OUR VIEW: USU needs to step into the Sun Belt

Independent.

It’s a word generally used in a positive light. It connotes liberty and the ability to make decisions free from others’ influence just to name a couple of things.

However, when talking about the Utah State University football team, being independent is not a good thing. The USU football team is currently playing as independent.

As most people know, this means the Aggies do not have the opportunity to play for a conference championship because they don’t belong to a conference. This means the chances of the Aggies qualifying for a bowl game, and thus generating more revenue for the university are slim-to-none.

With this in mind, it is imperative the university doesn’t turn a cold shoulder to the Sun Belt Conference if and when the conference extends its membership to USU. Utah State had the chance to join the Sun Belt as a football-only school in 2000, but former USU President George Emert declined in hopes of getting into the Western Athletic Conference.

In all probability, the Sun Belt Conference will once again extend its membership to USU in the near future. If this is the case, the university must accept. Otherwise, the football program will suffer.

Both President Kermit L. Hall and Athletics director Rance Pugmire have said they would be more than willing to accept an invitation from the Sun Belt. In fact, Hall said “we would be delighted to be part” of the Sun Belt Conference.

For the sake of the future of USU football, that idea needs to be upheld.