Sideline Pass:

The biggest game of the year for the Broncos may be one they’re not even playing. Brigham Young University will visit the University of Utah Saturday with far more on the line than the Mountain West Conference Championship.

The Utah Utes 11-0 (7-0 in the MWC) have been on a collision course with the Bowl Championship Series all year. Now they are just one win away from finishing their season undefeated and busting the BCS for the second time in five years.

Brigham Young 10-1 (6-1 in the MWC) comes into the game with nothing to lose after getting their BCS hopes crushed earlier in the year by Texas Christian. The Cougars can still clinch a share of the MWC Championship with a victory over the rival Utes in the annual Holy War game.

Utah found themselves in tough situations many times this year, escaping narrowly against Michigan, Oregon State, New Mexico and Texas Christian. Utah won all four of those games by a combined 11 points to keep their BCS chances alive and to stay in front of Boise State, another team looking to get an automatic bid to the BCS.

Boise State is also undefeated at 10-0, but is on the outside looking in. The Utes are keeping Boise State from getting their second BCS bid in three years. Because the Utes are ranked ahead of the Broncos in the BCS standings at No. 7, they are in the driver’s seat to earn the automatic bid that only goes to one non-BCS conference team.

BSU is sitting at No. 9 in the BCS standings and would have slim chances of crashing the BCS party if the Utes don’t lose to the Cougars Saturday. The automatic bid only goes to the highest ranked non-BCS conference team, meaning that Boise State would have to hope for an at-large bid if the Utes don’t lose this weekend against BYU.

Earning an at-large bid would be very difficult for the Broncos considering the strength of schedule they have, compared to most teams in BCS conferences.

With teams like Ohio State, Penn State and Southern California also competing for the at-large bid, it would be hard for Boise State to make a good enough case to be considered a better candidate for the bid.

All the Broncos can do is win the remaining the two games on their schedule against Nevada this Saturday in Reno, and against Fresno State at Bronco Stadium Nov. 28. If the Broncos don’t win their last two games the Holy War will mean nothing to their overall outcome, which more than likely would be Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl against a sub-par Atlantic Coast Conference team at Bronco Stadium Dec. 30.

For the Broncos, it all comes down to this, win the remainder of their games and hope Utah loses against BYU to get an automatic BCS berth, or watch Utah beat BYU and see the Utes take the BCS from the Broncos for the second time in
five years.

TRENT LOOTENS
Arbiter Journalist

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