They really, really need a team to 1) get into the playoffs and 2) win a game (or two). Going into the season the teams that (in my opinion) were viewed most favorably nationally were the Utes and OSU (maybe TCU, too?). Both have played awful this year and the teams at the front of the conference have all slipped up a game or two. I thought that Colorado was possibly pulling away from the rest, but they laid an egg.

The conference is not getting the benefit of the doubt currently and it's going to take a really strong playoff performance to overcome that this year (right or wrong).