Brigham Young @ Air Force preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 21, 2009 ) Air Force 21, Brigham Young 38

After leaving many of their conference foes flustered and humiliated for almost a half century, BYU decided become an independent in football starting in 2011.

The school’s decision to depart the Mountain West Conference has been met with criticism and skepticism from inside and outside the MWC, some calling the move selfish and others saying the Cougars can’t survive on their own.

The Cougars have won or shared 24 conference championships since 1965 and are the last non-BCS team to win a national championship (1984) when they were still in the original Western Athletic Conference. The Cougars have played in 28 bowl games, more than any current member of the Mountain West Conference.

Before the Cougars turn to their independent status, they begin a farewell tour of the MWC with a conference opener at Air Force on Saturday.

The game figures to be emotional on a few fronts. It is the last regularly scheduled game in the rivalry that dates to the 1950s and also marks the ninth anniversary of 9/11. Air Force plans to commemorate the date with special festivities.

Then, this week, the Cougars jumped into the Top 25 at No. 24 after a 23-17 season-opening victory over Washington and Heisman Trophy candidate Jake Locker.

BYU, which leads the series 24-6, has a six-game winning streak over Air Force, including 5-0 under coach Bronco Mendenhall. All six of those wins have been relatively easy, the closest a 38-24 BYU win in 2008.

Those factors should have the Falcons sufficiently motivated.

Air Force has the nation’s top rushing attack, gaining 437 yards in a 65-21 rout of Northwestern State on Saturday. The Falcons had 616 total yards, the second-most of any FBS team during the opening week.

Asher Clark led the Falcons with 86 yards on 12 carries and one touchdown. He was one of five backs with at least 40 yards.

The Cougars are using a two-quarterback system with junior Riley Nelson and true freshman Jake Heaps. Each passed for 131 yards against Washington with Nelson throwing two touchdowns.

Air Force coach Troy Calhoun, who played the Cougars three times as a Falcons quarterback in the 1980s, praised Heaps, calling him a sure first-round NFL pick and saying “he’s more talented than any quarterback they’ve ever had.”

That’s a big statement considering the BYU legacy of quarterbacks, which includes Steve Young, Ty Detmer, Jim McMahon and Marc Wilson.

The Cougars’ quarterbacks could take advantage of an Air Force secondary that likely will be without starting senior cornerback Reggie Rembert, who suffered a lower neck injury in the opener. Rembert, a first-team all-MWC pick in 2009, was replaced by junior Josh Hill.

The Falcons have won 10 consecutive MWC openers and would love to help the Cougars begin their exit out of the conference with No. 11.