Lack of Respect Comes With the Territory For the WAC, Mountain West

If you play in the Western Athletic Conference, you're used to the lack of respect that comes with playing in the conference.

You're used to hearing things like "you can't play with the big boys," or "it's easy to run up stats against bad teams." You get used to fans saying that about teams like Fresno State, Boise State and Hawaii, regardless of what their record is and regardless of who they've beaten along the way.

I can remember, back in 1992, Fresno State was chosen to play in the Freedom Bowl in Anaheim, CA. Their opponent was chosen a few days later, it turned out to be none other than USC—the Trojans would be playing in their own backyard.

Comments made by then USC quarterback Rob Johnson became bulletin board material for the Bulldogs. "We wouldn't schedule them if it wasn't a bowl game. We want to put them in their place."

That lack of respect came back to bite Johnson and the Trojans as the Bulldogs, led by former NFL quarterback and Super Bowl champion Trent Dilfer, pulled off an improbable 24-7 victory.

It happened again almost 15 years later, this time it was Boise State that was in the role of the underdog. In the role of the team that some felt didn't deserve to be in a BCS game simply because of the conference they played in.

No one, outside their own fans and some inside the WAC, felt Boise could win this game. Not against Oklahoma and not with star running back Adrian Peterson returning to the Sooners' backfield.

Boise State hung with Oklahoma all game long, through all four quarters, and after the clock ticked down to triple zeros; both teams were still deadlocked.

It was in overtime where the Boise State magic came out. A touchdown pulled Boise to within one point and the play that came just after that was even more improbable than the fact that Boise was still in the game against the Big XII champion.

A statue of liberty play, something almost never seen in a big situation, worked to perfection, giving Boise State a shocking 43-42 victory and making the game an instant classic.

Though there have been big wins accomplished by both Boise State and Fresno State, the conference as a whole still is looked at as one of the worst in college football. They're looked at as undeserving of a BCS bowl game because of their conference schedule, that they're unworthy of facing some of the best that college football has to offer.

If these top conferences believe that they're so much better than teams like Boise State or Fresno State, why not prove it?

According to reports, and though this team is outside of the WAC but still considered a "lesser conference," Utah attempted to schedule a non-conference game with the Florida Gators this season. The deal fell through when Florida would only play in Gainesville or on a neutral field, they refused to play at Utah.

About a week ago, I had written an article backing Fresno State running back Ryan Mathews to at least get him into the Heisman conversation. When I brought his name up in a different conversation, I was told "it's easy to put up stats against bad teams."

That's an interesting thing to say seeing as Fresno State's schedule is currently ranked No. 6 in the Sagarin rankings and the combined record of their opponents is 16-3. Not to mention that three of them are undefeated and two of them are currently ranked in the Top 10.

Putting up good numbers against teams like that is lot more impressive than Florida doing it against Charleston Southern (2-3), Troy (3-2) and FIU (0-4), putting them currently at No. 107 in the rankings.

But, regardless of what stats are thrown out, conferences like the WAC and the Mountain West never get the same respect regardless of who they play during their non-conference schedule. Nor will they ever play for a national championship, regardless of their record at the end of the season.

In college basketball, they created "March Madness" to give 65 teams a chance to earn a national title shot regardless of what conference they play in.

In college football, two teams get that title shot handed to them. And here's the best part, it's only because of the conference they play in.

Still wondering why there's always an argument at the end of the college football season?