It's the same thing, only different, for the Utah Utes.

As was the case in 2004, they enter the rivalry game with BYU undefeated and just one win away from an outright Mountain West Conference title and a trip to the Bowl Championship Series.

The venue (Rice-Eccles Stadium) is the same, however, the circumstances are a little different.

Just ask Morgan Scalley, who will have played a role in both games — the first as a player and the second as an assistant coach.

"In '04 BYU wasn't fighting for a share of the title. There's that added pressure. We want to be the outright champions," Scalley said. "I've been telling my guys all week that what you're playing for is much bigger than the rivalry. You can't let the rivalry get in the way of what you're playing for." The eighth-ranked Utes (11-0) will be playing for one of college football's elite prizes — a financially lucrative BCS berth and a guaranteed spot in the Fiesta, Orange, Rose or Sugar Bowl.

"The message is the same as it was in 2004," Scalley said. "It doesn't happen to a lot of people."

Same goes for going undefeated and winning a conference championship, he noted.

Utah can do it all, plus avenge heartbreaking losses to BYU the past two years, with a win.

And there's more.

A victory would deny the 16th-ranked Cougars (10-1) a share of a third consecutive MWC crown. It would also extend the nation's longest active win streak — that the Utes currently share with Alabama and Texas Tech — to 13 games.

"They'll be ready to play," Scalley predicts. "The bottom line is no one puts more pressure on these players than themselves."

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said his team isn't oblivious to the big picture.

"We obviously have smart players. They understand what's at stake," he explained. "All you can do is just go out and do your thing. Once the ball is in the air on Saturday afternoon, it's just football."

All the pregame hype, though, is building this matchup as something special. The rivals have never met with rankings this high on both sides.

Some are calling it the "biggest game ever" in the state of Utah.

Whittingham, however, is hesitant to back the billing.

"I don't know. I can't answer that. In '04 we had the same thing on the line as far as us trying to make it into that BCS deal," he said as his weekly press conference on Monday. "So I don't know if you can say it's the biggest. Drama's not my thing. I'll leave that up to you guys."

Dramatic conclusions, however, have become the norm in this series. The last three games have been decided by a total of just 16 points.

Utah quarterback Brian Johnson expects more of the same. All he cares about, though, is getting a win.

"That would say it all," Johnson said. "Historically, these games have been close the last couple of years. Anything can happen, but to go out with a win would be really nice."

With all that's riding on it, Johnson is taking a determined approach.

"Opportunities like this don't come around very often," he said. "The goal for us is to take advantage of it."

Utah's eventual bowl destination, Johnson added, isn't a concern.

"We'll worry about that when it gets here," he said. "Right now all my focus is on trying to win the football game on Saturday."

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E-mail: dirk@desnews.com