The question drew a slight chuckle from Long - and who knows how many other reporters, conference officials and coaches listening in - because the matchup had been topic No. 1 throughout the teleconference, and because the BYU-TCU encounter has been circled on calendars throughout the league since before fall camp started.
The Cougars are 1 1/2 -point favorites in the game, and the general consensus among coaches was that it was going to be that close. Nobody predicted a winner, but Long came close.
"Well, I don't know who has made [TCU] the underdog," he said. "I wouldn't consider them the underdog. I think if you look at both teams . . . I would say that if any team had the advantage, TCU would have the advantage because they are playing at home."
Last year, BYU needed a late defensive stand to hold off TCU 27-22 in Provo. In 2006, the Cougars snapped TCU's 13-game winning streak with a John Beck-led 31-17 victory in Fort Worth.
The Horned Frogs (6-1, 3-0 MWC), ranked No. 24 in the USA Today coaches' poll, have been waiting for the Cougars, ranked No. 8 by the coaches, for the better part of a year, and the Cougars (6-0, 2-0) know it. There will be no sneaking up on anybody tonight.
"I think both teams are extremely athletic, both teams execute extremely well on both offense and defense," Long said. "It ought to be a great game."
Speaking of chuckles, TCU coach Gary Patterson said that BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall's Monday assertion that the Cougars looked "average" on defense drew some groans from his coaching staff in Fort Worth when it read the comments Tuesday morning.
"You don't win [the MWC championship] two years in a row and have a long win streak [16 games] unless you play pretty good on defense, too," he said. "I am not really into [the notion] that they're average. I have met [BYU defensive end] Jan Jorgensen. That front seven they have, I think, is pretty special."
Of course, the Frogs play the best defense in the country - they are No. 1 in total defense, rushing defense and number of sacks (27) - and know something about stopping people.
On the same conference call, San Diego State coach Chuck Long said BYU's offense could be in for a long night.
"I've been in this league for three years, and that was the best defense I have seen yet," he said, having lost 41-7 to TCU two weeks ago.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Tuesday that as of Monday evening, 10 NFL teams and four bowl games had requested credentials, along with writers from The New York Times, The Sporting News, CBS Sportsline, ESPN.com and Yahoo Sports. Also, Sports Illustrated is sending two photographers.
Briefly
Good thing Wyoming has a bye this weekend. Cowboys coach Joe Glenn said that his team's losing streak is causing him to lose sleep and get sick. "It ain't a fun thing," he said. . . . Three MWC teams have still not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 2008: TCU, New Mexico and BYU. . . . Seven MWC teams are ranked among the top 20 nationally in fumble recoveries. BYU is second in the country with 12, and Air Force is third with 11. . . . The conference called Wyoming's 252-242 advantage over Utah in offensive yardage last week "the strange stat of the week."
drew@sltrib.com
