BYU's 17-10 victory over Utah on Saturday, which clinched the Cougars' second straight Mountain West Conference championship, caught the attention of national pollsters.

On Sunday, BYU (9-2 overall, 7-0 MWC) climbed in all three major polls. In the BCS rankings, the Cougars moved from 25th all the way to 19th. In the Associated Press poll, BYU went from 23rd to 21st. And in the USA Today Coaches poll, the Cougars jumped from 23rd to 19th.

What does it all meanfi

BYU has not been released from consideration from the BCS, though the series of circumstances that would have to occur for the Cougars to get an invitation to one of the big-money bowls are unlikely. With one game left in the regular season (Saturday at San Diego State), BYU would have to rise to 12th in the BCS standings for an automatic bid and at least 18th for any consideration at all.

While representatives for the Las Vegas and Poinsettia Bowls were in attendance at the BYU-Utah game, neither can offer an invitation until next week.

Besides BYU, four other league teams are bowl eligible -- Air Force (9-3), New Mexico (8-4), Utah (8-4) and TCU (7-5). Air Force is a likely candidate for the Armed Forces Bowl in Ft. Worth and Utah is being strongly considered for the Poinsettia Bowl. New Mexico can only receive an invite to the New Mexico Bowl once every three years and the Lobos went in 2005, so their bowl status might have to be as an at-large team. TCU could end up in New Mexico.

• Tough enough: Just how bad was Max Hall's injured shoulderfi

That was the question posed to both Hall and BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall after the Cougars' thrilling victory over arch rival Utah on Saturday. Hall suffered an AC shoulder separation at Wyoming on Nov. 17 and worked rehab the entire week to get ready for the Utah game.

"It (my shoulder) feels great, look at that," Hall said in the post-game news conference, rotating his throwing arm over his head. "All the adrenaline going, you don't feel it until after the game. I'll do rehab and I should be fine. It'll be sore again tomorrow but nothing to keep me from playing. By the bowl game, it should be totally gone."

Hall didn't start out very well in the Utah game and had seven straight incomplete passes in the first half. He finished 17-of-40 for 269 yards and one interception, but led BYU on the game-winning drive: seven plays, 80 yards, just 56 seconds.

"I had the shoulder taped down, and was taking the anti-inflammatory stuff. When you've got the momentum going and the crowd behind you, you're feeding off all that," Hall said. "I didn't think about it (the shoulder) twice during game."

Mendenhall said he didn't say much during the week about the injury because he was trying to protect his quarterback.

"Without disclosing too much about the severity of the injury, it was pretty substantial," Mendenhall admitted. "Against Utah he was supported by a good running game, a good defense and the right players catching the ball. To his credit, he made a big play in a big game to help his team win a championship.

"That's the measuring stick for great quarterbacks. That's what great quarterbacks do."

• Not so tricky: Utah had been very successful with trick plays during the 2007 season but none it attempted against BYU worked. The Utes pulled out a double reverse in the second quarter that resulted in a 5-yard loss. There was a reverse on a kickoff return that was sniffed out by BYU and also involved a block-in-the-back penalty, moving the Utes back to their own 7-yard line. Utah attempted a flea flicker in the second half but Brian Johnson's pass was thrown well over the receiver's head.

"Utah has a solid offense, a tricky offense," BYU senior linebacker Bryan Kehl said. "They have a lot of weapons. To hold them in check, they (Kehl's teammates) played out of their heads.

"I'd like to thank Tulsa, the Golden Hurricanes. They prepared us for that. I hate that we lost that game, but all their trick plays prepared us. Everyone tried to gadget us and trick us since then, but it hasn't worked. So, thank you, Tulsa."

BYU attempted a trick play of its own in the second quarter: A double pass. Austin Collie's long throw was a bit short and three Utah defenders ran down Matt Allen to break up the play.

• Only hope: As well as the BYU defense played -- holding Utah to 129 yards below its season average and running back Darrell Mack to just 56 yards -- the Cougars gave up a late touchdown to allow the Utes to take a 10-9 lead.

Then, they stood on the sideline and hoped.

"When we got the ball back, I was thinking about Utah's last drive," BYU senior safety Corby Hodgkiss said. "If we don't allow a score in the second half, they couldn't win. To give up that drive in the fourth quarter like that, I was frustrated.

"I tried to have hope. I knew what the offense was capable of; they do it on us 100 times in practice."

Kehl said he was thinking about the similarities in last year's final winning drive.

"I was scared," he admitted. "But it was amazing to see those guys (BYU's offense) execute like that."

• Coaching strategy: After reaching the Utah 11-yard line, Mendenhall said he told his offensive coaches not to try and force the ball into the end zone. On the next play, Harvey Unga cut through the Utah defense all the way to the end zone, bowling over Utes safety Robert Johnson near the goal line.

"I talked to the offensive staff about not taking any chances," he said. "Utah has a good defense and we'd had a hard time putting it in the end zone all day. All we needed was a field goal. We were playing for a field goal and we were going to run the ball twice."

• Rivalry preference: "Bryan and I argue about whether we wanted a blowout or a close game," Hodgkiss said. "Bryan likes close games; I'd like to win 50-0."

Not much of a chance of a blowout in the BYU-Utah game: 10 of the past 11 meetings have been decided by a touchdown or less.

• Against the odds: Utah came into the BYU game averaging only 34 percent in converting third downs, and the Utes went 0-for-6 in the first half. But in the second half, Utah was 7-of-12 (58 percent) on third down, including 5-for-5 on its touchdown drive in the fourth quarter to take a 10-9 lead.

"Credit Utah for the drive they put together," Mendenhall said. "Brian Johnson did some scrambling around to help give them the lead. There was a reason why they had won seven games in a row.

"If you live in this state and you're affiliated with either program, you have a lot to be proud of."

• He said it: "In your own end zone with a fourth-and-18, you've got to come up with a big play. To sit here and tell you I was sure we were going to pull it off, I would be lying to you." -- Collie on the biggest play of the game.

• Compare and contrast: Hall was asked if he thought the 49-yard pass to Collie on fourth-and-18 would knock the John Beck-to-Jonny Harline touchdown from last year's game off the television highlights.

"It doesn't overshadow it," Hall said, "but I think it (his pass to Collie) stands on its own."

• Daily Herald Sports Editor Darnell Dickson can be reached at 344-2555 or by e-mail at ddickson@heraldextra.com