Bowl bound or bust:
Utah State released its 2015-2016 football schedule on Monday. The schedule features four non-conference opponents on top of a full conference schedule, three of which are in the state of Utah and two featuring Pac-12 opponents.
The Aggies open their season at home on Sept. 3 against Southern Utah University. They then play Utah in Salt Lake and Washington in Seattle in back-to-back weeks.
The last time the Aggies played Utah was in Rice Eccles, and they lost 30-26. Utah finished ranked No. 21 and 9-5 on the season. Washington finished 8-6.
USU then goes on a bye week before starting conference play.
Attendance might be an issue for some games. The Aggies’ first conference game is against Colorado State on Oct. 3, which is LDS General Conference weekend. Utah State’s next home game is against Boise State on Oct. 17, which is the Saturday during fall break and the opening day of the deer hunt.
USU’s other home games include Wyoming, which is on Halloween, New Mexico on Nov. 7, Nevada on Nov. 21 and BYU on Nov. 28. The home game against BYU is the Aggies’ season finale and is also the weekend after Thanksgiving.
The Aggies’ road games are Fresno State on Oct. 10, San Diego State on Oct. 24 and Air Force on Nov. 14.
The Aggies play six-straight games from Sept. 12 to Oct. 24 against teams who played in bowl games last year. The aggregate record of the Aggies’ opponents — excluding SUU who plays in the Division 2 — is 85-59.
Best-case scenario
The Aggies avoid the injury bug for the first time under third-year coach Matt Wells and enjoy another successful year. They pick up a win against a Pac-12 opponent for the first time in three years and go back to the MW championship only losing one of their opponents on the daunting schedule. The season ends with Utah State beating BYU in consecutive years, overall 10-2 and 7-1 in conference play. This schedule and a 10-2 result would probably land the Aggies in the top 25.
Worst-case scenario
The Aggies go into conference play with two losses to their Pac-12 opponents. A long October wears down USU and they start spiraling. The season ends with BYU’s revenge on the Aggies and no bowl. They finish 5-7 overall and 4-4 in conference play.
What the Aggies need to do
After the bye week, they need to save their bodies for the games. Alternating home and away high-stakes conference games will be exhausting and taxing for a month straight. Practices need to be easier on the players’ bodies and focus more on mental preparation.
It sounds cliche, but the Aggies also need to worry about themselves. The conference, especially the Mountain Division, is going to include an intricate web of possibilities and scenarios by the time mid-October rolls around, and USU has to focus on its games rather than conference rivals.
The Aggies have proved that they can handle adversity and are likely going back to a bowl game. But their schedule doesn’t lend them any favors.
— dahdahjm@gmail.com
Twitter: @dahdahUSU