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LOGAN — Believe it or not, Utah State plays football this month.
One of the more anticipated Aggies seasons in recent history kicks off on Aug. 27 as Utah State looks to repeat aa Mountain West champions in the second year of Blake Anderson's tenure with the program.
The team returns seven offensive starters, including senior quarterback Logan Bonner, but is forced to replace seven starters from last year's defense. Transfers look to fill in the void from graduating seniors in several positions, while the overall depth has improved.
Duplicating success is never easy. Though Utah State's schedule avoids the top two teams from the Pacific Division, challenging road games in and out of conference play will make the trail back to the peak of the conference a difficult one to climb.
Here's a glance at the first half of the schedule.
vs. UConn, Aug. 27
Finally, a brand name comes to Logan for a regular season nonconference game. Unfortunately, it isn't a basketball game, but it could still deliver some intrigue.
Jim Mora, the former UCLA and Atlanta Falcons coach, is back in football after a four-year hiatus and looks to reinstall life into a downtrodden UConn program. He seems to be on the right track: Just this offseason, he brought in eight Power Five transfers. The attempted turnaround will take time; the Huskies are a combined 4-32 in the last three seasons and lack any conference affiliation to help prop them up.
Expect an Aggies win and a thin playbook in Game 1.
Result: Utah State win (1-0)
at Alabama, Sept. 3
A non-hypothetical question: Does playing Week 0 benefit Utah State because it gives them a tune-up game before playing against Alabama, or is it a negative because it grants Nick Saban three hours of film study to work with before the game?
The answer probably doesn't matter.
A national championship contending roster full of NFL talent awaits the Aggies in Tuscaloosa. On paper, it isn't a winnable game, but how the Aggies play still matters.
Can Bonner direct an adequate passing attack? Can the defense force a few stops? Going toe-to-toe with the nation's best is an invaluable experience, and any small victory against Alabama can be a confidence builder, while failure should come with perspective.
The spread of 38.5 points is steep, but any level of competitiveness and the Aggies can cover. And if they don't? Well, hey, a $1.9 million pay day looks like a win to me.
Sources: Alabama adds 2022 home game w/Utah State. Bama will pay Aggies $1.91 million, 3rd highest amount ever for a visiting team. Florida paid Colorado State $2M (as part of McElwain buyout) for 2018 game & Auburn paid Tulane $1.937M for 2019 game
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) May 2, 2018
Result: Utah State loss (1-1)
vs. Weber State, Sept. 10
Frankly, the battle for Northern Utah football supremacy should be played more often. Make a trophy of a quarterback downing a gold-plated football; call it the "Golden Spike."
During the Aggies' down years, this game could be interesting. The Wildcats, who Anderson said he thinks is one of the best FCS teams in the country, won four straight Big Sky titles from 2017-20. While Jay Hill's program dipped a bit last year, going 6-4 against other FCS programs, a more favorable schedule should help them be more competitive this season.
But it will be hard to be competitive against this year's Aggies. Utah State has too much speed and too many playmakers on both sides of the ball. An FBS conference championship contender has no business losing to an FCS school, especially when bragging rights are on the line.
Result: Utah State win (2-1)
vs. UNLV, Sept. 24
The conference opener will be a key measuring point for an Aggies offense that believes it has increased its physicality in the offseason.
In last year's game against the Rebels, Utah State averaged just 3.1 yards per carry on the ground and struggled to sustain drives. It took a special teams touchdown and two defensive interceptions to eke out a 28-24 win.
The 2022 version of the UNLV defense will, once again, be a challenge. The Rebels lost linebacker Jacoby Windmon, but returns four senior defensive linemen that average 283 pounds. The Rebels are also expected to build upon last year's 2-10 record, with some sportsbooks predicting 4.5 wins. Whether that number is home cooking or a sign of legitimate improvement, UNLV deserves Utah State's full respect.
However, increased physicality or not, version 2.0 of the Aggies offense should not look like the sporadic group that showed up in Las Vegas last October. Outscoring a UNLV team that has an undefined quarterback situation and hasn't had a consistent winner since the water in Lake Mead was at full capacity should not be an issue — especially at home.
Result: Utah State win (3-1)
at BYU, Sept. 29
Utah State never lacks motivation when facing its in-state rival to the south. And with the Cougars bolting for the Big 12 and canceling the remaining games of the series, the Aggies' desire to win the game and bring the wagon wheel back to Logan may be at an all-time high.
A win is certainly possible — Utah State has won two of the last three games played in Provo — and that success can be replicated if Calvin Tyler Jr. and the offensive front can establish an identity in the run game and the defense can force critical turnovers.
It would require near perfection, however, as BYU returns most of its talent from a team with the clear physical advantage in last year's matchup. The margin of error is slim — too slim to predict a Utah State victory.
Result: Utah State loss (3-2)
vs. Air Force, Oct. 8
In 2018, during an electric white-out game at Maverik Stadium, Utah Jazz players Donovan Mitchell, Royce O'Neal and Georges Niang repped custom-made Utah State jerseys on the sideline and cheered the Aggies to a victory over Air Force.
Although the trio of NBA players is unlikely to return for a four-year reunion, this year's home game against Air Force should still have plenty of fireworks. Both teams finished conference play with a 6-2 record last season, but Utah State's 49-45 win over the Falcons helped edge them out for the division championship.
But picked second in the Mountain Division this year, Air Force wants revenge. They're capable of getting it, too, with the quarterback and tailback duo of Haaziq Daniels and Brad Roberts returning, along with most of the offensive line.
Akin to last year, the Falcons will be able to score on the Aggies, but the concern is on defense. Having an unproven secondary and breaking in a new defensive coordinator is not a formula for success against an explosive passing team. Look for Bonner to put up big numbers and the Aggies to edge out Air Force to open conference play 2-0.
Result: Utah State win (4-2)
Midway through the season, the Aggies have a disappointing blemish against a rival but have all their conference goals within reach. Time to gear up for a back stretch that includes four road conference trips to determine if Utah State can return to conference championship game.
