LOGAN, Utah – Utah State football is entering the 2022 season with high expectations and is garnering national attention as it received two votes in The Associated Press preseason poll Monday to rank tied for 43rd nationally.
Four of Utah State’s opponents this fall were also listed in the preseason AP poll as Alabama is ranked No. 1 in the nation, while BYU is ranked 25th. Furthermore, Air Force and Boise State joined USU as other teams receiving votes as the Broncos received five votes to rank 40th and the Falcons had four votes to tie for 41st.
Two more Mountain West teams were listed among others receiving votes in Fresno State and San Diego State, who garnered 32 and two votes, respectively, to rank 31st and tied for 43rd.
This is the first time Utah State has garnered preseason recognition since the 2019 campaign, when it received 32 votes in the preseason coaches’ poll and eight votes in the preseason AP poll.
Utah State also received 12 votes in the Coaches’ preseason poll that was announced last week to rank tied for 38th nationally. USU also received preseason votes in the AP poll in 2014 (1 vote) and 2013 (8 votes).
Entering the 2022 season, Utah State is picked to finish third in the Mountain West, according to the conference’s preseason poll.
Utah State returns 12 starters (O-7, D-5) as part of 32 letterwinners (O-15, D-13, S-4) from last year’s team that went 11-3 and won the Mountain Division with a 6-2 record. USU then posted a 46-13 win at No. 19 San Diego State to win its first-ever MW Championship and culminated its season with a 24-13 win against Oregon State in the inaugural Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl. USU concluded the year ranked 24th in both national polls.
Utah State will open the 2022 season on Saturday, Aug. 27, when it hosts Connecticut at 2 p.m., in a game that will be nationally televised on Fox Sports 1. USU then plays at Alabama on Saturday, Sept. 3, and hosts Weber State on Saturday, Sept. 10, before beginning MW play at home against UNLV on Saturday, Sept. 24, in a game that will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network at 5 p.m.
For Aggie football ticket information, fans can contact the USU Athletics Ticket Office over the phone by calling 1-888-USTATE-1 or 435-797-0305 during regular hours of operation. Fans can also buy their tickets in person at the USU Ticket Office inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum or online by clicking on the “Buy Tickets” tab at www.UtahStateAggies.com.
Fans can follow the Aggie football program at twitter.com/USUFootball or on Facebook at Utah State Football, as well as on Instagram at instagram.com/USUFootball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.