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Provo • There will be a lot of talk about the quarterback position around town this week as BYU prepares to host Utah State on Friday, but not just because the Cougars will finally retire Jim McMahon's No. 9 jersey.

The Cougars (4-0) don't know yet which quarterback will trot out on the field for the 2-2 Aggies after the game kicks off at 8:15 p.m. MDT at LaVell Edwards Stadium, senior Chuckie Keeton or sophomore Darell Garretson. Utah State and BYU both had byes last weekend.

Garretson played the entire way in the Aggies' 21-14 overtime loss at Arkansas State on Sept. 20, after Keeton went down midway through the 36-24 win over Wake Forest on Sept. 13.

"Yeah, we got to be ready for both of them, definitely," BYU defensive coordinator Nick Howell said last week. "Chuckie is different than the guy they are playing now. We got film on both of them. We are super, super comfortable with their scheme against our scheme, but there is a different element there, a different kind of playmaker vs. the guy that is his backup."

Utah State coach Matt Wells hasn't said yet whether Keeton will return to the starter's role, and BYU doesn't expect him to before kickoff. Howell said both quarterbacks are capable of playing well and moving the ball against the Cougars, but their styles are entirely different.

"I would say it would be like having Taysom Hill in the game and then having Christian Stewart in the game," Howell said, alluding to BYU's starter and backup. "There is a heightened sense of playmaking ability. [Garretson] is a really good player, but he is not Chuckie Keeton, no matter what anybody says. He can throw, he is athletic, and he can run on you like any other Division I college quarterback can. But he's not Chuckie. But he can beat us if we don't do what we are supposed to.

We got to be ready for both of them, be ready for their scheme, and be ready to go."

BYU moved up to No. 18 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 19 in the Amway Coaches Poll on Sunday.

Probably due to future opponent Boise State's 28-14 loss at Air Force on Saturday night, BYU (28.7 percent) is back on top of the ESPN Football Power Index's list of teams most likely to win the rest of its games, just ahead of Marshall (24.7 percent).

Offensive lineman Kyle Johnson said so far the Cougars have done a good job of ignoring the talk of an undefeated season.

"Our approach is exactly what coach [Bronco] Mendenhall says, which is to focus on the next game, which is Utah State," he said last Monday. "Luckily we have a bye week this week to get rested up, to get healed and work on some fundamentals and then just get ready for Utah State. That's our focus right now."

Johnson said the matchup against the Aggies is more important than ever to BYU this year because longtime rival Utah is not on the schedule.

"Not playing Utah this year makes the Utah State game a really big one," said the Jordan High graduate. "Hopefully we will get a big crowd there at LES to see it."

drew@sltrib.com

Twitter: @dr -

Utah State at BYU

O Friday, 8:15 p.m.

TV • ESPN