Three games into the 2024 season, the Utah State Aggies still have plenty of football ahead of them.
Nine game weeks, plus two bye weeks to be exact.
It still the middle of September after all. The season remains in its infancy.
And yet, in the build up to this weekend’s game against Tempe, Utah State interim head coach Nate Dreiling was clear.
He believes that the game in Philadelphia against the Owls is a “must win” for the Aggies.
Their “Super Bowl.”
“We need to be able to get to 2-2 before (we start) preparing for our Boise (State) game, right off a bye,” Dreiling said. “It is going to be all hands on deck. This is going to be our Super Bowl. This is a must win game for this team and we know it and we are going to prepare like it.”
Is it fair, to put so much on the Aggies’ final non-conference game? A cross-country game against an opponent USU has never played previously?
There is an argument that Dreiling is right.
Utah State’s schedule doesn’t do the team any favors this season, especially when you consider potential bowl eligibility.
Here are the Aggies’ remaining opponents this season:
- Temple.
- Boise State.
- UNLV.
- New Mexico.
- Wyoming.
- Washington State.
- Hawaii.
- San Diego State.
- Colorado State.
Some of those teams, even this early in the year, appear to be a bridge too far for the Aggies.
Boise State has dominated Utah State over the years and the Broncos’ only loss thus far was a close one at No. 9 Oregon. Throw in that Ashton Jeanty, a fringe Heisman Trophy candidate, plays for the Broncos and the Aggies won’t be expected to walk away from Boise with a win.
The following week Utah State hosts UNLV and the Rebels might be the best team in the MW this season, with a 3-0 record thus far with wins over two Big 12 teams — Houston and Kansas.
New Mexico, in its first year under Bronco Mendenhall, has looked better and better each week thus far, even with losses to Montana State, Arizona and Auburn.
Wyoming hasn’t looked good at all, and sits at 0-3 thus far, but the Cowboys are a rival of Utah State’s and the game is Laramie.
Washington State just beat rival Washington in the Apple Cup and beat Texas Tech the week before.
Hawaii played UCLA close, but otherwise hasn’t looked all that great.
San Diego State is still clearly in rebuild mode under new head coach Sean Lewis.
And then Colorado State, well the Rams just got pummeled by the rival Buffaloes.
A cursory glance at those opponents would suggest that bowl eligibility will be a real battle for Utah State.
Consider Boise State, UNLV and Washington State likely losses and the Aggies will have five losses on the year. Two beyond that and USU would fail to reach six wins and bowl eligibility.
Games at Wyoming and Colorado State could go any way, especially when you consider the history the Aggies have with both teams. San Diego State could figure things out before things out by the time it comes to Logan on Nov. 23.
All of which makes the trip to Pennsylvania and game with winless Temple a “must win.”
Lose to the Owls and bowl eligibility would all but certainly go out the window for Utah State. A devastating blow for a program looking for some good news after a brutal summer, plus recent conference realignment news.
That doesn’t mean the Aggies should be overly concerned with the Owls, though.
Temple is winless for a reason, considered the worst team in the American Athletic Conference.
Temple is averaging only 11.3 point per game this season, ranking No. 130 in all the FBS. The Owls aren’t much better defensively, giving up 39 points per game which ranks No. 124. And it isn’t like Temple has played a gauntlet similar to the one faced by Utah State so far. Temple’s first three opponents this year are — Oklahoma, Navy and Coastal Carolina.
The Owls did put something of a scare into the Chanticleers last weekend, but CCU still walked out of Philly with a victory.
And though Dreiling and company talk a good game about taking Temple seriously, it is fairly expected that Saturday’s game should be a win for Utah State. Currently, ESPN gives USU and near 60% to walk away with the win, the Aggies second best chance to win a game this season behind their home game against Hawaii.
It is also, Dreiling said, a chance for the Aggies’ second and third string players to get some run and experience ahead of conference play. The game at Boise being first on the list.
“We know we have guys injured and banged up right now, who we know we are going to get back,” Dreiling said. “So we may not be at full force this week, but we have to be able to continue to develop our depth as we move along. We are going to have to win games with our twos and threes. So this is another awesome chance for maybe some guys to get in, before the bye week and everyone heals up, and prove themselves.”
