While the future of the BYU-Utah rivalry was a prominent storyline for many here on day one of MWC Football Media Days in Las Vegas, I thought the two most compelling BYU-related topics were outlined by head coach Bronco Mendenhall: his school's posture relative to conference expansion, and his team's search for a starting quarterback.

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If you haven't read yesterday's final two blog posts or heard Bronco's audio files in "Cougar Cuts," I encourage you to do so; the coach's comments on both matters are illuminating.

In both his podium session and one-on-one interview with me, Bronco makes clear exactly why he is not doing a lot and weeping and wailing over Utah's departure for the Pac-10 or BYU's exclusion from the Pac-10 expansion discussion.

On multiple fronts yesterday (podium, group interview and one-on-one), the coach goes into detail about his pending decision on naming a starting quarterback, and I found his explanations fascinating, because waiting through camp and perhaps into the season to name a starter is contrary to his previous philosophy.

Here's what he said about that, in a comment I did not write up yesterday:

"I think one of the marks of good coaching is not forcing--when situations dictate it--not forcing or jamming the same model into a given year."

This year's situation (young, inexperienced quarterbacks, no offensive line depth in spring ball) has required a shift in Bronco's thinking relative to the naming of a starting quarterback, and rather than err on the side of expediency, he is taking his time on a decision that will only be made once one of the top QBs separates himself from the others.

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The future of the BYU-Utah rivalry is not really moving the needle for me right now. The rivalry itself was at risk the minute Utah switched conferences, and if the rivalry game is to be lost or postponed for the foreseeable future, it has to be considered collateral damage.

Administrations for both sides say they'd like the game to be played, but time will soon tell just how much each school really wants or needs that game--a game that will no longer be played on the final weekend of the season, and will no longer have both sides with their eyes on the same prize.

I do think BYU-Utah is a great rivalry, for reasons including geographic proximity, a lengthy history and the perceived "clash of cultures." But I also think the two schools' conference partnership helped shape the rivalry and define its importance--an element that will now be missing.

Both BYU and Utah will now need to evaluate the risk/reward scenarios involved in adding each other to their non-conference schedules, and that factor will expose the two schools' true feelings about the rivalry game, and whether those feelings match those of commentators who believe the contest is an annual imperative--a birthright for the state's sports fans.

As for me, I am more curious than concerned; more ambivalent than anxious. If the game survives, then it will be interesting to see how the altered dynamics translate to the field of play. If it goes away, for a while, or a long time, it will be equally interesting to see how much any of of us miss it.

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MWC Commissioner Craig Thompson delivers his annual "State of the Conference Address" this morning at 9:30am MT, followed by his group roundtable interview with assembled reporters. Hear the audio from both sessions here at Cougar Tracks later this morning.

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Follow me now on Twitter: twitter.com/gregwrubell

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"TRUE BLUE NEVER FADES. BYU FOOTBALL ON KSL."