CORVALLIS, Ore. — Football coaches seem to enjoy trite phrases such as "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
Maybe they're right. That could explain how a guy can sit through "You've Got Mail" and "Steel Magnolias" and live to tell.
Still, if the aforementioned adage is true, the Utes should indeed be stronger by the time their non-conference schedule is complete. How strong? Think Incredible Hulk.
That is, if the schedule doesn't kill them.
The Utes open their season tonight against Oregon State in the first of three death-defying (death-inducing?) non-conference games. And that's the easy part. Later on the schedule are games against UCLA and Louisville.
Couldn't they have booked at least one weakling among non-conference opponents? Oh, right. They did. They play Utah State — rated 116th of 119 Division I-A teams in one preseason list this year — on Sept. 29. But it's possible by then the Utes will be so demoralized they won't know their own names, much less be ready to conquer the world.
"We don't get many chances to put ourselves in front of a national audience, so playing Oregon State, Louisville and UCLA is kind of our chance," said Ute safety Steve Tate. "We don't play much on ESPN any more, so it's kind of our opportunity to show people around the United States about ourselves and our conference. These games are big. They're very big."
Another favorite coaching adage is that winning the conference is the No. 1 goal. But games like tonight's can't be minimized or dismissed. You don't get to the Fiesta Bowl by beating Wyoming and Air Force alone.
In Utah's historic 2004 season, it not only manhandled the Mountain West Conference but easily defeated Texas A&M, Arizona, North Carolina and Pittsburgh.
"I think our non-conference schedule is just as important as the conference games," said defensive end Alex Puccinelli, "because it shows what kind of team we have this year. We play three really good teams ... and if we win, that would get us back in the limelight. It would show we can play with the bigger schools."
Actually, the Utes have done well in recent years against teams from more prestigious conferences. Though they are just 49-88-3 all-time against the Pac-10, they are 4-1 in the last four years. In that same span they are 1-1 against the Big 12, 2-1 against the ACC and 1-0 against the Big East.
In most preseason polls, Louisville is rated the best of the Utes' non-conference opponents, followed by UCLA and OSU. The Beavers are ignored in some polls but rated as high as No. 14, by Fox Sports. Louisville is rated eighth by Fox Sports, 11th by USA Today and 10th by the Associated Press. UCLA gets a No. 9 nod by College Football News, No. 17 by USA Today and No. 11 by Fox Sports.
Both UCLA and Louisville are rated in all the major polls.
Scheduling such teams is music to MWC Commissioner Craig Thompson's ears. He has long led the drumbeat to schedule up. Thus, Wyoming plays Virginia, UNLV plays Wisconsin, BYU plays Arizona and UCLA, Colorado State plays Cal and Colorado, TCU plays Stanford, Baylor and Texas, and San Diego State plays Arizona State. (It also plays Portland State, but why quibble?)
"If we win out our schedule and win our three non-conference games (there they go, forgetting the Aggies), we're definitely going back to a BCS bowl game," said Puccinelli. "That's not really our goal right now. Our goal is to win the conference. But a BCS bowl game is definitely up there with winning the conference championship."
Winning against Oregon State to start things rolling?
It wouldn't kill them to try, would it?
E-mail: rock@desnews.com