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LAS VEGAS — Utah State is coming off the best season in school history. The Aggies were 11-2 in 2012, won their first outright conference title since 1936 and finished 16th in the final top 25 poll.
Some may be surprised to hear that Utah State is picked to finish second in the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference, but when you hear what coaches in the league say about the Aggies you can see why.
"They're loaded," said Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun. "No question a Top 20 football program, and this year should have an even stronger team this season."
New Mexico head coach Bob Davie watched a lot of Utah State games live and on tape as a broadcaster with ESPN. He is very impressed with what Utah State has done with their program.
"If I had one word to say what they are it's tough," he said. "And their confident and they have momentum, so I look for them to be right in the middle of this thing."
Boise State head coach Chris Petersen is also impressed with the Aggie program. He understands what Matt Wells is going through replacing a coach who turned the program into a Top 20 team. Petersen took over for Dan Hawkins at Boise State after the Broncos won four straight WAC titles.
They're loaded. No question a Top 20 football program, and this year should have an even stronger team this season.
–Troy Calhoun
"I know when you lose a coach that's real successful everybody is like 'uh oh,' " Petersen said. "Well, not so much because the guy that's taking over knows what works and he can put his own spin on it and add some new energy."
The respect is nice, but it means Utah State won't be sneaking up on any teams in the conference this season.
The Aggies return 18 starters from that record-setting team. Players and coaches in the league rave about Chuckie Keeton and are very aware of how dangerous a playmaker he is. Defensive coordinators will spend a lot of time coming up with schemes to limit his playmaking ability.
"You look ahead and see the challenges that are out there," said Utah State head coach Matt Wells. "It's new to us. We have no idea of some of the venues we're going to be walking into with the teams and the coaches. It's a tremendous league and it will be a great challenge for us every week."
