COLUMN: USU football can only go from the bottom up
Nobody likes to be picked last.
Think of grade school when teams were being picked for games at recess. Think of the agony you felt as the crowd of your peers around you got smaller as their names were called.
Your only wish was that you wouldn’t be picked last. Inevitably, you were left alone at the bottom of the pile.
This year, our football team has the privilege of being picked last in the preseason polls as dictated by Sports Illustrated. All the way down at No. 117 of 117 Division 1 football teams.
Did I say privilege? Yes.
Even though it may hurt inside a little, there are many benefits to being last.
Many teams will look right past the Aggies when preparing for their games. Even if the teams prepare like any other week, their mindset will be different from playing any other team.
They will not hope to win, they will expect to win. With a little luck, they won’t realize that they have to do more than show up to win.
No. 32 Nebraska (next week’s game) and No. 22 Arizona State (week three) probably plan to run up there, score early and use the reserves to rest the starters.
Last place, JV, it’s all the same to them.
We’re just a good opportunity to give the third string of other teams some experience. A good showing against either of those teams will turn a lot of heads.
Heck, we can’t move any lower than we are now.
In addition, there is a lot of room for
improvement.
I feel bad for No. 1 Ohio State. Any change for them will be in disappointment. With Utah State, any change is good.
The players are taking the shock of the rankings well.
“I think that our guys are secure in who they are and I know they are a better football team than that,” said Head Coach Mick Dennehy. “I don’t think they put a lot of stock in preseason stuff.”
Hopefully, something good will happen early in the year to keep their spirits high. With games against Utah, Nebraska and Arizona in the first three weeks, it could take a toll on the players just before they start play in their new conference.
The Sun Belt Conference as a whole didn’t do too well on the rankings. The highest-ranked team is No. 65 North Texas followed by Arkansas State at No. 108. The rest all lie somewhere in the last 10.
Though these standings are not very promising for the conference, it is great news for USU. The team has a great shot at a second- or even first-place conference finish this year. That would be especially impressive for the team considering that they just joined the conference after going solo for two seasons.
So, how will the team do this year?
“We’ll see,” Dennehy said. “I’m just glad we’ve got an opportunity to play.”
Chris Barney is a sophomore majoring in psychology. He can be reached at chrisbarn@cc.usu.edu