Utah State quarterback Cooper Legas (5) is pushed out of bounds by Oregon State defensive back Kitan Oladapo (28) during the second half of the LA Bowl NCAA college football game in Inglewood, Calif., Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Mountain West Conference announced today a football scheduling agreement for the 2024 season between the Mountain West, Oregon State University, Washington State University, and the Pac-12 Conference. Next season, all 12 MW teams will play seven traditional Conference football games in addition to one contest against either Washington State or Oregon State for a total of eight games (four home and four away). The games against OSU and WSU will not count toward the conference standings, and neither Pac-12 school is eligible for the MW championship game. The Mountain West is currently working on the football schedule and will release matchups soon. “This is a unique and unprecedented opportunity for Oregon State and Washington State to play against highly competitive Mountain West football programs in 2024,” said MW Commissioner Gloria Nevarez. “The scheduling agreement will expand the Mountain West footprint and enhance our national brand, while providing our student-athletes with new opportunities, all in line

Utah State head coach Blake Anderson visits with an official during a football game against Boise State in Logan on Nov. 18, 2023. Photo by Clint Allen. LOGAN — You thought clawing his way to a bowl game with this inexperienced, young, rapidly-rebuilt Utah State team was a test for head coach Blake Anderson? Sure, it was quite the test and one Anderson did well to pass. But the real fun for him is just beginning. The Aggies’ nail-biter win over New Mexico, which made USU Bowl eligible for the third straight year, will keep head coach Blake Anderson in the good graces of (most) Utah State fans through at least the next couple of months. But those next few months will determine whether or not Anderson has what it takes to ever coming close to what he pulled off in year one at USU. Being bowl eligible is a good bench mark for Anderson to keep reaching with this team, but fans are not going to be content with barely making bowl games for long. Fans expect to be contenders late in the season. There’s not the “championship-or-fire-the-coach” mentality Boise State has (heck, they fired the head coach when

FILE – Utah State quarterback Levi Williams (16) during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt) LOGAN, Utah – Utah State graduate junior quarterback Levi Williams was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career it was announced by the league office on Monday. Williams, a 6-foot-5, 230-pounder from Canyon Lake, Texas (Smithson Valley HS/Wyoming) is the second Aggie to earn MW Player of the Week honors this season. Sophomore safety Ike Larsen was named the MW Defensive Player of the Week following USU’s 32-24 double-overtime win at San Diego State and Larsen was also named the MW Special Teams Player of the Week following USU’s 34-33 win at UConn. Williams, who was making his first start in his two-year Utah State career, led the Aggies to a 44-41 double-overtime win at New Mexico to become bowl eligible. Against the Lobos, Williams accounted for 351 yards of offense and five touchdowns, including both of USU’s scores in overtime. Williams posted his third-career 100-yard rushing game, including his first at Utah State, as he gained a season-high 153 yards on a career-high

The Utah State football team sprints onto the field before their game against Boise State on Nov. 18, 2023. Photo by Clint Allen. LOGAN – After defeating New Mexico 44-41 in double overtime on Friday, the Utah State Aggies finished their regular season with a 6-6 record, reaching bowl eligibility for the 11th time in the last 13 seasons (missing bowl opportunities only in 2016 and 2020). Since 2011, USU is 5-5 in bowl games and Blake Anderson’s 2023 team will have a chance to not only get a winning record on the year but also a winning record in bowl games during this 13 year period. Since conferences have championship games still to play next week, all available bowl spots will not be known definitively until Sunday, Dec. 3rd when the College Football Playoff Committee releases its final rankings. That leaves us to speculate where USU may be headed, and who they may be facing. The following are the projections for Utah State from various national media outlets (as of Nov. 26), including who the Aggies may face and what their records are (listed in order of when the bowl game will take place). USU vs Arkansas State in

Utah State quarterback Levi Williams (16) during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt) During the fourth quarter of Utah State’s loss to Boise State, the Aggie coaching staff had to face what would become a great and terrible truth. Levi Williams was going to have to start against New Mexico. In the game that would decide if USU would become bowl eligible, the team’s third-string quarterback would be the one leading the offense since Utah State’s two other quarterbacks, starter Cooper Legas and part-time starter McCae Hillstead, were both injured during the game against the Broncos. As such, Williams was playing at quarterback for just the third time that season in the game against BSU. Those two injuries to Legas and Hillstead made the decision for head coach (and QB coach) Blake Anderson. “We knew that Coop’s shoulder was bad and that was the second time that McCae had gotten rolled up on the same ankle,” Anderson said. “And honestly just at this point — I think it’s not McCae’s fault — he’s just not himself. He’s had the concussion two ankles and it’s taken a toll

Utah State vs Boise State football on Nov. 18, 2023. Photo by Clint Allen LOGAN – Utah State head coach Blake Anderson spent much of his post-game comments following the Aggies’ humiliating 45-10 loss to Boise State talking, not about the game but rather about one major improvement his team needed. After all, there’s not a whole lot to go into detail on when you lose a game by 35 points. The week leading up to the loss to the Broncos, Anderson stated it would be “a critical part of the game” to be able to control the line of scrimmage. Well, Utah State didn’t not stop the run, giving up a season-worst 352 rushing yards, and it did not hold the line on offense, giving up nine sacks between the three quarterbacks that ended up playing in the game. Not exactly controlling the line of scrimmage by most definitions. “We got manhandled on both fronts,” Anderson said after the game. “Our O-line got manhandled and our defensive front got manhandled, and that’s that’s the nature of the night. We’ve got to close the gap somehow. We’ve got to recruit and got to developed and get better in those areas

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