GAME NOTES: The Mountain West Conference will get an opportunity right out of the gate to prove that it belongs among the BCS elite, as MWC power BYU travels to Arlington, Texas to open up the 2009 college football season against the mighty Oklahoma Sooners.

The Cougars begin the season ranked 20th in the country and are coming off a 2008 campaign in which the team collected 10 victories and a spot in the Las Vegas Bowl. Although the season did not end the way Bronco Mendenhall and his Cougars would have liked (31-21 loss to Arizona), it was another successful season nonetheless and with a great deal of talent back in Provo for 2009, it could be another magical year for BYU.

Of course, the opening task at hand is daunting, as the Cougars must take on a true national title contender in third-ranked Oklahoma. The Sooners won the Big 12 title in 2008 and played for the national championship. The outcome was not the desired one, as OU came up short against Florida in the BCS Title Game, but with Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford ignoring the call to the NFL and returning to Norman, a shot at the national championship is certainly a realistic goal again this year.

BYU won the only previous meeting with Oklahoma, a 31-6 victory in the 1994 Copper Bowl.

For the second straight season in 2008, quarterback Max Hall was the top passer in the Mountain West Conference as he threw for league highs with 3,957 yards and 35 touchdowns.

With Hall back under center, there is little reason to think that BYU will struggle offensively. Although there are only four returning starters on this side of the football, Hall will have one of the nation's best relief valves downfield in senior tight end Dennis Pitta. Pitta was All-MWC First Team and his career numbers are impressive, having hauled in 159 balls, for 2,072 yards and 13 TDs. Pitta may actually be used more in 2009, as BYU will struggle to find a replacement for ultra-productive wideout Austin Collie (106 receptions, for 1,538 yards and 15 TDs in 2008).

The ground game will be paced by junior running back Harvey Unga, who was a Second-Team All-MWC selection in 2008, starting 12 games and generating 1,132 rushing yards and 11 TDs on the ground and 42 receptions, for 309 yards and four TDs through the air. Senior RB Manase Tonga is back in the mix as well, after sitting out 2008 due to academic reasons.

BYU has long been paced by the offense, but this year could see the defense close the gap a bit. There are eight starters returning on this side of the football, headlined by All-American candidate Jan Jorgensen up front. The senior defensive end was an All-MWC First-Team member last year (led the team with five sacks) and he will be joined up front by fellow returning starters Russell Tialavea and Brett Denney.

The linebacking unit is stocked with heavy hitters in ILB Matt Bauman and OLB Coleby Clawson. Bauman paced the program in total tackles a year ago with 108. Clawson, who jumped into the starting lineup in the third game of the season generated one-fifth of his 55 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, posting a team-best 11.5 TFLs overall.

The secondary will have the most change as only free safety Scott Johnson is back. A player like Andrew Rich could help after getting a few starts in 2008.

Sam Bradford became only the second sophomore in history to win the Heisman Trophy, throwing for 4,720 yards, 50 TDs and only eight INTs last year. His return to Norman has Bob Stoops and company smiling from ear to ear. However, while Bradford is a constant, who he will be throwing too is not. Sophomore Ryan Broyles and junior Mossis Madu could provide steady targets on the outside, and they will have to step up even more in this game as it was announced that senior TE Jermaine Gresham will miss the opener due to a knee injury suffered in practice. Gresham is coming off a stellar junior campaign in which he caught 66 balls for 950 yards and 14 TDs.

Bradford will be able to rely on a deep and talented backfield, spearheaded by RBs Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray. Each back rushed for more than 1,000 yards last year.

The offensive line is the biggest question mark as only one starter returns in tackle Trent Williams.

While there are some areas of concern, as long as Bradford is running the show Stoops is confident the offense will be productive.

"In the end, we're not always concerned about statistics. It's doing what you need to do and manage the game to win. So to me, just to manage the game and avoid turnovers, make the smart plays, be consistent like he has been, and not to force things. You know, remind him you're not Superman. You don't need to remind Sam of that. He plays within the system."

The Oklahoma defense has an opportunity to be better than last year's group which ranked first in the country in turnover margin at +23. That's certainly a scary thought for the rest of the Big 12. In addition to taking the ball away from the opposition, stopping the run was the Sooners' strength as foes averaged fewer than 117 ypg on the ground. All-American DT Gerald McCoy is back for another go and he will be made that much more dangerous with a slew of talented ends flanking him in senior Auston English, junior Jeremy Beal (8.5 sacks) and sophomore Frank Alexander. A late season injury to English paved the way for Alexander to shine up front as a freshman in 2008 and the trio will cause all kinds of problems for opposing QBs in 2009.

Leading tackler Travis Lewis (144 stops) is back to lead the way in the linebacking corps. A Freshman All-American in 2008, the accolades piled up for Lewis last year, including being tabbed Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year and an All-Big 12 First-Team member. Joining Lewis in the middle of the field is senior Keenan Clayton (84 tackles), and the hope is that senior Ryan Reynolds will be able to get on the field after dealing with injuries last season.

Both starting corners return as Dominique Franks and Brian Jackson have all the tools to thrive against most of the high-powered aerial attacks in the Big 12.

This game means much more to BYU than to Oklahoma and Coach Mendenhall knows what is at stake for his team, one that is craving national respect.

"I think we have regional credibility and we're gaining national credibility now. If you want national credibility at the higher level, then you need to beat the best teams. Ranked teams are the best teams - which we are part of - but beating the teams in front of you is the way you gain that credibility."

BYU is a solid team that will no doubt vie for double-digit wins again, but the 2009 campaign couldn't have started with a much tougher task than the Sooners. Oklahoma's defense will make things difficult for Hall and company to move up and down the field, while Bradford will get off to a great start, leading Oklahoma to a big win in one of the more intriguing early-season, non- conference matchups.