BYU, Arizona share degrees of motivation

The scoreboard usually is the final word, but Oregon coach Mike Bellotti didn't let his team's 30-point loss two years ago in the Las Vegas Bowl shake his belief.

Brigham Young, in his estimation, wouldn't have been better than a mid-level Pacific-10 Conference team despite evidence to the contrary.

BYU followed up that victory with a win over UCLA in last year's bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium, and this season the Mountain West Conference made the case it even surpassed the Pac-10.

If the No. 17 Cougars (10-2) beat Arizona (7-5) in today's Las Vegas Bowl, which is scheduled for 5 p.m., that would make the Mountain West 7-1 this season against the Pac-10. But league credibility began to be firmly established, BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said, with those bowl victories over Oregon and UCLA.

"I do think there is an element of representing the conference in this game," Mendenhall said after Friday's news conference. "While that may not be acknowledged (in a formal setting), I think that's the reality.

"It doesn't mean it will help you play any better, but to say it doesn't have implications, I think we all know that's not the case."

BYU, though, must guard against complacency as it makes its fourth consecutive trip to this game.

The Cougars seemingly had a business-as-usual approach this week, while Arizona players were looser and clearly are enjoying the program's first bowl appearance in 10 years.

The Wildcats also might have more motivation, not only for themselves but for their conference. They have heard all season the Pac-10 was down, that it was Southern California and a bunch of pretenders.

And that its teams couldn't beat Mountain West schools.

"If we win, they'll definitely give the Pac-10 more credit," Arizona linebacker Ronnie Palmer said. "But we're trying to win this game for the University of Arizona and for our program and for our fans and for everybody who's been behind us over the five years that we've struggled."

If this is going to be a battle of motivation, BYU could make a strong case as well.

Bellotti's words, said the day before BYU took it to the Ducks, didn't disappear into history, especially when he held firm when asked about his comment after the game.

"It's something we've remembered," Cougars linebacker David Nixon said. "It's something we were just talking about the other day. I think we've shown that we can compete with the Pac-10 and compete with any team in the country."

While either side can argue it's more motivated, the emotional edge belongs to the Wildcats. The hungrier teams often decide bowl games, and if that determines tonight's outcome, bettors might want to go with 3-point favorite Arizona.

As Wildcats coach Mike Stoops began to speak at Friday's luncheon about how special his players have been, he choked up and went silent for about 30 seconds, and the large room inside the Convention Center became quieter than a library.

Most Pac-10 teams go through the motions at the Las Vegas Bowl. The Wildcats want to be here.

They face a familiar foe. The teams opened the 2006 and 2007 seasons against each other, splitting the games.

"It's kind of like two brothers playing each other for the championship," Wildcats wide receiver Mike Thomas said.

Is Arizona the big brother or little brother?

"We're twins," Thomas said.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914.