Look, we're in a bad spot right now.

But I remember being in the old WAC, which was about as competitive as the MWC as currently constituted. Frankly, the conference chase didn't seem like much of a thrill. There were exceptions, sure, like when Ty started out 0-3 and we went down to the wire vs. SDSU with a 52-52 tie to win the title and earn a better bowl game. Air Force was an exciting match, as that often determined the conference winner. But the non-con, P-5 opponents were typically the most exciting games (by far).

The chase was more for national rankings and hoping we'd get someone meaningful to play, and potentially beat, in the Holiday Bowl, finishing up a top 25 season.

As Utah and TCU began their ascent, the MWC became more exciting, but they're gone. A carousel of pretty-good but not great teams are at the top of the MWC in most years, followed by mostly-garbage squads after that. It may well be that this is where BYU belongs, as I can't think of a team since Indy that I'd insist would've won the MWC. But I think some folks romanticize the thrill of playing for the title of a nothing league.

Why isn't playing for a top-25 finish, wins vs. major programs, and your place among the best BYU squads in history enough, or at least pretty darn comparable to the pride of saying "We were WAC champs back in '89?"