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Show COUGAR"; Top of the third Tad Walch Earning You respect for fountain West a big task have to give the West one thing: It will immediately become an excellent football conference. Sure, it isn't the SEC, but it's not a big leap to believe it will be better than the WAC ever was. Football can't bring a confernationence that al respect all by itself, however. The Mountain West does, on the surface, have the potential for being a very good basket ball conference, but it will miss some of its former WAC sisters. But true national respect not from fans but from college presidents, who are the ones who count in decision-makincircles comes from excellence. g THE MWC is hurting in that category. Just look at the final Sears Directors' Cup standings. If next year is the same as last, BYU will be i in t a familiar position. For 20 or more years, the Cougars were the WAC's flagship athletic program. 1998-9was no different, with BYU finishing 12th in the , country in the Sears Cup,. which is supposed to measure all sports excellence. WAC school The next-bes- t was SMU, at 31st. . Directors1 Cup Final .Standings 9 THAT'S A terrible gap, but it's not nearly as disastrous as the one between BYU and the next-beMountain West school. Utah was 56th. This is why the Mountain West presidents are talking! about creating a system of checks on member schools. How it will work, exactly, is up in the air, but they want commissioner Craig Thompson to be able to come down on schools which aren't performing. Looks like he'll have plenty to is unpredictable, make sure your service isn't! do. Cougar Nation editor Tad Walch can be reached via at twalch(heraldextra.eom. Mountain West Sears' finishes Points PI. School Stanford 2. Georgia 3. Penn State 4 Florida' 1. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. . st When the weather Sears 1998-9- 9 UCLA Michigan Duke Virginia Arizona .r 9. USC Texas 12. BYU 11. 12. 12. 15. ,1 6. 17. 1 7. 17. Arizona State Nebraska Ohio State Louisiana State Arkansas North Carolina Tennessee Auburn Minnesota Washington Cal 20. 21. 21. 23. 24. Maryland 25. Notre Dame 25. Wisconsin 970 720 600 580 570 520 510 490 470 470 440 420 420 420 410 390 370 370 370 340 330 330 320 310 300 300 Note: The Sears Directors' Don't take any chances, subscribe to THE DAILY HERALD , today! Call 375-510- 3 1 Points School PI. . BYU ' , 420 , Utah 74. Colorado State 80. New Mexico 86. San Diego State 95. UNLV 4 . Air Force 56. : 1 1 141. Wyoming 160 110 00 90 80 40 40 1 Cup is designed to rank college athletic programs by which is best overall. finish in a sport is worth 100 points while second earns 80. The scoring varies from there based on number of schools in a sport A first-plac- e and the nature of ties. |