Frog head coach Gary Patterson discussed the impact of this Saturday’s BYU game, not as a chance to bust the BCS, but as just another step to win a conference championship in his weekly press conference Tuesday.

“It’s still about winning all your conference games,” Patterson said. “It’s still about winning the conference. This ball game is more about conference than it is about BCS.”

Patterson said that the most important part of this season was to get through the Frogs’ first seven games, then they can look forward to what is ahead. This Saturday’s game against BYU marks that seventh match, and Patterson said after this game BCS conversations can start.

“You can have a lot more conversations from me if it turns out well at BYU because we’re achieving what we said we would achieve in the first seven ball games,” Patterson said. “If we don’t achieve that then there are no conversations.”

These conversations could have started last year if the Frogs had pulled out a win against the Utah Utes. Patterson used that game as a reminder for what can happen if his players don’t show up to play this Saturday, he said.

“I use Utah as a reference,” Patterson said. “It’s been a learning experience. If you stood in that locker room with me, in the 27 years I’ve been an assistant or head coach, I’ve never been in a tougher locker room, where kids wanted something so badly that there wasn’t a dry eye in the whole place. I think you learn from those. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

Now, when asked about BCS or even national championship possibilities, Patterson just focuses on the statements he can make on the field.

“I only worry about the things I can control,” Patterson said. “The best thing head coaches can do is win ball games. That’s the only thing I can do that can help support our cause. If we don’t win ball games, we don’t have anything to talk about.”

At the end of the first six games, the Frogs have always been on top but that has not always been the case after one or two quarters. Patterson said he thought the slow starts were because of a lack of energy.

“There wasn’t much energy in our stadium Saturday starting out. I think we started out late but came up with some energy because of Jeremy Kerley. I don’t think we will have any problem with the energy of the BYU stadium. We’ve played there before, we understand it’ll be sold out. They’ll probably be there early.”

Patterson said BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall will have his players ready to play. Patterson took some time to discuss that despite the differences of hobbies off the field, Mendenhall and himself are very similar on the field. Patterson also talked about how any coach has to develop and lead with their own style and personality.

“When I first started to head coach in 2001, I tried to act like (Dennis Franchione) did,” Patterson said. “I tried to be that guy on the sidelines, and I’m not that guy. If I’m going to go down I’m going to do it my way. Obviously, he didn’t pull his pants up or tie his shoes or all the other things that I do that are quirky that go on while I’m trying to call a ball game. If I didn’t have a little bit of strength in my personality I’d have a hard time.”