virginia). Florida could join the group if it wins its BCS game this week.
- TCU is the first two-loss team from a non-automatic-qualifying conference to finish ranked inside the BCS AQ position of 12.
- TCU played four undefeated top-10 opponents in 2008. The Horned Frogs went 2-2 in those games with the losses coming to current #1 Oklahoma and #6 Utah.
- #11 TCU defeated #9 Boise State (17-16) in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. The game featured the two remaining at-large teams in the BCS pool after the 10-team selection and the Broncos were undefeated at 12-0 going in to the game.
- The highest-ranked teams representing each FBS conference in the BCS standings were No. 1 Oklahoma (Big 12), No. 2 Florida (SEC), No. 5 USC (Pac-10), No. 6 Utah (MWC), No. 8 Penn State (Big Ten), No. 9 Boise State (WAC), No. 12 Cincinnati (Big East), No. 14 Georgia Tech (ACC) and No. 22 Ball State (MAC). No teams from Conference USA or the Sun Belt were not ranked in the BCS top-25 standings.
- The Pac-10 will capture the Bowl Challenge Cup in 2008 with a 5-0 record. The MWC went 6-2 against the Pac-10 this season.
- Over the past five seasons, the MWC owns the best win percentage in bowl games among the 11 conferences with a 14-7 mark (.667). The SEC is second with a 24-13 (.649) record, followed by the Pac-10 at 18-10 (.643). The MWC also is 7-3 against BCS automatic-qualifying conferences in bowl games since 2004.
- The Mountain West Conference concluded the 2008 season with a 28-13 non-conference record, including a 22-12 mark against FBS opponents. The 28 non-conference wins surpass the old MWC single-season record of 24 set in both 2003 and 2007.
| Conference |
FBS |
Overall |
| Big 12 |
32-12 (.727) |
42-12 (.778) |
| SEC |
31-13 (.705) |
40-13 (.755) |
| Big East |
26-14 (.650) |
33-14 (.702) |
| MOUNTAIN WEST |
22-12 (.647) |
28-13 (.683) |
| ACC |
26-17 (.605) |
40-17 (.702) |
| Big Ten |
23-18 (.561) |
32-18 (.640) |
| Pac-10 |
17-17 (.500) |
19-17 (.528) |
| WAC |
12-23 (.343) |
19-23 (.452) |
| C-USA |
14-32 (.304) |
21-32 (.396) |
| MAC |
13-34 (.277) |
21-34 (.382) |
| Sun Belt |
6-28 (.176) |
9-28 (.243) |
- The Mountain West posted the best record the in the Football Bowl Subdivision this season against automatic-qualifying-BCS Conferences with a 10-6 mark (includes Notre Dame). Five of the nine MWC teams chalked up victories.
| 2008 Records vs. AQ-BCS Opponents |
| Conference |
Wins |
| MOUNTAIN WEST |
10-6 (.625) |
| Pac-10 |
10-8 (.555) |
| Big East |
11-9 (.550) |
| ACC |
17-14 (.548) |
| Big 12 |
11-10 (.524) |
| SEC |
10-10 (.500) |
| Big Ten |
7-13 (.350) |
| WAC |
5-14 (.263) |
| MAC |
6-23 (.207) |
| Sun Belt |
2-20 (.090) |
| C-USA |
2-23 (.080) |
- Over the last two seasons, the MWC has posted the second-best win percentage record against AQ-BCS opponents. The .543 mark is second only to the Pac-10.
| 2007 and 2008 Records vs. AQ-BCS Opponents |
| Conference |
Wins |
| Pac-10 |
19-14 (.576) |
| MOUNTAIN WEST |
19-16 (.543) |
| SEC |
22-19 (.537) |
| Big 12 |
21-19 (.525) |
| ACC |
30-30 (.500) |
| Big East |
19-19 (.500) |
| Big Ten |
17-22 (.435) |
| WAC |
7-30 (.189) |
| MAC |
11-59 (.157) |
| Sun Belt |
5-43 (.104) |
| C-USA |
4-48 (.077) |
- In the last 15 games against automatic-qualifying BCS opponents, Utah is 12-3 and TCU is 11-4.
- The Mountain West Conference sent five teams into postseason bowl games in 2008, tying the league record set in 2007. The Mountain West has earned 36 bowl bids since 1999 and holds a 21-15 all-time record.
- The Mountain West Conference is one of two leagues (ACC) to win the Bowl Challenge Cup twice since its inception in 2002. The MWC claimed the 2007 Cup with a 4-1 (.800) mark and registered a 2-1 record in 2004.
- Utah, TCU, BYU, Air Force and Colorado State were all bowl-eligible this season, marking the fourth year in a row, and fifth overall, the MWC has boasted five bowl-eligible teams.
- Collectively, eight of the nine MWC members have participated in a bowl game over the last 10 years, led by TCU with nine appearances during that time. Utah is one behind the Horned Frogs with eight bowl appearances.
- Colorado State returned to the postseason for the first time since the 2005 Poinsettia Bowl. The Rams halted a three-game slide in bowl games with a 40-35 victory over Fresno State.
- Steve Fairchild is the first head coach in Colorado State history to lead his team to a bowl game in his inaugural season. Fairchild's seven wins are also more victories than any previous first-year head coach at CSU.
- There were 18 coaching changes in the FBS in 2008. Of those 18, Colorado State head coach Steve Fairchild was one of 10 to take his team to a bowl this season, and one of six to win its bowl game.
- TCU has won four consecutive bowl games for the first time in school history. The Horned Frogs finished the year 11-2 and have reached 11 wins for the third time in four seasons and fourth time in six years.
- Air Force made its second straight bowl appearance under head coach Troy Calhoun and its first back-to-back bowl trips since 1997-98.
- BYU has won a school and MWC-record 18 consecutive home games, a mark that currently ranks third among Football Bowl Subdivision teams with Boise State. Oklahoma has the longest active home win streak at 23 games, followed by Boise State at 19. The 18 wins eclipses a BYU record set Oct. 7, 1989 to Nov. 23, 1991. The Cougars have also won an MWC-record 12 straight league contests in LaVell Edwards Stadium dating back to a Nov. 19, 2005 loss to Utah, 34-41.
- The MWC's 7-1 non-conference record in Week 3 (Sept. 13), including a 4-0 against the Pac-10, matches its best mark over a weekend in league history. The MWC also posted a 7-1 non-conference record the weekend of Aug. 28 and 30, 2003 (AFA 49, Wofford 0; BYU 24, Georgia Tech 13; UNM 72, Texas State 8; SDSU 19, Eastern Washington 9; UNLV 28, Toledo 18; Utah 40, Utah State 20; WYO 21, Montana State 10; Colorado 42, CSU 35).
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