BYU football notebook: Cougars play for respect, higher final poll ranking

LAS VEGAS — BYU opened the 2009 season with a big victory over then-No. 3 Oklahoma of the Big 12 at the Dallas Cowboys' new, billion-dollar stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The No. 15 Cougars finish the campaign tonight against No. 16 Oregon State — which finished No. 2 in a tough Pac-10 Conference — in the Las Vegas Bowl.

BYU, listed as a slight underdog against OSU, is hoping to represent the Mountain West Conference well, as it did against the Sooners.

"Whenever we play a BCS team, we want to win because we want to be able to gain that respect," said tight end Dennis Pitta. "Being a non-BCS team, you're kind of the stepbrother in this whole situation. You're outsiders looking in. Whenever you get an opportunity to play with the 'best teams' around the country, you want to prove yourself. Whether it's a Pac-10 team or an SEC team or a Big 12 team, there's no difference. You want to play well and you want to win the game."

Quarterback Max Hall, who transferred from Arizona State to BYU, is looking forward to playing a Pac-10 opponent in his final game as a Cougar.

"I think that's fitting — and to play one of the best teams out of the Pac-10," he said. "They were pretty close to being the best team out of the Pac-10. I think it also says that the Mountain West Conference is getting some respect. I think they sent one of the better Pac-10 teams to come play us because they want to make sure they have a good chance to win the game. You look at it as a compliment and a chance to play a great football team."

RANKINGS ON THE LINE: Tonight's game is the first meeting between two ranked teams in Las Vegas Bowl history.

"You look at the matchup this year and there's two top 20 football teams playing against each other. That speaks volumes," said Cougar coach Bronco Mendenhall. "That means the leagues are sending very good teams, which is one of the main reasons why you have a good bowl game."

A victory would propel the Cougars even higher in the national rankings. If BYU were able to crack the top 10 in the final rankings, "you're talking about momentum for the program, continued respect and continued growth and progress," Mendenhall said.

On the other side, the Beavers are looking at a similar bounce in the rankings if they can defeat the Cougars.

"Playing a team like BYU is good for us because they are ranked higher than us, so we'll we be able finish higher than we have before, with a win," said Oregon State receiver Damola Adeniji.