Aggies ranked No. 18 in AP Poll

The Associated Press released its weekly Top 25 college football poll this afternoon, placing the Utah State football team No.18 in the nation after achieving its first 7-1 start to a season since 1965.

After receiving 50 votes last week and finding themselves as the second team outside of the Top 25, Utah State’s emphatic 61-19 win over New Mexico on Saturday helped push them in. The Aggies received 340 votes in this week’s poll, the most of any Mountain West team.

“It’s really cool. It’s a salute to our program on how we do things and how the season has been going,” said senior safety Jontrell Rocquemore. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t affect the Mountain West Championship, and that’s our goal. It’s cool and an honor to be in the top 25. We still have big plans for the rest of the season.”

The Aggies were ranked in individual ballots as high as No. 15 by two different voters, and were included on all but five ballots.

This is only the eighth time in program history that the Aggies have been ranked in the AP Top 25, which first began in 1936. USU’s most recent appearance came following the 2012 season, when they finished No. 16 in the final poll after posting an 11-2 record.

“Yeah, it’s nice. It’s recognition,” Wells said. “But I want to be ranked there at the end of the year. If we continue to strive and take steps toward our number one goal, there’s a chance for that at the end of the year.”

Per Wells’ contract, if the team does finish in the Top 25 he will receive a $10,000 bonus. A top-20 ranking would result in a $25,000 bonus, and a top-10 ranking would give him a $50,000 bonus.

Utah State also jumped seven spots in the Amway Coaches Poll to land at No. 20 on the list, which was released this morning.

The first College Football Playoff rankings are set to be released on Tuesday at 5 p.m. These rankings could potentially play a determining factor in which team will host the Mountain West Conference championship game, and could also affect bowl game placement. Utah State currently sits alone atop the Mountain Division with a 4-0 conference record.

“At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what we’re ranked in the middle of the season,” said senior offensive lineman Roman Andrus. “It matters how we finish the season. It’s nice, but we’re not done yet.”

Utah State will play next on Saturday, Nov. 3 at Hawai’i. Kickoff is slated for 10 p.m.

Full AP Top 25

1. Alabama

2. Clemson

3. Notre Dame

4. LSU

5. Michigan

6. Georgia

7. Oklahoma

8. Ohio State

9. UCF

10. Washington State

11. Kentucky

12. West Virginia

13. Florida

14. Penn State

15. Texas

16. Utah

17. Houston

18. Utah State

19. Iowa State

20. Fresno State

21. Mississippi State

22. Syracuse

23. Virginia

24. Boston College

25. Texas A&M

– jadencrockettjohnson@gmail.com

Twitter: @jadenjohnson00