CSNbbs

Waters not enthusiastic about Mountain West's agenda

February 20, 2009 7:00 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Graham Watson

Wright Waters doesn't want the Mountain West to get the seventh automatic BCS bid.

The Sun Belt Commissioner said that if the BCS had seven automatic bids, it would shut the rest of the non-automatic qualifying schools out of potential BCS bowls.

"There are only 10 slots," Waters said. "If you go from six to seven automatic qualifiers then you're filling three at-large spots rather than four. And when you've only got four, every one of them is important. I am not in favor of a seventh automatic qualifying team."

MWC's records against the other conferences
Conference.........Games.......W-L......Win pct......PF-PA
ACC.....................14..........6-8.........42.9.......23.9-24.0
Big 10...................20..........6-14.......30.0.......18.1-24.4
Big 12...................45.........17-28.......37.8.......21.1-27.0
Big East.................8...........3-5.........37.5.......28.3-31.5
C-USA..................30.........18-12.......60.0.......27.0-22.2
Independents.........36.........20-16.......55.6.......29.0-24.4
MAC.....................10..........5-5.........50.0.......23.2-26.5
Pac-10..................70.........26-44.......37.1.......19.8-26.5
SEC......................15..........6-9.........40.0.......24.1-30.1
Sun Belt................14.........11-3.........78.6.......36.1-16.3
WAC.....................71.........41-30.......57.7.......28.1-24.2
Note: Includes all current MWC teams since 1999, and TCU since 2005.
Waters, who has been the Sun Belt commissioner for 10 years, was not aware of Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson's trip to Washington this week, but was disheartened by the fact that government is starting to get involved in college football.

He also fears for his own conference. It already has limited bowl opportunities and he doesn't want to see any of those disappear because they produce much-needed money for the Sun Belt.

"I always hope the 11 [commissioners] are smart enough and the relationship is such that we could sit down and work through our problems," Waters said. "Sometimes, there aren't solutions to our problems and then we just have to figure out the best way to mitigate the damage.

"I was a political science major and I must have missed or not read the part where the BCS was mentioned in the constitution."

The Mountain West was the best of the non-automatic qualifying conferences this year. Three of its teams -- Utah, TCU and BYU -- finished with double-digit wins and ranked in the Top 25. Thompson said during Friday's teleconference that the conference has six years worth of progress that shows that it's deserving of an automatic bid.

But a closer look at the last six years shows that although the Mountain West has had four winning nonconference seasons during the past six years, it hasn't exactly fared well against the conferences that already have automatically qualifying bids until recently.

The Mountain West doesn't have a winning record against any of the major conferences in 10 total years of competition. Teams such as TCU (15-3 since joining the MWC in 2005) and Utah (34-12) have carried the conference during the nonconference schedule. Meanwhile, teams such as San Diego State (11-32), UNLV (20-22), New Mexico (21-27) aren't holding up their end of the bargain especially since those records include games against other non-automatic qualifying schools and FCS teams.

Annual nonconference records
Year W L Bowls
1999 22 13 1-2
2000 18 20 3-0
2001 20 18 2-1
2002 18 27 0-3
2003 24 18 2-1
2004 18 17 2-1
2005 15 17 2-2
2006 19 21 3-1
2007 24 16 4-1
2008 25 11 3-2

Up until this season, the Mountain West had struggled mightily against ranked teams outside of its own conference. According to the Mountain West media guide, BYU, New Mexico, San Diego State and Wyoming have never beaten a ranked foe outside of conference play.

"In my mind, if you are what you say you are, why do you need an automatic qualifier?" Waters said. "If you are as good as you say you are then you don't need the protection of an automatic qualifier. Let's put the best 10 teams in there. If that makes someone nervous that we're going down the playoff road, I'm sorry. But what are we trying to do? I think that's where the BCS historically has said its just trying to match No. 1 and 2 and everything else is just for fun. But the automatic qualifier piece just has a lot of pinnacles to it."

Waters doesn't resist change. In fact, he called the BCS an evolving process that probably needed to generate more opportunities for the current non-automatic qualifying schools in the coming years. That process already has begun with the current evaluation period that could both add and subtract automatic qualifiers from the various FBS conferences.

But Waters' point is that the evolution of college football is not just about one conference, but the sport as a whole.

"Three years ago, our five conferences weren't part of it and I think as people look back, it's been a very good move," Waters said. "But maybe it's time for further evolution. But that's something that has to work out in the best interest in the majority of the schools, I think.

"I don't know what [the Mountain West's] plan is and any time you take on a project of this magnitude, you better have a really good exit strategy because at the end of the day, the BCS is still a voluntary organization. Our leagues volunteer to be part of it. I think when you join a club, you also subscribe to the club's rules."

Mountain West Conference, Craig Thompson, Wright Waters

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/others/0-4-71...genda.html

If the six major conferences get automatic bids every year then the MWC is certainly deserving of one.

I don't think the ACC or BE deserve autobids over the MWC but they still get them.

