Air Force Victory Sets Stage for MWC

With Air Force's Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl victory over Houston on New Years Eve, the Mountain West Conference moves to 4-0 in bowl play this year, also thanks to wins by Wyoming, Utah and BYU.

With one bowl game left to play this season, the Mountain West Conference has a chance to truly show the BCS how legitimate the league of nine is, as long as TCU can take care of business against Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. And TCU must get the job done in order help the MWC's case.

What makes the 2009 bowl season so much more important than last year? The Mountain West, along with the other non-BCS conferences, are more or less all trying out for their shot at an automatic BCS bid. This evaluation process started in 2008 and last through the 2011 season.

While the evaluation process is the same this season as it was last, what has changed is the spotlight, mainly because Utah's Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama in 2008 and the fact the MWC has hired a lobbyist in Washington DC to help the league's case.

But things got even more interesting on New Years Eve when Air Force embarrassed the Houston Cougars 47-20.

This is the second straight season the Mountain West has sent five teams to bowl games, but with the exception of Utah's upset over Alabama, the MWC had a mediocre showing going 3-2 overall with TCU playing craps with poor clock management against Boise State in the SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl, but were lucky to come up "winner seven."

Air Forces victory guaranteed that the Mountain West will at least go 4-1 in bowl games this season and opening the door for TCU to take the conference to a perfect 5-0, helping to strengthen the case that the BCS can't leave out one of the nation's best football conferences any longer.

Mountain West Conference in 2009 Bowl Games:

New Mexico Bowl (MWC vs. WAC):

Wyoming (7-6): 35
Fresno State (8-5): 28

Las Vegas Bowl (MWC vs. Pac-10):

BYU (11-2): 44
Oregon State (8-5): 20

Poinsettia Bowl (MWC vs. Pac-10):

Utah (10-3): 37
Cal (8-5): 27

Armed Forces Bowl (MWC vs. C-USA):

Air Force (7-5): 47
Houston (10-3): 20