No. 4 TCU still unbeaten

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- Andy Dalton made a bet over the summer with his Texas Christian teammates that he was hoping to lose. Win 10 straight and the junior quarterback vowed to shave his flame-red hair.

The Horned Frogs did, and Dalton honored the pact, showing up last week with a pseudo Mohawk and "TCU" etched into the side. But all future bets regarding Dalton's locks are off.

That's probably wise given the way No. 4 TCU is playing. The Horned Frogs are off to their best start in 71 years after routing Wyoming 45-10 on Saturday.

The win keeps TCU (11-0, 7-0 Mountain West Conference) in the thick of Bowl Championship Series contention and clinches at least a share of the MWC crown. The Horned Frogs last went 11-0 in 1938, capped by a win over Carnegie Tech and a No. 1 final ranking in the AP poll. TCU has not won a national title since, but it still has an outside chance this season.

All that stands in the way of the Frogs and a perfect regular season is a win over struggling New Mexico next weekend.

As for getting caught looking too far ahead -- dreaming of a possible big-money BCS bowl game -- defensive lineman Jerry Hughes said that's not possible.

"This team has done a great job blocking out all distractions," he said. "When you start looking too far into the future, things start to get away from you."

That almost was the case Saturday -- at least early.

The score was tied at 10 after Wyoming safety Chris Prosinski scooped up a fumble and raced 98 yards for a touchdown midway through the second quarter. But the tie lasted all of 16 seconds as Greg McCoy returned the ensuing kickoff 81 yards for a score.

Then, minutes later, Dalton found a hole in the Cowboys zone and hit Jeremy Kerley in stride, the wide receiver taking it from there as he sprinted 45 yards for a score and a 24-10 lead.

In a flash, the Frogs turned a potential scare into breathing room.

This wasn't the most polished victory TCU has turned in this season, the team turning the ball over four times. But the Frogs broke open a tight game by scoring 35 unanswered points and now have outscored opponents 278-63 over their past six contests.

• No. 19 Brigham Young 38, Air Force 21 -- At Provo, Utah, Max Hall threw for five touchdowns and set a school record with his 30th career win as the Cougars beat the Falcons.

Hall was 33 of 45 for 377 yards in his 30th victory, breaking the mark he shared with 1990 Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer. BYU (9-2, 5-1) earned its sixth straight win over Air Force (7-5, 5-3).

Harvey Unga became BYU's all-time rushing leader with 67 yards, giving him 3,268 in his career.

• No. 23 Utah 38, San Diego State 7 -- At Salt Lake City, former Cimarron-Memorial standout Eddie Wide rushed for 84 yards and two touchdowns, and the Utes scored all their points in the first half in a rout of the Aztecs (4-7, 2-5).

Utah (9-2, 6-1) bounced back after losing 55-28 on the road to No. 4 TCU a week before to earn its 17th consecutive home win, extending the third-longest home winning streak in the nation behind Oklahoma (28) and Boise State (24).

• New Mexico 29, Colorado State 27 -- At Albuquerque, N.M., James Aho's 27-yard field goal with 12 seconds left sent the Lobos over the Rams, ending New Mexico's 14-game losing streak.

Colorado State's John Mosure ran for 177 yards and two touchdowns, and cornerback Nick Oppenneer returned an interception 97 yards for a touchdown to give the Rams (3-8, 0-7) a 27-23 fourth-quarter lead.

The final drive started at the Colorado State 45. Quarterback Donovan Porterie converted a fourth-and-2 with a 5-yard scramble, and Kasey Carrier followed with a 22-yard run to the 11, setting up Aho's game-winning kick for the Lobos (1-10, 1-6).