Once fall camp begins on Aug. 5, Jay Sawvel’s message will shrink to football’s daily routine.

One game at a time.

Play all 60 minutes.

Win all three phases.

Mountain West media days on July 15-16, however, offered a chance to zoom out.

Wyoming’s representatives on the trip — head coach Jay Sawvel, quarterback Tyler Hughes, left tackle Rex Johnsen, linebacker Ethan Stuhlsatz and defensive tackle Jayden Williams — fielded questions about opening the season with a non-conference Border War and possibly forming new rivalries with the three MW additions.

The Cowboys open the season Sept. 5 at Colorado State with possession of the Bronze Boot after winning eight of the last 10 meetings between the rivals. The Rams, along with Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State, have left to join the remnants of the Pac-12.

“One of the first things you learn when you’re a Wyoming Cowboy is we’ve got to go handle business down south,” said Hughes, who transferred to UW after passing for 2,330 yards with 20 touchdowns and three interceptions and rushing for 670 yards and 11 touchdowns last season at William & Mary. “It’s a blessing and that’s the first thing we get to do in the season. That’s a good kickstart to the year keeping the Boot.”

The MW opener will also be a trophy game. The Pokes will try to win back the Paniolo Trophy against Hawaii on Sept. 26 at War Memorial Stadium.

UW leads the all-time series 17-12 but lost last year’s finale 27-7 to the Warriors in Honolulu.

On Oct. 3, the Cowboys will be the first MW team to face newcomer North Dakota State in the Fargodome.

Craig Bohl built the Bison into an FCS powerhouse before a 10-year run as UW’s head coach. His coordinators from the Pokes’ nine-win 2023 team, Sawvel and Tim Polasek, will be on opposite sidelines for the inaugural “Bohl Bowl.”

Bohl was in Las Vegas for part of the festivities and was able to spend time with both Sawvel and Polasek.

“I brought it up to (Bohl) and not jokingly,” Polasek said of creating a rivalry between NDSU and UW. “I do think Wyoming regionally is a nice fit. The respect level we have for that program and how they go about their work, and I have knowledge on that, and it starts with Jay Sawvel, but that’s a blue-collar outfit. I think we’re blue-collar. I think there’s some similarities that way. I think it’s a natural fit.”

The Cowboys won the only previous meeting, 16-13 in 2008, before the Bison reeled off 10 FCS national championships in the last 15 seasons. UW athletics director Tom Burman was a strong proponent of adding NDSU to the MW during this realignment cycle.

“I was right there with him. I thought it would be the best thing possible for the Mountain West to do,” Sawvel said. “(Burman) told me that there was resistance in other corners and he’s like, ‘I think they will bring a far better brand than what a lot of people realize.’ I totally agree with that.”

Northern Illinois, like NDSU, joins the MW as a football-only member. The Huskies visit Laramie on Oct. 17 a decade after their memorable triple-overtime loss to the Josh Allen-led Cowboys. 

“I spent three years (as an assistant) at Northern Illinois and when we left in 2010, we shouldn’t have left,” Sawvel said. “Coach (Jerry) Kill took a job at Minnesota, and we should have just stayed there. At the time we left we had Jordan Lynch on that team, and he ended up being a Heisman (Trophy) finalist. We had Jimmy Ward on that team, he ended up being a first-round (NFL Draft) pick. We won 11 games our last year at Northern Illinois and they went on two years later to the Orange Bowl. So, you know the level of talent you can attract in that program.”

UTEP, a former WAC rival, hosts UW on Nov. 14 in El Paso, Texas. Legendary Cowboy squads defeated Texas Tech (1955), Hardin-Simmons (1958) and Florida State (1966) in the Sun Bowl. The Miners also were on the wrong end of a 51-6 loss in 1988 that clinched back-to-back WAC titles for Paul Roach’s Pokes.

“This is definitely the league that UTEP belongs in,” Miners linebacker Jayden Wilson said. “Our stadium is built inside of a mountain. I mean, I don’t know where else we would want to be, but it means so much to the city just being able to see that Mountain West logo on our football field. It’s a beautiful sight. We’re super excited as a team, (coaching) staff’s excited, and, most importantly, the city is excited.”

The Cowboys will host longtime conference rivals Air Force (Oct. 23) and New Mexico (Nov. 20) and have MW road games at San Jose State (Oct. 9) and UNLV (Nov. 7).

UW opens and closes the home slate with non-conference games against Northern Colorado (Sept. 12) and UConn (Nov. 28), respectively. The Pokes also play at Central Michigan (Sept. 19).