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Golden Nuggets: A New BCS Conference?

After picking up Boise St earlier this summer, the Mountain West Conference has taken two more of the top programs from the WAC--Fresno State and Nevada. While it looks like the WAC will fade away, is the MWC on the verge of becoming a BCS conference? One uncertainty in the conference's future is BYU, whose football program is exploring the option of becoming independent.

"We're simply looking at getting better, and we got better tonight with Fresno State and Nevada joining our league," Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson said in a conference call Wednesday night.

Thompson spoke after returning from a meeting in Philadelphia with Comcast and CBS officials, who said they wanted the league and its television network -- The Mtn. -- to reach more markets. The league started the network a few years ago, giving up national exposure on ESPN for more scheduling freedom.

"[Expansion] just made lot of sense at this particular juncture. We got better and we helped our TV position," he said.

The MWC also helped its bargaining position with BYU, which is reportedly mulling going independent in football and joining the WAC in all other sports. The Cougars have not confirmed anything and might need another look before making anything official. At this rate, there might not be much of a WAC left to join.

After the jump Shane Vereen catches the attention of the Hornung Award, the Memorial Stadium renovations relieve overcrowding in the West concourse, and the depth chart becomes clearer after days 11 and 12 of fall camp.

Football