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LOGAN — Going into its bye week, the USU football team finds itself in a predicament the Aggies haven't been in over the past five seasons. USU is 2-4 on the season, including 0-3 in Mountain West Conference play. In order to become bowl eligible for the sixth straight season, the Aggies will have to win at least four of their final six games. It is a streak that is in serious jeopardy when considering the matchups in the final six games for USU. Let's look at some of the games that have the possibility of ending USU's bowl hopes.
Oct. 28 vs. San Diego State
Two weeks after the Aggies come off a bye, they host the team that was picked to win the Mountain West. San Diego State boasts the all-time leading rusher in D.J. Pumphrey, who was picked to win the offensive player of the year award. Pumphrey leads the nation with 891 yards rushing on the season, an average of 178.2 yards per game.
The Aztecs also haven't lost a conference game since Nov. 15, 2014. In that time, SDSU has outscored its opponents 410-142. If that isn't bad enough, the Aztecs dominated the Aggies in 2015 to the tune of 48-14. It might be a little closer considering the game is at Maverik Stadium in Logan, but this is not a favorable matchup for the Aggies in their quest to get to a sixth straight bowl game.
Nov. 5 at Wyoming
People might wonder why this game is on the list as potential games that could end the USU streak. The Aggies dominated Colorado State in Fort Collins, Colorado, two weeks ago, and then knocked off Air Force this past weekend in Laramie, Wyoming. The Cowboys are 4-2 on the season, including a very surprising 2-0 conference record. Wyoming is averaging 36.5 points in conference play.
The other stat of note is that USU is 0-3 on the road this season and traveling to the high plains in early November might not be the medicine the Aggies had in mind. It doesn't help that this matchup comes one week after playing a physical San Diego State team.
Nov. 26 at BYU
Yes, the last time the Aggies played in Provo they won for the first time in 17 tries. Yes, the Cougars had Taysom Hill until he broke his leg in the second quarter. And yes, USU also had the Vigil brothers doing a lot of damage both on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
Fast forward two years and it is almost the same story with a few wrinkles. BYU has a new head coach and new offensive and defensive coordinators. However, Hill is back and right now the BYU offense looks to be rolling, especially with running back Jamaal Williams. In the 2014 contest, former USU quarterback Darell Garretson had a huge game in terms of managing the offense and making veteran-like throws that helped USU pick up the win. The Aggies will need the same kind of effort from current quarterback Kent Myers if they expect to pull off the win against their hated in-state rivals and keep their hopes of bowl game alive.
Losing to Colorado State put the Aggies in a real pickle. The task looks daunting as they work out some issues during the bye week, but it is college football and fans know that stranger things have happened. Will the Aggies add their name to the list of those strange things that have happened?
Kyle McDonald is sports fan who loves the Chicago Cubs and the Utah Valley University Wolverines. He is a communication major at UVU and will graduate in the spring of 2017. Follow him on Twitter at @kylesportsbias
