Has BYU lost in the race for a bowl bid? (MWC trying to get 3 teams in bowls)
Deseret News 29Nov99 S3
By Jeff Call: Deseret News Sports Writer

PROVO, UTAH -- Caught in a 3-way tie for the new Mountain West Conference's first championship in football, BYU has lost in its attempt to attend either of the bowls promised to the conference. Yesterday both the Liberty Bowl, who had first choice of Mountain West teams, and the EA Sports Las Vegas Bowl, who had second choice, skipped over BYU, leaving it at the mercy of an invitation from another Bowl.

BYU, which had at one point reached 13th in the Associated Press poll, had longed for the chance to attend a more prestigious bowl than the Liberty Bowl, but back-to-back losses in its last two games to Wyoming and then Utah knocked the team from the AP top 25 and BYU ended the season in a tie for the Mountain West Conference title, which it had been expected to win.

The Mountain West Conference was working hard Monday to try and save the situation, trying to get BYU a spot in the Motor City Bowl in Detroit. But BYU is reportedly not happy with the idea, because the arrangement would hurt it financially. TV network ESPN is also pushing the arrangement because it likes the matchup of BYU and undefeated Marshall, "ESPN would love to see a BYU-Marshall matchup," said BYU's assistant athletic director Duff Tittle. "BYU seems to be the only (MWC) team the Motor City Bowl is interested in. In defense of the commissioner, the league is deserving of three teams. But it would hurt us financially."

See also:

The EA SPORTS Las Vegas Bowl Announces Utah as the MWC Selection PRNewswire 29Nov99 S3

and

Liberty Bowl selects Colorado State to face Southern Mississippi Deseret News (AP) 29Nov99 S3 http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,145007372,00.html