Provo • Brigham Young University football coach Bronco Mendenhall believes so-called superconferences — leagues with 16 or more teams — are coming to college football.

He also believes BYU, which begins its first season as a football independent on Saturday at Ole Miss (2:45 p.m., ESPN), is in decent position to be included in one of those elite conferences, but that the next three years for the program are critical.

"Our job is to earn our way in," Mendenhall said. "And I think that we certainly deserve recognition and consideration. I think that my job is to make sure we don't leave any doubt. Whenever that is to happen — with the number of games, again, that we are winning, and the rankings that we are achieving — I think it would be difficult for us not to be in consideration."

With speculation running rampant around the country regarding the future of the Big 12 if Texas A&M departs for the Southeastern Conference, and several news organizations in Texas and elsewhere saying BYU is a candidate to replace the Aggies, Mendenhall was asked to address the topic at his weekly news conference Monday morning.

"I can't speak on us specifically. Nor do I know who is contacting us, if anyone is contacting us, or even if they want to. [Athletic director] Tom [Holmoe] can address all that," Mendenhall said. "But in terms of predictions and the direction [of college football], maybe 10 years ago, there was an undercurrent, kind of when the head coaches were meeting, etc., of superconferences, or even within Division I, maybe 40 schools or so kind of moving into another kind of echelon, etc.

"I think with some of the movement that you are seeing, and some of the superconferences, so to speak, being combined [is part of that]. I see it moving in that direction. How it will be pulled off, and when, I am not sure."

Mendenhall said that among coaches he has talked to, there is a divide between "those that have budgets, and have money, and have support, of not wanting to be held back by those that are struggling for those things. So, that parity and that equity is a consistent problem, and is brought up a lot. So I think that's going to remain in place for a while. Eventually it will come to a head, and I think it is getting relatively close."

The Ole Miss-ionary advantage

Meanwhile, in his weekly news conference, Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt was asked about the maturity of BYU's players, many of whom are older because they served two-year LDS Church missions.

Of BYU's 22 projected starters on offense and defense Saturday, 12 have been on missions.

"Well, I wish I had a few more 25- and 26-year-olds," Nutt said. "That's gotta be a difference there, when a guy is able to go out and grow up and learn, and make a commitment like they do.

"Then you come back, you are a freshman … to have that kind of maturity. But we don't have that luxury."

Nutt said some of Ole Miss' freshmen should be redshirting, but are being asked to play now due to depth concerns.

"It is what it is. BYU has a pretty good thing going right there, when you are able to do that," he said.

Bring on the SEC

The Cougars are 1-2 all-time against SEC teams, having defeated Mississippi State 41-38 in 2001 and having fallen to Georgia 17-14 in 1982 and to Alabama 38-31 in 1998. Mendenhall said he wouldn't mind playing more SEC teams in the future, although no games are scheduled with teams from that conference beyond Saturday.

"I'm anxious to see how we measure and how we fit against them. National champions have come out of the SEC the last couple of years at least. Football is a really big thing and knowing the SEC coaches, their lives are quite different. I don't know how much different they are in relation to mine as the coach at BYU but there is a lot of pressure and a lot of exposure; football is a big thing in the South. They have a lot of talent, good coaching and good tradition at almost every school. Again, I'm anxious to see and compete against those teams, maybe on a yearly basis, to see where we stack [up]," he said.

Briefly

There were no huge surprises as BYU released its depth chart Monday. The only changes from what was predicted in Sunday's Tribune are Richard Wilson at backup tight end (instead of Devin Mahina), Jadon Wagner at backup weakside linebacker (instead of Ziggy Ansah) and Simote Vea at right defensive end (instead of Jordan Richardson). … Mendenhall said Monday that he has given offensive coordinator Brandon Doman some input on how and when to use backup quarterback Riley Nelson, a running threat.

drew@sltrib.com

Twitter: @drewjay

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Saturday's game

P BYU at Mississippi, 2:45 p.m. MDT

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