Time to put my tinfoil hat on.
From 2005 to 2010 the MWC met every metric to be included as an Automatic Qualifier conference per BCS rules. I totally believe ESPN and the so called Power 5 conferences conspired to blow up the MWC by poaching Utah and TCU. Once Utah and TCU were gone the MWC no longer met the BCS criteria. BYU said screw it and went Indy, leaving the MWC to backfill with the dregs of college football... Utah St, San Jose St and Hawaii. In 2009 ESPN and the BCS conspired to put match up TCU and Boise St in the Fiesta Bowl because they were terrified of another Utah/Bama debacle X2. There was no way in hell they were going to allow two BCS schools to get beat that year by non BCS schools. I have no love for this crappy system or ESPN.
Keep your tin foil hat on and explain how it was a plot to kill the MWC when at the same time, the BigXII lost Nebraska to the Big10, Colorado to the Pac12, and MO and TAMU to the SEC. Sounds like the MWC got off easy compared to the BigXII.