Utah State Football enters 2026 with plenty to prove

With the 2026 college football season on the horizon, the Aggies are prepping for a season with many changes. To kick off the season, the team held its annual Media Day at Maverik Stadium on Aug. 4 to give a preview of the upcoming season. 

The biggest change for the Aggies this season is their entrance to the Pac-12 conference after exiting the Mountain West Conference after 13 years. While there will be some familiar faces in the new conference, the team views the entrance to the Pac-12 as an opportunity to raise their ceiling as a program. 

“For us, the Pac-12 was viewed as a step up. It was viewed as an opportunity to grow the program and in a changing landscape, a step forward,” head coach Bronco Mendenhall said at Utah State University’s Media Day. “I think it’s fantastic for Utah State. I think it’s amazing for Cache Valley. [I] love the opportunity for our players, but also, in the current landscape, [it is] necessary if we want to be relevant.” 

Despite the step up the team is taking, many of the players feel confident heading into the new conference. 

“I don’t think we feel the pressure. Coach Mendenhall has done a great job of just keeping us driven and staying focused on our process. There’s excitement about the new conference and the level of competition — it’s exciting,” graduate linebacker Bronson Olevao Jr. said. “This past summer, from winter workouts to spring ball, we’ve really been honing in on our process and seeing how good that we can get and that we’ll be able to show as we go into the season.” 

Another major change for the Aggies entering the season is at the quarterback position. Shortly following the spring game, junior McCae Hillstead was announced as the starting quarterback. Hillstead is in his second stint at USU, returning to the program after spending the last two seasons with Brigham Young University. As a freshman in 2023, Hillstead started four games for the Aggies while appearing in eight others. Hillstead feels more prepared to lead the Aggies in what will be his second season with the team. 

“My first go here at Utah State as a true freshman, I wouldn’t say I was underprepared, but I think that the moment — it was a lot. Compared to now, I’ve played in those games, and I learned lessons from them,” Hillstead said. “I’ve done a lot of observing, and I’ve been able to take action on some of the things that I’ve observed, and I think I can push the pin on the development as a team and for myself. I think that’s been the big thing, just a natural process of maturity that has occurred over the past few years, and for that reason, I feel super ready and prepared to let it loose this season.” 

Despite the excitement surrounding the season and the conference, many outside the team are not as high on the Aggies heading into the Pac-12, with many predicting the team to finish near the bottom of the conference. Despite these predictions, the team feels ready to prove themselves as true contenders in the conference. 

“I think you can get lost when you start listening to too many outside voices, and I think that that’s something that we do really well here as a group, and I feel like that’s something I focus on personally is to just limit the outside noise,” Hillstead said. “As far as expectations for us, I think that we’re going to shock a lot of people this year. I’m really excited for that — I think it’s a really good opportunity, and we’re going to do that by doing what we know how to do.” 

USU will open the season against Idaho State University but will then face two ranked matchups against pre-season No. 17 University of Washington and No. 21 University of Utah, playing both games on the road. Despite the challenge that they pose, the team feels ready to take them on. 

“I love the word ‘challenge,’ but I think that the word I like better is ‘opportunity.’ I’ve coached against a lot of really good teams and maybe a lot of brands that are supposed to be powerful and strong, but when the game starts, I’ve found that the team that’s most prepared and really executes at the highest level and believes at the highest level can do amazing things,” Mendenhall said.

“It’s so fun to be able to play in Salt Lake City and play in Seattle, but really, those games are great opportunities for this program to perform really, really well, and I wouldn’t count us out against anyone we’re playing.” 

The Aggies will play a total of 12 games throughout the season, with four non-conference games followed by eight conference matchups, beginning with Boise State University on Oct. 3. 

Utah State’s 2026 season will kick off on Saturday, Sept. 5, when the Aggies take on the Idaho State University Bengals at Maverik Stadium at 5 p.m.