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Posted by ESPN.com's Graham Watson

	Ethan Miller/Getty Images
	Bronco Mendenhall has led the Cougars to a 22-4 record over the last two seasons.

PROVO, Utah -- BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall isn't your typical college football coach. He's honest, doesn't keep many secrets about his program, believes in short, efficient practices, and hasn't shied away from the expectations and pressures that have been levied against his team this season.

The Cougars were preseason No. 17 in the coaches' poll that was released last week, the highest ranking non-BCS team in the top 25, and several college football prognosticators expect a perfect season and a BCS berth.

Mendenhall has allowed his players to embrace the hype, but he's supplied a little historical reference to make sure the team stays grounded.

"What I told them was the last time Brigham Young was ranked preseason at 17 was in 1978, if I remember correctly, and that year they went 6-5," he said. "So, basically the idea of the preseason rankings, while I think they're a visible sign of respect and maybe acknowledgement over the past two years, that's really all it is. We have a really long season and the only way we'll even live up to that attention is through the day-to-day details."

It's the details that define Mendenhall's quest for perfection, a term he's used often in his tenure at BYU. But to him, perfection means each player playing to the best of his ability. Even he admits that he hasn't coached to the best of his ability. He's constantly changing lineups and tweaking schemes. In the last two seasons, he's shortened his practices to an hour and a half to promote efficiency and longevity during the 12-game season.

"I believe we practice fewer minutes than any team in the country," Mendenhall said. "The kids come here prepared, they come to work. They come with consistency each and every day and we practice very fast. So I think we're able to get more done in less time... So when I tell other coaches, they don't believe it until they see it. They don't think you can be ready to play. I think it's just the opposite. We're more ready because of the focus and attention that it takes to come out and get a lot done in very little time."

That focus has given BYU 11 wins in each of the last two seasons. It is currently riding the nation's longest winning streak at 10 games. It's won two consecutive Mountain West titles, both through 8-0 seasons, and is picked to win a third consecutive trophy.

BYU has the benefit of older players to help keep it grounded and focused. It boasts the oldest average age of any Division I-A team in the country, and 38 of the 105 on the roster are married -- and most of those have children.

The success and focus has bred confidence heading into the season. Although Mendenhall encourages his players to not read papers, magazines or the Internet, each knows that it has the team to validate the preseason hype.

"The team is confident," Mendenhall said. "I think they sense that this could be a special year... I think our schedule is difficult enough and any team can beat us at any time. I think all that's changed now is the outside world's expectation that losing one game is too many now. Three years ago we had three straight losing years, so it's interesting in three short seasons that if we don't win every game that's not going to be acceptable."