BCS again holds NCAA hostage

The University of Utah deserves the right to return to a BCS bowl and there represent the non-automatic qualifying conferences, the Mountain West Conference, the state of Utah, the Crimson Club, their fans, parents of players, wives of coaches and every downtrodden, left-out aspect of college football not included in the crazy cartel.

Right?

Of course.

After defeating three currently ranked teams, going undefeated and achieving a top-6 ranking, Utah in a BCS bowl is a no-brainer. Even pundits and schools decrying how one-loss teams from the SEC, Big 12 and other conferences will be left out while Utah is included must agree at some level the Utes have earned the right for the slot, meeting all the regulations and rules along the way.

But — and this is how crazy this BCS thing is — the Mountain West's entire bowl picture is held hostage by the BCS right now. No bowl invitations have been handed out; no real concrete plans for hotels and tickets can be made. Entire communities in Las Vegas, San Diego, New Mexico, Fort Worth and Boise — all of them homes of non-BCS bowls — are on hold.

Why? Well, it's so the BCS can rattle some sabers and committee members can dance like poodles under strobe lights on Dec. 7 when the "official" BCS announcement is made, sending teams like Utah to their assigned place and others to a national championship site for a face-off.

Here's the catch: Utah is going, but nobody can act until it is absolutely certain that No. 6-ranked (BCS poll) Utah isn't jumped by No. 9 Boise State, which beat Fresno State on Friday night. Regardless of the outcome, one more week must go by for conference playoffs, before a final ranking is achieved and bowl invitations are tendered.

The chances of Boise State jumping Utah are as good as my shower-song talent being mistaken for Josh Groban. Not happening.

Still, the BCS holds all the strings for the Las Vegas, Poinsettia, New Mexico, Bell Helicopter and Humanitarian Bowl and their respective invitations. When these non-BCS bowls get their strings pulled, they can move.

Stupid.

The Las Vegas Bowl can't invite BYU to play the Pac-10's No. 4 team until it is certain (although it is) that Utah isn't left out of the BCS and would need to land there. The Poinsettia can't invite TCU to play Boise State until Las Vegas acts. The Humanitarian Bowl can't find a Boise State replacement until its WAC committee decides how to handle a possible Boise State trip to San Diego, and thus go the dominoes in Fort Worth with the Bell Helicopter Armed Services Bowl and the other MWC-tied bowl in Albuquerque.

Is there anyone out there that doesn't believe Utah is going to a BCS bowl? Or that Colorado State is headed for the New Mexico Bowl?

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