Strong is creating the expectation: Beat BYU and we're in positive territory. UCLA v. UT seems more of a national needle mover for pundits, fans, & media but is also a tougher contest. He doesn't want to measure himself against UCLA or OU, not this year at least. He's picked a the game he wants everyone to focus on, one that he thinks is winable and an easy motivator for his team. He is defining the battle and defining the measure of success that he wants to be measured against this year.