With college football's opening kickoff just around the corner, it's time to take one last look at Utah State's schedule.
The Aggies face some formidable foes in non-conference play, including a Top 10 team out of the Big Ten, an ACC team on the road and a home game against BYU. While Utah State avoids having to play San Diego State in the West, there's still plenty of tough conference opponents to face this year.
Here's a breakdown of Utah State's 2017 schedule:
at No. 9 Wisconsin, Saturday, Sept. 1
2016 record: 11-3 (7-2 Big Ten)
Utah State is going to have its hands full with the reigning Cotton Bowl champions. This is the kind of team that prides itself on breaking you down with bruising players on both offense and defense. The Badgers return almost their entire defense from last year, and that team was No. 7 in the nation in total defense. Wisconsin is in the hunt for a Big Ten title and possibly a playoff spot. This trip to Camp Randall will be anything but a holiday for the Aggies.
vs. Idaho State, Thursday, Sept. 7
2016 record: 2-9 (1-7 Big Sky)
Idaho State is a bad team even by FCS standards. It has gotten so bad in Pocatello that a bunch of influential ISU alumni wrote an op-ed in the Idaho State Journal demanding changes at the top, and this just a few short weeks before the season starts. The Bengals gave up more than 500 yards per game last year.
at Wake Forest, Saturday, Sept. 16
2016 record: 7-6 (3-5 ACC)
QB John Wolford has been busy preparing for his senior season. He showed off his arm strength in an Instagram post. He's also got some nice legs as he rushed for 521 yards and six touchdowns last season. The biggest thing Wolford needs to improve is his touchdown to interceptions ratio as he had more picks (10) than touchdown throws (nine) last year. But the real stars are on defense. Defensive ends Due Ejiofor and Wendell Dunn return after combining for 23 tackles for loss and 13 sacks.
at San Jose State, Saturday, Sept. 23
2016 record: 4-8 (3-5 Mountain West)
The Spartans have an All-Mountain West corner in Andre Chachere, who made four picks, forced two fumbles and had 14 passes defended. San Jose State has a solid pass defense, but the team didn't have to throw many passes last season as it gave up almost 250 yards per game rushing. It's unlikely that new head coach Brent Brennan will get things turned around in his first year.
vs. BYU, Friday, Sept. 29
2016 record: 9-4 (FBS independent)
The Cougars are in year two under Kalani Sitake and look pretty solid all around. BYU's linebacker group just took a big blow as Francis Bernard won't be with the team this season, but it still has two stellar starters in Fred Warner and Butch Pau'u. We should get a better look at what offensive coordinator Ty Detmer has in mind as QB Tanner Mangum has reportedly adapted to the system and is ready to go. The offensive line has plenty of veterans as well as it returns all three of its starting interior linemen.
vs. Colorado State, Saturday, Oct. 7
2016 record: 7-6 (5-3 Mountain West)
Mike Bobo has put together back-to-back 7-6 seasons in his first two years as head coach. A lot rides on QB Nick Stevens' arm. He had some phenomenal games down the stretch last year and passed for 445 yards and five touchdowns in a barn-burner bowl game against Idaho. If he can get and stay that hot through the season, the Rams could be a contender in the Mountain Division. Plus, Stevens has plenty of targets to throw to, including WR Michael Gallup who had 1,272 yards and 14 touchdowns receiving last season.
vs. Wyoming, Saturday, Oct. 14
2016 record: 8-6 (6-2 Mountain West)
This is a team that might even give a team like Boise State a run for its money. QB Josh Allen is getting plenty of NFL hype, and some are even floating his name as a possible No. 1 pick for the 2018 NFL draft. He put up some impressive numbers last season with 3,203 yards passing, 512 yards rushing and 35 total touchdowns. He was picked as the preseason Mountain West offensive player of the year.
That's not all as the Cowboys have a dangerous secondary that returns all its starters, including the preseason Mountain West defensive player of the year Andrew Wingard. At least the Aggies get Wyoming in Logan and not Laramie.
at UNLV, Saturday, Oct. 21
2016 record: 4-8 (3-5 Mountain West)
Redshirt freshman QB Armani Rogers has plenty of hype surrounding him, including comparisons to Cam Newton. That kind of hype is hard to live up to and can be crushing if reality fails to meet expectations. But all of that might not matter if the Rebels can't find a defense. It returns just two starters from a team that gave up 430.1 yards per game last season.
vs. Boise State, Saturday, Oct. 28
2016 record: 10-3 (6-2 Mountain West)
After such a long time of being virtually unchallenged for the conference title in the WAC, Boise State finds itself fighting a much more difficult battle for the Mountain West crown. This is an unusually high turnover year as the Broncos return only four starters on each side of the ball. Still, QB Brett Rypien is one of those returning starters. However, Utah State's secondary was able to hold him to just 163 yards the last time these teams faced off. You can count on Boise State being good, but it remains to be seen if this team will be the juggernaut it has been in recent years.
at New Mexico, Saturday, Nov. 4
2016 record: 9-4 (6-2 Mountain West)
The Lobos had the No. 1 rushing attack last season with 350.0 yards per game. The good news for New Mexico is that they return an experienced offensive line led by preseason All-Mountain West OL Aaron Jenkins. However, head coach Bob DeBesse told reporters that he wants to widen his offensive playbook. We'll see if that really comes to pass this season.
vs. Hawaii, Saturday, Nov. 18
2016 record: 7-7 (4-4 Mountain West)
The Rainbow Warriors are a sleeper team in the Mountain West and a mighty dangerous one at that. Hawaii appears to be re-establishing its high-octane offense as QB Dru Brown threw nine touchdown passes in his final two games of 2016. And the defense is steadily improving with strong playmakers like Jahlani Tavai, who made 19.5 tackles for loss last season.
at Air Force, Saturday, Nov. 25
2016 record: 10-3 (5-3 Mountain West)
The Falcons will always test teams with their tough rushing attack. Arion Worthman led Air Force to five straight victories to end the season, including an upset over Boise State. He's also shown that he can throw the ball if the occasion calls for it as he had 207 yards passing in Air Force's bowl win over South Alabama.