Air Force players were focused, even obsessed, on Saturday's game, and didn't seem bothered, or even interested, in BYU's upcoming departure from their football lives.
And that's wise. The Falcons need to be living and competing fully in the present.
But yesterday and tomorrow have been on the minds of many Air Force fans as the Cougars prepared for what is likely their final game at Falcon Stadium.
BYU freshman quarterback Jake Heaps is one of the most promising players in the college game, and seems destined for the NFL.
But Saturday may have been your last chance to watch Heaps -- and the rest of the Cougars -- in person in Colorado. Your TV set will serve as your future connection to Heaps.
Yes, I know BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said he wants to continue the Cougars' rivalry with Air Force, but a future game is highly improbable. An Air Force official told me last week he didn't anticipate the Falcons scheduling the Cougars, and he seemed to be talking about the rest of this century.
BYU is leaving the Mountain West Conference to try life as an independent. The school is happily shredding tradition.
But that's standard procedure in college sports, which is more confusing and chaotic than normal life.
BYU is the primary target of critics weary of constant, irritating change in college sports. Yet the Cougars stand among a crowd.
The Big 12 nearly vanished in the offseason after Colorado seemed ready to lead a mass exodus.
The Western Athletic Conference barely breathes after a raid by the Mountain West brought Boise State, Nevada and Fresno State into the MWC fold.
The Mountain West is hurting after Utah turned to the Pac-10 and BYU embraced indy status.
None of these moves is an expression of evil. It's all about the cash register, which means BYU's decision to depart the MWC makes sense.
Financial sense, that is.
BYU athletic officials soon will be blessed with a pile of money, and cash is always nice to have around. It's fun to count, for one thing.
The indy Cougars will easily double their television income, and this mountain of money should ease the pain of their diminished status on the football field and their even bigger prestige drop in other sports.
The Cougars' abandonment of the MWC is understandable, if not admirable. Sure, you can accuse BYU leaders of being greedy, but that's mild criticism in today's American college sports scene.
Greed is a given. It's common. It's expected.
BYU leaders aren't the only villains in the college football mess. They have plenty of company. They're sharks swimming in an ocean of sharks.
I'm wondering, as I've long wondered, when fans will grow weary of the grinding, deadening complications of college sports and turn to simpler, happier destinations for escape and entertainment.
BYU's departure shakes the foundation of college football in Colorado Springs. Since 1981, the Falcons and Cougars have battled 27 times, with BYU grabbing 21 victories.
Air Force fans have seen a parade of some of the most exciting players in the college game -- Steve Young, Robbie Bosco, Ty Detmer, Austin Collie and Max Hall.
Saturday, the parade likely ended.
And that's sad.
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