BCS respect begins with stout schedule

Schedule easy to chalk up wins and look BCS-pretty? Or buckle down and play somebody to push your program forward.

That debate has taken a turn for the latter with BYU and Utah. And if you throw in Utah State and the first season by Gary Andersen, there is no fear of a fight from these guys.

As it should be.

It hasn't been that long since BYU scheduled some lower-division opponents such as Northern Iowa out of conference — even if it was a rush fill-in. Utah's done the same. It was during a time a good Hawaii team tiptoed into a BCS game against Georgia on a diet of petunias. Of course, Georgia made the Warriors pay.

Bronco Mendenhall says BYU has shifted its thinking with scheduling out of conference, and they'll beef it up in the future. That doesn't mean there won't be an opponent in non-conference scheduled as a win. Same for the Utes.

Times have changed.

Meaningful competition is everything.

While modern-day schedules are more fluid than in the past, the Cougars are weary about making announcements for far-in-the-future foes. A recent media guide showed a return game with Florida State and Washington and a regional series with WAC power Boise State.

Utah's Web site shows games at Iowa State and Notre Dame on the future calendar.

The Aggies not only play Utah and BYU, but Andersen's first year will be a gauntlet with a trip to College Station, Texas, to play Texas A&M. The Boise State game in conference could prove as difficult as the Big 12 opponent.

I think if you backed Whittingham, Andersen and Mendenhall up to a wall this month and talked about scheduling, none of the trio would sell a quick-fix win schedule. They'd say what doesn't kill you strengthens you.

And it should.

Players get a sense of what it takes to compete when they play stronger competition. A laugher that gets half the starters pulled after halftime proves little.

"I've really chosen to take a longer-term perspective than what I had or thought two years ago where you could consider scheduling playing the easiest teams non-conference to be undefeated," Mendenhall explained.

When the Cougars went the easy route, there was criticism, but none more than what Mendenhall, his staff and athletic director Tom Holmoe applied. "We need a balance," is how the athletic director put it.