Each time you see Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore evade a Texas Christian defender in the Fiesta Bowl on Monday consider that, in the process, he is also helping put distance between the Broncos and the University of Hawai'i.

Every time running back Jeremy Avery races past a linebacker or receiver Austin Pettis leaves a defensive back behind, they are also helping pull away from the rest of the Western Athletic Conference.

As much as the Broncos represent the WAC in the bowl season, they are also using the Bowl Championship Series bucks earned from the appearance to put more daylight between themselves and their would-be conference rivals. Again.

Consider the Broncos might, after bowl expenses, net nearly $2 million from football payouts this season. Meanwhile, UH and the rest of the WAC will be cashing checks closer to $550,000.

Make no mistake about it, the Warriors and their brethren are grateful for the checks the Broncos' success is writing for them. But they should also be concerned about the growing competitive disparity that comes with it.

With two BCS appearances in four seasons, the Broncos figure to bank upwards of $8 million from that span, more than $2 million above UH and more than double most other WAC members.

Those are the spoils of success and the Broncos have certainly earned theirs with seven conference titles in eight years. It has allowed them to invest heavily in their coaches and facilities to lengthen their hold on conference supremacy.

"One of the reasons Boise State has dominated the WAC for years is to have continuity in the head coach and coaching staff," said WAC commissioner Karl Benson.

The Idaho Statesman reports the head coach's salary will have jumped 160 percent from 2005 to 2010, when Chris Petersen's salary will hit $1.3 million to overtake UH's Greg McMackin as the conference's highest. Equally telling is that the coordinators' salaries have risen 54 percent, according to the Statesman, to $215,000.

"They have certainly made a significant commitment to their coaches and facilities," Benson noted.

Boise State has been buying more than new yards of blue turf, using much of the payout from its first Fiesta Bowl appearance in 2006 to help finance the construction of four stories of luxury suites, club boxes and loge seating at expanded Bronco Stadium. The kind that will help generate additional revenue for years to come.

UH, meanwhile, used the bulk of its Sugar Bowl payout to take a bite out of its more than $5 million accumulated net deficit.

It isn't hard to imagine who has taken the biggest step toward a 2010 title.