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With BYU's win over San Diego State last night, the Cougars have completed their climb to the top of the alltime Mountain West Conference standings.
Since the inception of the league in 1999, Utah had ended every season and started the next as the league's top performer in conference competition. As recently as 2005, BYU trailed Utah by 15 games in the overall league tally, 63-21 to 48-36.
Over the last two seasons-plus, BYU has caught the Utes atop the MWC alltime standings list. Following Utah's loss at the Pit and the Cougs' win over the Aztecs, the two teams are now tied for the best overall record in conference play, at 76-44.
In other words, since the start of the Dave Rose era in 2005, BYU is 28-8 in league play, while the Utes are 13-23.
By the way, UNLV is three games back in the conference tally at 73-47, then there is a 13-and-a-half game separation between UNLV and 4th place Wyoming (60-61).
Overall (nonconference games included), UNLV has the alltime MWC win-loss lead at 177-93, with BYU and Utah tied for second at 176-94. 4th place New Mexico is 22 games back of the Cougars and Utes. So, clearly, there is a "Big Three" in the MWC, but one of the three is fading--although Jim Boylen was hired to reverse the Utes' slide and return them to the upper echelon of the league, with BYU, UNLV and resurgent San Diego State.
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Some homecourt notes, in light of BYU's 41st consecutive homecourt victory...
BYU's home record:
since the start of the 1999-2000 season: 118-12 (90.7%)
since Jan 1, 2000 (in other words, this decade): 112-12 (90.3%)
since start of BYU record-setting 44-game home win streak on Feb 19, 2000: 108-10 (91.6%)
from Feb 19, 2000 through Mar 1, 2004: 62-1 (98.4%)
since start of 2005-06 season: 41-1 (97.6%)
undefeated home seasons this decade: 4 (5th in progress) [**only 5 other undefeated seasons alltime at MC prior to this decade**]
undefeated or 1-loss home seasons this decade: 6 (7th in progress) [**only 8 other undefeated/1-loss seasons alltime at MC prior to this decade**]
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If BYU can tie the school-record 44-game streak on Feb. 16, it will do so against the team that started the 44-game streak on Feb. 19, 2000: UNLV.
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Still researching this, but I believe BYU may be the only team in the country to have put together two separate 40-plus game homecourt win streaks this decade.
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