The day BYU left for Saturday’s showdown with New Mexico, the story broke that six freshmen were suspended for violating team rules.

The Provo 6, as they have come to be known, have created a media frenzy. The timing couldn’t have been worse.

Busloads of protestors are on their way to BYU’s campus, ready to march on the injustice. Civil rights activists – Al and Jesse, you know those guys - were last seen boarding private jets.

OK, maybe not.

The Provo 6 won’t have any impact on the big game. None of them are playing this season.

The only distractions will be dressed in red, in the form of the Lobos and the fans who will comprise an anticipated sellout crowd. Make no mistake, despite what anybody from Albuquerque says, this is New Mexico’s biggest game in years.

Quarterback Donovan Porterie and receivers Marcus Smith and Travis Brown might be the toughest combination BYU faces this season. If that’s the case, the Cougars could be in trouble – knowing full well that Tulsa’s passing game destroyed BYU’s secondary.

After the Tulsa game, BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall took the blame, noting that he didn’t prepare the secondary well enough. Now’s the chance to prove it.

The Lobos aren’t all pass and no run. Rodney Ferguson is one of the MWC’s best running backs, gaining 473 yards in four games. But BYU has played the run well all season.

My take is BYU’s offense will have no problem scoring in the 30s. New Mexico gave up 27 points to a crummy Arizona team.

As long as BYU’s offense has no more than one turnover, the defense should do enough to hold on.

BYU 38, UNM 21

Utah State at Utah

 That’s it, I’m done picking the Aggies to win. Already this season, they’ve let me down twice.

Last Saturday’s performance against San Jose State, in which they blew the lead and then failed to handle the kickoff with one minute left in the game, has left me convinced this program doesn’t know how to win.

And the joke is, USU may have fewer problems than then Utes. Last week’s abysmal performance against UNLV was impossible to explain.

If the Utes lay another egg, Kyle Whittingham and his boys are in trouble. But each time we begin the 10-count on Whittingham, his team manages to resurrect.

The Utes can’t just win this game – they’ve got to do it in impressive fashion to regain confidence. Brian Johnson needs direct the offense in a way that bodes hope for the next two months.

Here’s to a good start as Johnson makes his second start of the season at quarterback.

Utah 31, USU 10