Smack, not WAC.

That's what Colorado State football players remember most about that game at Fresno State two years ago, that 44-13 loss to the Bulldogs, that unpleasant evening when those from CSU said they were showered with verbal abuse from the opposing side.

It was the first season since eight teams (including CSU) defected from the WAC to form the Mountain West, and those in Fresno did not hide their anger.

"You could tell they were mad they had been left behind in the WAC," said CSU offensive lineman David Shohet. "Even their fans were throwing things at us. It was a grudge match for them."

It is much more this time. It's more about where Fresno State might be going rather than where it has been.

The Bulldogs -- 5-0, ranked No. 10 and dreaming of a Bowl Championship Series game -- play at CSU on Saturday night. It's simple, really. It's life as a non-BCS, mid-major program: One loss by Fresno State ruins any chance of a BCS berth.

Perfection isn't a goal. It's a necessity.

And a glance at the remaining schedule suggests two games -- at CSU this week and at Hawaii on Oct. 26 -- loom as the most serious challenges to such a memorable run.

"Colorado State has a very good program that does not lose many games in Fort Collins," said Fresno State coach Pat Hill. "We're going to play a team that's very hungry to win and prove themselves. Whenever you take a program that has won as much as they have, their players have a lot of pride and focus.

"I guess I am surprised they are 2-3. But I'm telling you, this is going to be a heck of a football game, no matter what some people think."

Know this: CSU players and coaches have more to think about this week than who plays in what conference. The Rams are still struggling offensively, having looked feeble in a 7-2 loss at Louisville last week.

A major problem: CSU can't throw the ball, ranking seventh among conference teams with an efficiency rating of 95.3.

"Sometimes, there just isn't a lot you can do," said CSU coach Sonny Lubick. "We have looked at a lot of options. We think we have some guys capable of making plays, but they haven't done it in a consistent manner. It comes down to players having to step up.

"The fact that we left the WAC and (Fresno State didn't) really hasn't come up much this week. Some of our older players rememer the breakup, but it's not something you would even try using as motivation. Kids are too smart for that."

Bragging rights are overrated here. They mean nothing. There is more at stake this time.

Ask a certain group from Fresno.

Around the Mountain West

Air Force
The Falcons (3-1, 1-0 MWC) play at home for the first time since Sept. 8 when they host Wyoming on Saturday. Now that conference teams will see each other almost weekly, keeping that zero in the loss column is critical for those who intend on battling BYU and others for the title. "It has happened in the past that a team can lose two conference games and still win the championship, but it doesn't happen often," said Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry. "Once you lose one, it seems like the monkey climbs on your back. It's still very, very early in the conference race, but the games become more important as each week goes by." ... Another season, another win against Navy, another leg up on the Commander in Chief's Trophy. DeBerry won't let you forget his seniors will graduate having never lost to Navy, guaranteed by the 24-18 win last week. The seniors also haven't lose to Army and get a chance to continue that streak Nov. 3 ... The Falcons have won five of the last seven against Wyoming, totaling 625 yards in Laramie last season. Final score then: Falcons 51, Cowboys 34.

BYU
Luke Staley likes to get the ball, so much that he tells quarterback Brandon Doman before games to look for him even more. Now, his wish will come true. Staley's workload will no doubt increase at running back after senior Brian McDonald-Ashford (knee) was likely lost for the season during the team's 54-34 win against Utah State. Staley can handle it, despite the fact his history includes five knee surgeries. He leads the conference in all-purpose yards (176.2 average) and ranks second in rushing average (119.4). "Losing (McDonald-Ashford) is big, but Luke has got a great attitude and is very confident in his body right now," said BYU coach Gary Crowton. "There is still a chance (McDonald-Ashford) could come back this year. He didn't have a lot of swelling and the range of motion was good. So we'll keep an eye on it over the next few weeks." ... BYU (5-0, 1-0 MWC) returns to conference play at New Mexico on Saturday, the first time this season the Cougars will not face a winless team. That's right -- Tulane, Nevada, Cal, UNLV and Utah State had zero victories when lined up against the Cougars.

Colorado State
Head coach Sonny Lubick agrees Fresno State quarterback David Carr is one of the nation's finest and a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate. But something else about the Bulldogs worries Lubick more. It's called defense. "They are very, very fast and very physical and can dominate a game defensively at times," said Lubick. "Boy, they are really good on defense." ... Starting offensive guard Broderick Lancaster (knee) is out at least four weeks and possibly for the season, while leading wide receiver Pete Rebstock (hamstring) is questionable for Fresno State ... The Bulldogs will be the highest-ranked team to play at Hughes Stadium since BYU in 1984. That season, the Cougars came to CSU ranked seventh and beat the Rams 52-9.

