PROVO — Of all the places to try to become bowl eligible for the first time in four years.
Laramie.
BYU (5-4, 4-2), winners of four consecutive Mountain West Conference games and sitting in a second-place tie with Colorado State, is ready for the trip to the high plains of Wyoming on Saturday.
Moments after the Cougars' 55-14 throttling of UNLV in Las Vegas last Saturday, the Cougars were already looking forward to visiting the frozen tundra of War Memorial Stadium in mid-November.
"In the locker room, all the guys were saying, 'Let's go to Laramie right now,'" said senior linebacker Justin Luettgerodt, who recorded six tackles and an interception against the Rebels. "That's the feeling we've got."
What makes this showdown with Wyoming even more intriguing than usual is this: a BYU win would give it six wins and secure bowl eligibility. At the same time, it would ruin the Cowboys' bowl hopes.
Picked before the season to finish near the top of the MWC standings, Wyoming has faltered in recent weeks. After a 4-1 start, the 'Pokes have lost four straight games, including last Saturday's 43-13 drubbing at the hands of Utah.
"I don't think Wyoming's a bad team because they lost to Utah. I think they're a team with a lot of skill. They're going to try to come out and get it going against us," said quarterback John Beck. "I'm sure they're going to have a chip on their shoulder. They're going to be mad. So we have to expect them to be mad and play their best. We'll have to play our best."
The last time BYU visited Laramie, in 2003, the Cougars left with a 13-10 defeat. Beck was a freshman at the time and he threw an interception in the second quarter that was returned 60 yards for a touchdown, which proved to be the difference in the game.
"I remember playing there," Beck said. "You drive in and everybody's flipping you off. You stay at a truck stop on the side of the road. You do your walk-through out in the dirt in front of the place. It's a fun place to play. If every Wyoming fan could pick one team to hate, I think it's us."
It was quite a different atmosphere last week in laid-back Las Vegas, where many of the fans in attendance were wearing blue and cheering for BYU. The Cougars' impressive performance, as well as the fan support they received at Sam Boyd Stadium, did not go unnoticed by Las Vegas Bowl officials, who have long coveted BYU for their annual game. The Cougars have never played in the Las Vegas Bowl.
But, first things first — getting bowl eligible.
"Hopefully we can keep this thing rolling," Beck said. "Our focus right now is on Wyoming and getting one more win so we are bowl eligible. Having a good week of practice is going to be a huge key this week. We've got to come out ready to play against Wyoming. We've got to do better coming out than we did (at UNLV) and put points up in the first quarter."
After a sluggish start, the Cougars erupted for 34 straight points against the Rebels and ended up posting 55 on the scoreboard, a week after lighting up Air Force for 62.
When the season began, everyone around Provo was talking about the new BYU offense, the so-called Texas Tech offense brought in by offensive coordinator Robert Anae.
In the opener against Boston College, though, the Cougars scored just three points.
As the season is winding down, BYU is looking Texas Tech-like: The Cougars have scored 117 the last two weeks.
"It's a great feeling to score like we have been," said BYU tight end Jonny Harline, who hauled in six passes for a team-high 80 yards and a touchdown against UNLV. "Our goal has been to score at least 40 every week and we're been doing that and more the last couple of games."
To win in Laramie, BYU's offense will need to continue to be sharp. The Cougar defense has its weaknesses, and has been victimized frequently this season. Yet it has produced six interceptions the last two games.
The special teams play has been up-and-down. Placekicker Jared McLaughlin has been solid and he drilled a pair of field goals, from 45 and 37 yards, respectively, at UNLV. However, coach Bronco Mendenhall was upset about his team allowing a blocked punt for the second consecutive week.
As Mendenhall likes to say, the Cougars are still a work in progress. Yet they can do something this week that no BYU team has accomplished since 2001 — ensure a winning record in the regular season and become bowl eligible.
"The program hasn't done this the last three years," Mendenhall said. "We've started strong and haven't finished well. I think we're going in the (right) direction. That's a tribute to the work ethic of our players and our coaching staff as well. They're working tirelessly to improve this football team and I appreciate that."
E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com