Provo • When BYU's 2010 football schedule was released last March, coach Bronco Mendenhall took a quick glance at the 12-game lineup and immediately winced.

Having to travel to Air Force the second week of the season, after facing the Pac-10's Washington and before a cross-country trip to Tallahasee, Fla., for the Florida State rematch, did not make the coach happy.

"It will be a fantastic challenge, and difficult," Mendenhall said Saturday night after the Cougars edged Washington 23-17 with a last-minute defensive stand.

Consider it an unintended parting gift of the unwanted variety from the Mountain West Conference, which obviously didn't know last March that the Cougars would be bolting the league for independence.

The traditional thinking among MWC coaches is that it is better to face the Falcons later in the season, when they're a bit worn down due to the physical mismatches and the demands of the academy. Also, young defenses such as BYU's need seasoning before taking on the academy's unique offensive attack.

Kickoff is at 2 p.m. Saturday at Falcon Stadium.

"Air Force is hard no matter whom you play before, and whom you play after. And now that we are playing on the road, that will be the first road game for this team. I have already tried to express to our team in the locker room what an Air Force week is like," Mendenhall said. "The Academy kids, they play really hard, and I like who they are. So, again, it is a completely unique week. We alter practice structure, which is another change. We have a consistent practice structure for a normal opponent. But in week number two, [you have to] make a lot of changes. It will stress a lot of organizational elements with a pretty young team."

While the Cougars were fighting for every inch Saturday against Washington, Air Force was cruising to a 65-21 win over a cupcake, Northwestern State. An FCS team, the Demons went 0-11 last year, but trailed AFA just 24-21 at halftime before being obliterated in the second half.

AFA defensive back Reggie Rembert, a preseason all-conference pick, left the game early with a neck injury and did not return. However, after being carted off the field, he had movement in all his extremities and was later released from an area hospital. It is uncertain whether he will play against BYU, a team the Falcons have obviously been jacked up to play all summer.

BYU has won the last six meetings.

"There definitely is a rivalry, and yes, we're gunning for them," Air Force receiver Jonathan Warzeka told The Gazette newspaper of Colorado Springs.

From the non-confidential file: Air Force believes this is its best chance in years to knock off one of the MWC's Big Three, BYU, TCU or Utah.

BYU's focus this week will obviously be on Air Force, but the Cougars will undoubtedly be asked about the unique strategy of rotating quarterbacks Jake Heaps and Riley Nelson each series.

"Right now it is [BYU's plan], and we will play both [against Air Force]," Mendenhall said. "The idea is to let them kind of sort it out. But we have enough confidence in both. I don't ever think that this year it will be one or the other. It might shift one way or the other, based on how and whom we are playing, but they have earned the right to continue on, just from what I saw today, just as it is."

drew@sltrib.com

On Twitter: @drewjay —

BYU at Air Force

P Saturday, 2 p.m.

TV • Versus