Election Day makes short week shorter for No. 9 BYU, No. 21 Boise State

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PROVO — BYU's Top-25 matchup with Boise State was always going to be played on a short week, due to the Broncos' Friday night home game plans with TV partner Fox (7:45 p.m. MT, FS1).

But because the game — which could be argued is the biggest game for the Cougars in at least two decades — falls in a certain every-fourth-year, both teams will get even less time to prep.

After a new NCAA mandate that requires teams to keep student-athletes free on Election Day, neither the Cougars nor the Broncos will be able to hold team activities on Nov. 3.

No team practices. No team training. Not even team meetings.

Instead, the day will be set aside for "civic engagement," for voting, for learning about the candidates, and for volunteer efforts. With Utah's standing as a vote-by-mail state, that also means every player or staff member will likely send in their election ballot before Tuesday, either by mail or via absentee ballot to their home state.

For that reason, and because the Cougars, who climbed to No. 9 in both in the Associated Press and Coaches polls Sunday, historically don't practice or meet on Sundays per university policy as the flagship institution of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, BYU coach Kalani Sitake said the Cougars sought a waiver to hold some form of practice Tuesday.

They were denied.

"We'll have to just deal with it," Sitake said after BYU's 41-10 win over Western Kentucky to improve to 7-0 for the first time since 2001. "I look at this like a Thursday game in preparation."

It's a challenge, for sure. But it's also not a challenge the Cougars are facing alone. Every school in the NCAA is facing an off-day as the overarching amateurism organization focuses on civic engagement and educating its athletes about voter issues.

For BYU, it comes on a short week. But so, too, with Boise.

"It is a significant challenge, but every challenge is a great opportunity," BYU offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes said Monday on his Coordinators Corner coaches' show on BYUtv. "I think we'll look at it that way, and we'll have players who are highly energized to practice today and on Wednesday, knowing they're two days away.

"I think we're to a point in the year that we have enough experience where we can just tweak some things a little bit."

In many ways, the lack of preparation shouldn't benefit either team over the other. All NCAA schools are playing under the same Election Day rules, which even prevent other sports from practicing. The BYU men's and women's basketball teams also won't practice Tuesday, and they spent a few days during preseason training camps off the court, helping their players understand the issues.

"Not only have we made sure and assisted all of our guys to register to vote so that everybody is registered, but also we went so far as to got mocked up images of the ballot, talked about how to fill them out, making sure to sign it before you send it in," BYU men's hoops coach Mark Pope said. "We talked about the candidates on guys' ballots in different states because what is up for election varies a bit."

For football, however, decreased practice time means a little more. The Cougars will report to the student-athlete building and practice facility Monday morning, and rather than strictly reviewing last week's win over the Hilltoppers, players will have everything ready to dissect film on the Broncos.

Fortunately, technology can help there. Every BYU player has an iPad and an app that loads video cut-ups of their upcoming opponents. They also have the internet and can study Boise State's two previous games this season, including wins over in-state rival Utah State and fellow Mountain West opponent Air Force.

Anything to catch up and make up ground where they can, while also abiding by BYU and NCAA rules and protocols.

"You've got to catch up on days," said quarterback Zach Wilson, who has completed 74.6% of his passes for 2,152 yards and 19 touchdowns with just two interceptions. "We really start counting them backwards: Monday is actually Tuesday, and this week we might say Wednesday is Thursday, because of the situation we have.

"We're going to do everything we can to make sure we're ready for this game, and I'm confident we will be, even having that Tuesday off."

Election Day makes short week shorter for No. 9 BYU, No. 21 Boise State — Photo: Steve Conner, Associated Press, File

Recovery will be key for BYU, Wilson said, after seven games and six-straight weeks without a bye or a break. The Cougars likely won't be remaking their image after half the season, and a top-10 offense combined with a top-20 defense likely doesn't have to do so.

But they do need to prepare well for the Broncos, who rose from No. 25 to No. 21 in the AP poll after a win over the Falcons and were picked nearly unanimously to win the Mountain West. A win could put BYU in contention for a New Year's Six bowl bid, and keep a special season alive.

A loss would be just another defeat on the Blue Turf, where BYU is winless against the host Broncos.

"We're going into Game 8. Boise's going into Game 3," Sitake said. "There's going to be a balance of how we prep and balancing our legs."