2007 record: 11-2, 8-0 (1st in Mountain West)
2007 bowl: Beat UCLA 17-16 in Las Vegas Bowl
2007 final AP/coaches' ranking: 14/14
Coach: Bronco Mendenhall (28-10, 3 years)
Offensive coordinator: Robert Anae (4th year)
Defensive coordinator: Jamie Hill (1st year)
Returning offensive starters: 9
Returning defensive starters: 3
Location: Provo, Utah
Stadium: LaVell Edwards Stadium (grass, 64,045)
Last league title: 2007
2008 schedule: [view]
2007 statistics: [view]

Offensive: The Cougars led the Mountain West in scoring (30.1 points per game) last season, and those numbers could spike even higher. Junior quarterback Max Hall, who originally signed with Arizona State, went on a church mission and landed at BYU, hadn’t played since 2003. But he didn’t exactly look rusty, passing for 3,848 yards as a sophomore. Hall has weapons galore — including Harvey Unga, BYU’s first freshman to rush for 1,000 yards, and junior receiver Austin Collie, who caught 56 passes for 946 yards. The offensive line returns four starters, including standout left tackle Dallas Reynolds. The lone newcomer, junior center Tom Sorenson, is a transfer from Vanderbilt.

Defensive: BYU’s defense, which ranked ninth nationally against the run (97.5 yards per game) last season, is in transition after losing eight starters. Junior defensive end Jan Jorgensen (14 sacks) is the likely focal point. Senior David Nixon is leader of the linebacking corps.

Specialists: BYU shouldn’t have any worries at place-kicker. Sophomore Mitch Payne, who hit 10 of his 14 attempts last season, has returned. But the Cougars also have Parade All-American Justin Sorensen, who booted a 62-yard field goal in high school. Collie (25.8 yards on kickoffs) is an above-average return man.

Game of the year Sept. 13 vs. UCLA This could be the spark BYU needs to jump into the BCS hunt. The Cougars won’t be in awe. They defeated UCLA 17-16 in last season’s Las Vegas Bowl.

Coaching: Bronco Mendenhall has guided BYU back to glory days, building the program back from his initial seasons, when the Cougars took a back seat to Urban Meyer’s Utah teams. After back-to-back 11-2 seasons, Mendenhall has BYU on the upswing, and he has rekindled the days of legendary coach LaVell Edwards.

Heisman Hopefuls: None this season. Making a BCS bowl will be the fitting trophy for all BYU players.

Overview: BYU is clearly the class of the Mountain West Conference. After two unbeaten seasons in the league, a three-peat would be an unbelievable accomplishment. Maybe it’s hard to visualize because the likes of Utah and TCU are bound to break through sooner or later. But the Cougars have the capability to go 12-0. There’s an opportunity to make an early impression against Pac-10 opponents Washington and UCLA. If the Cougars can take care of that business, then again run though the Mountain West, a major bowl bid seems all but assured.

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