As for non-BCS teams being locked out of the BCS games because the MWC gets an autobid, that can be easily solved by allowing one of the three at-large bids to be taken by a non-BCS team. It's not like the three at-large bids HAVE to go to BCS schools. There used to be only two at-large bids for the BCS conferences before a 5th BCS game was added.

If the MWC doesn't get an autobid then the rules need to be changed further by giving an automatic bid to the highest ranked non-BCS team regardless if they are not in the top 12.

It's total garbage that a BCS school can be ranked 17th yet still get an autobid only because of their conference affiliation. If non-BCS schools have to adhere to the rules of being ranked in the top 12 then so should BCS teams.

the whole BCS is a bunch of bull. it's just another way for the "haves" and "have nots" to remain in those positions. the 6 biggest conferences got together and figured a way to keep themselves as the dominante force in collegiate football. how is that NOT a bully scenario? The system needs to be scraped and a playoff system needs to be established. yeah i know, everyone is saying that, but here is how i think it should go.

take the 5 BCS bowls, add one more (current most prestigious non-BCS bowl), make THEM the playoff system. top 12 teams play it out. this makes every one of the BCS bowls mean something, instead of only one meaning anything like it is now. keep the rest of the bowls, let them run like they currently do as a post-season reward for the rest of the country.

"Galojah not enthusiastic about Wright Water's agenda"


I like my title better :)

Quote:the whole BCS is a bunch of bull. it's just another way for the "haves" and "have nots" to remain in those positions.

A playoff fixes this how? I guess a government-imposed redistribution of wealth looks a lot better when you're on the bottom...

Quote:the 6 biggest conferences got together and figured a way to keep themselves as the dominante force in collegiate football. how is that NOT a bully scenario?

Uh... That's not why (and how) the BCS was established.

Quote:The system needs to be scraped and a playoff system needs to be established. yeah i know, everyone is saying that, but here is how i think it should go.

Everyone? Chris Petersen (HC @ Boise State) is actually opposed to a playoff, so the issue isn't as one-sided as the polls would indicate.

Quote:take the 5 BCS bowls, add one more (current most prestigious non-BCS bowl), make THEM the playoff system.

There's much more to those bowls than just the game, you know. The chances that they'll never go for that proposal are about 102% (with a 2% margin of error).

your first post is aimed at picking mine apart? i'd atleast expect a "hello everyone" and a handshake first. we all have our opinions, and all of those opinions can be picked apart when in print. i feel my previous post lays out a very good format and I will stick to that. you can feel how you want about it, but maybe next time you don't be such a smart a** mmmk? :007:

I'm just pointing out that your proposal isn't going to work. I also don't really see the need to completely overhaul the current system, nor have I ever heard a logical argument in favor doing so. The people making the decisions seem to agree. Until there's a legitimate reason to change the system, change isn't going to happen.

well you are entitled to your own opinion, and so am i. it may not be something that will happen anytime soon, but that doesn't mean we can't talk about it, or that it's a good idea.

I'm not surprised the Sun Belt Commissioner bashes the Mountain West after signing their biggest TV deal in their history as a conference with ESPN. ESPN is loathed by MWC fans. Our coverage on ESPN is a joke, even though we have a powerful conference. They really low-balled us for a TV deal a few years ago, then we started our own network and things have taken off.

Let's not kid ourselves, the MWC either wants to be an AQ or collapse the entire system. We need a better system in college football.

The MWC will eventually sign the BCS deal, but they want to make sure to separate themselves from the rest of the nonAQ's.

(02-24-2009 02:30 AM)RockyMtnRamfan Wrote: [ -> ]The MWC will eventually sign the BCS deal, but they want to make sure to separate themselves from the rest of the nonAQ's.

This is not a slam on the MWC or RMRamfan it is more like local, Southern humor . . . I thought the comment sounded so VERY familiar. Anybody care to guess . . . LOL !!!!

i agree that the Mountain West is by far the best non-BCS conference. I wish the Sun Belt could rise to their level. Mind you this is comning from one of the most die-hard Sun Belt fans out there. I just have respect for the MWC because they have done what the rest of us WANT to do. Still, I do not want them to become a BCS conference. I think the BCS needs to be scraped. It maintains the "haves" and "have-nots."

(02-24-2009 06:19 PM)Trojan Delta Chi Wrote: [ -> ]i agree that the Mountain West is by far the best non-BCS conference. I wish the Sun Belt could rise to their level. Mind you this is comning from one of the most die-hard Sun Belt fans out there. I just have respect for the MWC because they have done what the rest of us WANT to do. Still, I do not want them to become a BCS conference. I think the BCS needs to be scraped. It maintains the "haves" and "have-nots."

Exactly, we need a real tournament to determine a real champion.

I'm not enthusiastic about Wrong Waters.

Sounds like a big bottle of Haterade.

(02-28-2009 07:57 PM)firmbizzle Wrote: [ -> ]Sounds like a big bottle of Haterade.

directed at who?