UNLV
It has become obvious the past few weeks -- coaches are wary of allowing Jason Thomas to try and win games with his arm, so the Rebels have gone physical on everyone. Preseason perception was of a wide-open, flashy, big-numbers attack, but Thomas' passing stats (44-of-105, 679 yards, three touchdowns, seven interceptions) have demanded UNLV run early and often. The Rebels have good variety with a pounder in junior Joe Haro (101 carries, 442 yards, 4 TDs) and a speedster in freshman Dominique Dorsey (41-301, 3 TDs). "I think (Thomas) is starting to come out of it," said UNLV coach John Robinson. "He was very disappointing early in the season, but he is always going to be a player who has to approach his position aggressively and competitively. " ... Robinson took some flack (deservedly so) for having Thomas run an option play with 13 seconds left in a 27-12 victory at Nevada last week. The Rebels were on the 3-yard line and the Wolf Pack had no timeouts remaining. Robinson said afterward it was the safest play UNLV could run in the situation. Hmm. Safer than taking a knee and going home?

New Mexico
The Lobos (2-3, 1-1 MWC) are home. Finally. They host first-place BYU on Saturday, the first time New Mexico will play in Albuquerque since its season-opening win against Texas-El Paso on Sept. 1. "It seems like forever," said Lobos coach Rocky Long. "It's nice to be home, but now we have to play the best team in the conference. This is quite a challenge." Long is not surprised how quickly BYU players grasped Gary Crowton's wide-open offense. Much of the same philosophy was used during the LaVell Edwards' years. But when you start talking about averages of 51 points and 566 yards -- "I am surprised they have been this productive this early in the season," said Long. "The only real difference from (past BYU offenses) is the number of personnel groups and formations they have. But the numbers surprise me." ... Gary Davis is putting up some serious numbers of his own. The senior linebacker and conference defensive player of the week had 13 tackles (11 solo, four for loss) and a game-high three sacks in the team's 30-29 win at Wyoming. Davis ranks third among conference players with 47 tackles.

San Diego State
Larry Ned is absolutely running wild. The senior back went for a career-high 285 yards and three touchdowns in a 40-7 win against Division I-AA Eastern Illinois. And he didn't play the final 18 minutes. It is the highest single-game total of any Division I back this season and Ned now ranks third nationally with a 154.2 average. Ned's effort is also a conference record and ranks as the fourth best single-game mark in SDSU history. Marshall Faulk owns the top three, with a high of 386 against Pacific in 1991. "I knew (Ned) was (close to 300 yards)," said Tollner. "'But once he broke the conference record, the only other thing was whether or not to go for Marshall's record. Had we left him in and played him the rest of the way, we could have done that. But that makes no sense. It wouldn't have been best for our team. Our ultimate objective is team orientated." The ultimate objective is a conference title and SDSU (2-3, 1-1 MWC) continues its quest for one at UNLV (1-4, 0-1) on Saturday. A key question come at quarterback, where Tollner will give sophomore Adam Hall his first career start over ineffective junior Lon Sheriff.

Utah
The score most conference teams associated with Utah last week was not its 52-21 thrashing of South Florida. Rather, it was Indiana's 63-32 rout of Wisconsin. The same Indiana that the Utes beat a week earlier. Does this finally prove Utah (4-1, 1-0 MWC) is much better than the team picked sixth in a preseason conference poll? "So far, I'm really pleased with this group," said Utes coach Ron McBride. "I think as long as this team pays attention to detail and takes care of business and doesn't begin to think it's good, we'll continue to compete. But once they start thinking they're better than they are, we'll take some steps backward. All we need to worry about right now is Wyoming." That game is Dec. 20 in Salt Lake City. Utah has this week off ... One thing is certain -- as the weeks pass, Utah's offense gets better. The running back tandem of Dameon Hunter and Adam Tate and the improved decisions of sophomore quarterback Lance Rice has McBride's team poised for a strong second half of the season. "The offense is doing a much better job with tempo and keeping momentum going when we get some," said McBride.

Wyoming
The difference between staying in the conference race and possibly looking at another last-place finish? A few inches. Wyoming dropped to 0-2 in conference when it lost at home to New Mexico 30-29, when oh-so-dependable place-kicker Jarvis Wallum missed an extra-point attempt with 21 seconds left. The same Wallum that had made 14-of-16 field goals and all eight extra-point attempts before the huge miss. "I got too tight," said Wallum. "I knew it was going to be close." Said head coach Vic Koenning: "Christmas came early for the Lobos. We gave them 17 points that they didn't have to do anything for. We're not good enough to do that." ... In light of the terrorist attacks and war being fought in Afghanistan, Wyoming players and fans are in for extremely tight security in Colorado Spring. Prior to leaving for Air Force, the team buses will be searched by guards and dogs. The Cowboys will then have a police escort to Falcon Stadium, where anyone attending the game must pass through a metal detector .If that isn't enough -- "We're playing against a coaching staff at (Air Force) that does a better job than any in the country," said Koenning.

Ed Graney covers the Mountain West for the San Diego Union-Tribune.