Conference Realignment Continues: Boise State to Mountain West

College football is going through changes of epic proportions.

As the Pac-10 and Big Ten try to reel in members from the Big 12, the Mountain West Conference added 2010 Fiesta Bowl champions Boise State early this morning.

Effective in July 2011, Boise State will join BYU, Utah, TCU, Air Force, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, UNLV and Wyoming, making it a 10-team conference. The MWC, which has only been around for 11 years, could have very well solved its problem of not receiving an automatic BCS bid.

Controversy has swirled around such teams like Boise State and TCU after undefeated seasons, BCS bowls and not being in a conference where the champ is guaranteed a BCS berth.

This new edition comes after the Mountain West stated Monday that they would hold off on expansion talk until the dust settles with Pac-10, Big 12 and Big Ten. Apparently this was an opportunity too vital to put on hold.

This is a huge step forward for the Boise State program, as they will now be competing with more successful football programs when compared to the WAC. Now playing BYU, TCU and Utah every year will help the reputation of the Broncos, as well as the Mountain West.

The question is: Will the MWC receive an automatic bid in 2011?

All signs point towards it depending on whether the Big 12 stays together or not. If it was to crumble, which indications look positive that it will, the Mountain West could gain the BCS bid that it has been striving for over the years.

It would be great to see an automatic bid reach the Mountain West, possibly making ties with the Pac-10 (or whatever it turns out to be) with bowl games.

This is a huge hit to the WAC, which is also trying to gain a respectable reputation among college football's major conferences. ESPN states that the WAC knew this was coming and has been preparing for the possible loss of Boise State, looking to the FCS for possible replacements.