1What will the BYU football team do over the final four weeks of the season?

• DICKSON: As much as Cougar fans would like to believe change can happen, I just don't see it. This team is, to paraphrase former Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green, who we thought they were. Pretty talented offensively, horizontally challenged on defense, good enough for a bowl game and nothing more. BYU should be able to get by Wyoming, New Mexico and Air Force before setting up the rivalry game with Utah. Right now, you'd have to give the Utes the edge in that one. The winner goes to Las Vegas, the loser to San Diego for bowl season. Will BYU fans be happy with 9-3 or 10-2? Uh, no.

• FRANCHUK: It's a sure-thing 3-1, with the loss probably coming to you-know-who. It's been made pretty clear right now that Kyle Whittingham and his staff have done a superior job. It was pointed out to me that Utah's coach and Bronco Mendenhall have the same record as they stand, forever linked, now more than midway through their fifth seasons. Whittingham made the most of his best team (last season) and has fought through key injuries better than the Cougars. If you had told me during fall camp I'd be saying toward the end of the season that the Cougars had a chance of losing to Utah (in Provo, with the wide difference in quarterback experience) my August self would have said "get lost" to my November self. That's how disappointing of a season it's become, even as 10 wins again seems feasible.

2What's the key to BYU coming back from such a devastating loss to TCU?

• DICKSON: One key is to play a team you can beat like Wyoming the following week, but BYU's problems run a lot deeper. The Cougars have been been beaten twice this year -- at home, no less -- by a combined score of 92-35. Losing to Florida State and TCU? Disappointing but, you know, losses happen. Getting worked at home and never mounting a challenge to come back? That speaks to a lack of heart and desire, which has always been a trademark of Bronco Mendenhall teams. Someone -- coaches, captains, anyone -- needs to light a fire under these guys.

• FRANCHUK: I'll disagree with Darnell a little here. Let's say somebody thought Max Hall was struggling. The "coach" suggested that he start throwing left-handed. It's hard to be what you're not. Mendenhall's not a rah-rah guy and trying to change that would come off as phony -- and the results wouldn't be any better. The pregame hype (so-called bulletin board material, revenge, etc.) can't hold up for 3 1/2 hours. BYU needs better focus, though some linebackers like Bryan Kehl and David Nixon would be nice, too.

3What will be the BYU men's basketball preseason record?

• DICKSON: I think the Cougars will go 14-2 in the preseason with losses at Utah State and Arizona. There are a couple of other games -- at Hawaii, vs. Arizona State at home, in a tournament in Las Vegas against either Nebraska or Tulsa -- that could be difficult. But even at 14-2, BYU will be lucky to slip into the rankings because none of its opponents are ranked in the Top 25.

• FRANCHUK: I was really hoping BYU would sell itself out and get a high-profile road game, with no concern about getting a team back in the Marriott Center. We all knew Arizona wasn't going to be as good this year. I just would have liked to see where this very experienced team stood against a real top-10 opponent. Alas, BYU's got a really good chance to have just one loss. The best game on the slate is Utah State. The neutral-court games are solid and the Arizona game comes during winter break (not as many students) in Tucson. The folks in Logan will be ready to let the Cougars know where the sagebrush grows.

4How good is the BYU women's soccer team?

• DICKSON: The Cougars (16-2-2) are ranked No. 9 in the country and just clinched their second straight MWC title. Jennifer Rockwood's teams are always among the best in the West. Freshman Carlee Payne has scored 34 points this season (12 goals). The MWC tournament is in Provo this week and a good chance for Cougar fans to cheer for a BYU team that will actually play and win in a postseason tournament.

• FRANCHUK: Hey, let's give it up to MWC soccer for still having a conference tournament. Softball and volleyball have done away with them. And, no matter what traditionalists say, they do serve a purpose. It keeps teams playing hard until the end and accounts for teams (like BYU women's volleyball) that may have fought issues like injuries; giving them another chance to reach the postseason. As for Rockwood, she's probably the most unheralded coach among her BYU peers. And I think she likes the quiet.

5How come the BYU cross country teams didn't sweep the MWC championships like they do every year?

• DICKSON: Yes, it's true. The Cougars finished second to New Mexico in both the men's and women's races at Cascade Golf Course on Saturday. Must have had something to do with Halloween. I saw some runners dressed up (an M&M bag, Superman, Harry Potter) on my way to Evanston on Saturday, in a road race that must have started at Sundance. Maybe some Cougar runners got lost and ended up in the wrong race. They will have to bounce back at regionals.

• FRANCHUK: If the Cougars were anything like me on a golf course, they didn't take a direct route to the finish line. It's one time, though, when the players and coaches must be kind of happy to have their results mostly hush-hush. They don't get as much credit as deserved for winning, but the lows aren't so public (and scathing) like football and men's basketball, either.