Week 14: BYU at San Diego State

This game was rescheduled from Oct. 27 because of wildfires in the San Diego area and creates an unusual situation for BYU.

The Cougars have already clinched an outright Mountain West Conference championship for the second year in a row and now have to regroup after an emotional contest with rival Utah last weekend, just to play a game that probably has no bearing on their postseason destination.

While still not officially released from Bowl Championship Series consideration, the Cougars are likely headed to the Las Vegas Bowl for the third year in a row. So all they are really playing for in San Diego is a chance to move up in the national rankings, finish unbeaten in conference play again and maintain a shot at matching last year's 11-2 record.

The Aztecs are just trying to demonstrate further improvement in coach Chuck Long's second season. Ironically, they beat BYU in 2005, but that was not enough to save former coach Tom Craft's job. That game convinced BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall that an all-out passing attack was not working, and the Cougars have become much more balanced ever since.

In their return to San Diego, the Cougars should be able to do whatever they like offensively. TCU certainly did so last week, racking up 694 total yards against the Aztecs, almost evenly divided between running and passing.

BYU moved the ball well against Utah's solid defense, but the Cougars still needed a 49-yard completion on a fourth-and-18 play to move into position for a 17-10 victory after trailing 10-9 in the last two minutes. BYU finished with 424 total yards.

BYU's rushing defense is tough and the Aztecs have a meager rushing attack. That adds up to a bunch of passing for SDSU quarterback Kevin O'Connell. The Cougars, who held Utah to 244 total yards, do not allow much downfield passing, so O'Connell will have to be patient against them.

Under the usual circumstances, BYU would have no trouble in this game. The Cougars' mental and emotional state are big variables, and they also may be trying to protect quarterback Max Hall's injured shoulder, but they still should be able to run to a convincing victory.

BYU by 20