LAS VEGAS — In the middle of Big 12 football media day, within the air conditioned confines of Allegiant Stadium, during a steamy day in the desert, a costumed mascot — the furry, gray BYU cougar — playfully toys around with the Cincinnati bearcat while the Utah athletic director watches from afar.
Mark Harlan, the longtime Utes administrator, gestures to this unusual and, perhaps, unthinkable scene that spells out a new reality: BYU and Cincinnati are in the same conference as Utah. And Colorado and Arizona State. And Kansas.