This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
This is sort of like the proverbial shooting fish in a barrel, but it's hard not to make fun of the Mountain West Conference. Because it's just so darn easy.
The league announced its new logo — which is sort of ugly and meaningless, but who cares?
But what almost begs to be mocked is the new tagline — "This is our time."
What? Really? Are you kidding?
Let's see, you've lost Utah and BYU. You're losing TCU. What you've become is essentially the Western Athletic Conference 2.
This is your time to, what, cement yourselves as a mid-major forever?
The addition of Boise State can't make up for losing the Cougars, Utes and Frogs. Adding Fresno, Nevada and Hawaii was a brilliant move to preserve the MWC's existence — perhaps killing the WAC in the process — but any dreams of being part of the BCS are dead.
And, in terms of television. you've taken a considerable step down.
Nobody cares about the new logo. But claiming "this is our time" is just going to make the Mountain West Conference into a punchline.
More of a punchline.