Because of the raging wildfires in San Diego County, BYU's football game against San Diego State on Saturday was postponed.

The game will be played Dec. 1 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. A kickoff time will be announced at a later date, according to the Mountain West Conference.

As of late Tuesday afternoon, four major fires in the San Diego area had reportedly burned at least 263,000 acres and destroyed or damaged 1,750 homes and 100 businesses. More than 500,000 people have been told to evacuate.

"I am sure the lives and the families and the winds and the fires and all the things were taken into consideration, and football doesn't come first before any of those things," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "And if that was the reason the game was postponed, I am completely for it."

Instead of continuing preparations for the Aztecs, BYU (5-2, 3-0 MWC) will begin preparation today for its game against Colorado State on Nov. 3.

The Cougars plan to treat this week like a rare second bye week. They will practice through Thursday and possibly hold a scrimmage for the younger players Friday.

The team will have the weekend off, and Mendenhall said he might look for a service opportunity the team can perform.

The decision to postpone the game was made after officials from both schools and the conference discussed the situation in a conference call Tuesday afternoon.

Several factors were involved in the decision, including San Diego State's inability to practice this week and the readiness of Qualcomm Stadium. The stadium is being used as an evacuation center, and nearly 10,000 people have sought refuge there.

Conference commissioner Craig Thompson said moving the game to another location was briefly considered, but said holding the game in Provo wasn't really an option because he didn't want a team having five conference home games.

San Diego State has canceled all of its classes this week, and many of the football coaches, including head coach Chuck Long, have been evacuated from their homes. They are staying in hotels while most of the players have remained in the dorms.

The team has not been able to practice this week because of poor air quality.

"If I was in Coach Long's shoes and I was moved out of my house and my staff was out their houses and my players weren't in school and their families were relocated as well, it would seem silly to make a stand we have to play the game when so much else is going on," Mendenhall said. "So I completely understand and support it."

BYU senior linebacker Markell Staffieri, a Del Mar native, can relate to the emotional swings many of the San Diego State players are experiencing.

Staffieri's father called him Monday morning and told him their house in the Rancho Santa Fe area had burned down. But by Monday night, Staffieri's father called back to tell him the house could still be standing. As of Tuesday, they were still awaiting confirmation either way.

"It was kind of a shocker when I answered the phone and said, 'Dad how are you doing?' and he said, 'Well, I don't think you have a home anymore,' " Staffieri said.

rpotkey@sltrib.com

* MWC Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships: The championship meet will be run at the University of New Mexico North Golf Course in Albuquerque on Saturday. The men's race begins at 10 a.m. and the women's follows at 11.

* Women's soccer: The New Mexico-San Diego State game will be played at BYU's South Stadium on Thursday night at 7 p.m.

* Women's swimming and diving: The meet involving

* Women's volleyball: The Colorado State-San Diego State match originally scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. will be rescheduled.

The new date, time and location are still to be determined.