BYU back in national rankings

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By DOUG ALDEN AP Sports Writer

PROVO, Utah (AP) -- Brigham Young coach Bronco Mendenhall's comments to his players about returning to the national rankings were brief. Very brief.

No. 25 in the AP poll is far from the Cougars once were and want to be.

"I addressed it simply in about a 10 to 15 second spot. This was a mark that came along the way," Mendenhall said Tuesday. "But we all know that if we don't play well this week, or the next week or the next week, then we won't have that mark any longer."

The Cougars (7-2, 5-0 Mountain West) host Wyoming (5-5, 4-2) on Thursday and can lock up a share of their first MWC title since 2001.

BYU has won six straight and is back in the AP Top 25 for the first time since the Cougars were No. 25 at the end of the 2001 season.

BYU opened that year with 12 straight wins and was threatening to shake up the Bowl Championship Series with an unbeaten regular season, but tumbled with a 72-45 loss to Hawaii and a 28-10 loss to Louisville in the Liberty Bowl.

The Cougars haven't had a winning season since then, but that streak will end this year.

The worst BYU can finish is 7-6 and that would mean losing four straight, including a bowl game. The way the Cougars have been playing, that isn't likely.

It took six straight wins, but BYU's success has finally been noticed outside the region.

"I appreciate the respect and I appreciate maybe the recognition, but certainly we're not satisfied, nor is that our focus," Mendenhall said.

BYU has been making a slow climb through the "others receiving votes" since a 30-23 double overtime loss at Boston College on Sept. 16. The Cougars also lost at Arizona in the season opener and they know those two losses are the reason it took this long to be ranked again.

BYU's reputation, which includes the 1984 national championship, slipped during three straight losing seasons from 2002-2004 and last year's 6-6 team.

Rebuilding the BYU esteem to what it used to be is going to take awhile longer.

"A lot of the guys are juiced and everybody's excited because it's been awhile since BYU has been in that top-25 category," running back Manase Tonga said. "Our incentive now is to stay in the top 25 and hopefully move up in the rankings."