TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19 @ 5 p.m. PT - SAN DIEGO COUNTY CREDIT UNION POINSETTIA BOWL Northern Illinois (7-5, 5-3) vs. #24/25 TCU (10-2, 6-2) on ESPN2
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21 @ 5 p.m. PT - PIONEER PUREVISION LAS VEGAS BOWL Oregon (7-5, 4-5) vs. #20/19 BYU (10-2, 8-0) on ESPN
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23 @ 2:30 p.m. MT - NEW MEXICO BOWL San Jose State (8-4, 5-3) vs. New Mexico (6-6, 4-4) on ESPN
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23 @ 7 p.m. CT - BELL HELICOPTER ARMED FORCES BOWL Tulsa (8-4, 5-3) vs. Utah (7-5, 5-3) on ESPN
Mountain West Bowl Notes
BYU (10-2), TCU (10-2), Utah (7-5), New Mexico (6-6) and Wyoming (6-6) are all bowl eligible. This is the second year in a row, and third overall since the inception of the league, the MWC has boasted five bowl eligible teams.
The Mountain West has earned 26 bowl bids since 1999, including four in 2006.
The 2006 New Mexico Bowl will mark the fifth time since 2000 that a Mountain West Conference team will participate in an inaugural bowl game (2005 - Poinsettia, 2002 - San Francisco, 2001 - New Orleans, 2000 - Silicon Valley).
Three of the four league teams will be making their first appearance in their respective bowl games (TCU-Poinsettia, Utah-Armed Forces, New Mexico-New Mexico), while BYU is making its second trip to the Las Vegas Bowl.
Utah has won five consecutive bowl games. The Utes' last loss was to Wisconsin in the 1996 Copper Bowl (38-10).
Collectively, eight of the nine MWC members have participated in a bowl game over the last eight years, led by TCU with six appearances. Colorado State and Utah are right behind the Horned Frogs with five bowl appearances. Six of the nine members have won bowl games since 2000, including victories by Utah (Emerald Bowl) and TCU (Houston Bowl) last season.
BYU will see a familiar face on the visiting team's sideline in Las Vegas. Oregon's offensive coordinator Gary Crowton served as the head coach at BYU from 2001 through 2004. During his four-year tenure, Crowton produced a 26-23 overall record, including a 12-2 mark and a Mountain West Conference Championship during the 2001 season.
First Time For Everything The 2006 season marks the first time in Mountain West Conference history two teams have recorded 10 or more wins in a season. League champion BYU and runner-up TCU each finished the regular season with identical 10-2 records. BYU defeated TCU in head-to-head competition, knocking off the then-15th-ranked Horned Frogs, 31-17, in Fort Worth. The Cougars won the MWC Championship with a perfect 8-0 record, while TCU finished second with a 6-2 mark in league play.
MWC Predictions Below is a look at how the media poll favorite has fared in regular season play since 1999.
Year
Predicted Champion
Predicted Champ Finish
Actual Champion
Bowl Game
1999
BYU
T-1st
BYU/CSU/Utah
Motor City
2000
Utah
T-5th
Colorado St.
None
2001
Colorado St.
2nd
BYU
New Orleans
2002
Colorado St.
1st
Colorado St.
Liberty
2003
Colorado St.
3rd
Utah
San Francisco
2004
Utah
1st
Utah
Fiesta
2005
Utah
T-5th
TCU
Houston
2006
TCU
2nd
BYU
Las Vegas
BYU and TCU Among NCAA Leaders in Current Win Streaks BYU's nine-game win streak is currently the third-longest in the country, while TCU's seven consecutive wins is the fifth-longest active streak. Ohio State leads the NCAA with a 19-game win streak, followed by Boise State with 12. Below is a list of the current win streaks in the NCAA.
