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LAS VEGAS — Utah State was picked to finish sixth in the Mountain West Conference's Mountain division Tuesday, as announced by the league at its annual media summit in Las Vegas.
The vote marks the lowest selection by Utah State in the preseason poll since joining the conference five years ago. The Aggies were picked sixth in the six-team Mountain division, with Boise State atop the division with 21 first-place votes.
Colorado State (six) and Wyoming (one) rounded out the Mountain division's top three. Two-time defending league champion San Diego State (28 first-place votes) was picked to win the West division, followed by Hawaii, UNLV and Nevada.
The Aggies' 28 total earned points were the fewest in the conference.
Head coach Matt Wells' team finished just 3-9 in 2016, including a 1-7 mark in conference play. The Aggies return talented skill-position players like senior quarterback Kent Myers, who completed 58 percent of his passes for 2,389 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior, along with Doak Walker Award watch-list candidate Tony Lindsey at running back.
Utah State will be looking for another back to replace Devante Mays, who was drafted in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers.
They'll also be rebuilding an offensive line, with just two returning starters in senior tackle Preston Brooksby and junior guard KJ Uluave. Among the newcomers are two junior-college transfers, and former BYU guard Quinn Ficklin, a graduate transfer from Mesa, Arizona.
