A Mormon dilemma: Mitt Romney or BYU football?

"'14-3, BYU!' he declared. 'We're winners all around tonight!'"

"High-fives were exchanged. Woo-hoos were emitted. And Mitt Romney's proudest and most loyal constituency soaked in the feeling of victory on a night when their political and religious standard-bearer finally decided to join them in the Mormon moment."

In LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, BYU spokeswoman Carri Jenkins said she sat in the university president's lodge with a television carrying the speech, while a television nearby aired the game playing out in front of her.

"It was really funny because there was a group of us that kept turning our heads from one to the other, so actually I was able to see both, which was terrific," she said in an email. "It really was a great night."

Back in Riverside, Calif., O'Connor said he avoided the temptation to switch between the two events by recording both and escaping to attend a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. On the way home from the game, he listened to Romney's speech on satellite radio and then settled in at home to watch the recording of BYU vs. Washington State.

BYU thumped WSU, 30-6.

"The Angels won, Mitt Romney knocked it out of the park and the Cougars beat Washington State," O'Connor said. "So, I'm tired today, but I'm wearing my Cougar blue golf shirt to work."

Here are some more tweets from the "Great BYU Mormon dilemma of Aug. 30, 2012":

Hmm...Mitt Romney #RNC speech or #collegefootball. Decisions, decisions. Go #BYU! Oh the irony...

— Claudine Meilink (@claudinerenee) August 31, 2012

.@mittromney: "and now for my economic plan..."...@gregwrubell: "touchdown!" #rnc #byu #mashup

— Jesse Stay (@Jesse) August 31, 2012

looks like Mormons are 2-0 tonight. #BYU / #RNC

— James Powell (@jamesbraxton) August 31, 2012

so Harper hits HR for #Nats; #Romney hits it out park at #RNC; and #BYU wiping floor with Wash State, up 24 in 3Q ... big night for #Mormons

— Victor Morton (@vjmsports) August 31, 2012

I love what's trending on twitter. #byu #G0P2012 #RNC twitter.com/RogerSanchez11

— Roger Sanchez (@RogerSanchez11) August 31, 2012

Romney delivers #RNC acceptance speech and #BYU drills #WSU on nat'l TV. Not a bad night for #Mormons.

— Dave Cotton (@KHQDaveCotton) August 31, 2012

A very Mormony night comes to an end. #RNC #BYU #winwin

— Sarah Holden (@HoldenNine) August 31, 2012

email: kharmer@deseretnews.com, rlowry@desnews.com Twitter: @harmerk