The Pac-12’s reformation draws ever closer. Six institutions have now played their last conference game on the gridiron with their soon-to-be old league. Boise State completed a three-peat as its parting gift to the Mountain West, defeating future MW “flagship” UNLV by 17 points. The Broncos will be joined by four other conference mates — Colorado State, Fresno State, Utah State and San Diego State — that have accounted for 12 of the 13 conference titles since the start of the modern era in 2013. And, over in the Sun Belt, Texas State quietly achieved its third straight bowl season, the first in the program’s short 14-year FBS history. With the conclusion of the 2025 season imminent, let’s delve into how the season went for the future Pac-12 schools in comparison to the Mountain West. This fall didn’t lack for drama between the schools, with UNLV, New Mexico and Hawaii defending the Mountain West’s honor against the departing schools.  It’s been said that comparison is the thief of joy and perhaps that’s what’s sucking all the fun out of college football. Comparisons, not between teams on the field but between teams that haven’t played and conferences that have little overlap,

Utah State announced earlier today where it will play its 17th all-time official bowl game. The Aggies will take on Washington State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, which will be held at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho on Dec. 22. This will be the sixth time in program history that USU has participated in this event. The first time came in 1997 when it went by the Humanitarian Bowl moniker, though still played in Boise, with the other games taking place in 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2024. Utah State has a 1-4 overall record in these games, with the only victory being in 2012 against Toledo. Utah State’s history in the Potato Bowl Date Opponent Result Dec. 23, 2023 Georgia State Lost 45-22 Dec. 22, 2015 Akron Lost 23-21 Dec. 15, 2012 Toledo Won 41-15 Dec. 17, 2011 Ohio Lost 24-23 Dec. 29, 1997 Cincinnati Lost 35-19 Utah State has a long history with the Potato Bowl USU head coach Bronco Mendenhall met with media via Zoom on Sunday afternoon to discuss the upcoming bowl. He cited the regionality of the matchup, with both Utah State and Washington State in relatively close proximity. Logan is a littler more than

Utah State earned the right to go bowling in the first year of the Bronco Mendenhall era, and while 6-6 isn’t the most glamorous form of a bowl eligible team, it’s at worst the minimum standard for a successful season. The Aggies will be in the postseason for the 12th time in the last 15 years. The only question left to be answered is where the team will play, but there are currently plenty of potential answers to that query and not a lot of certainty behind any of them. Here’s a look at the seven bowl games that have been predicted as including the Aggies according to a number of media outlets that have taken a stab at untangling the web of who will go where for bowling season. It’s highly likely that one of the following will be where Utah State will play its 17th bowl game in program history. The projected bowl payout totals for the following bowls comes from Business of College Sports. Cure Bowl vs Miami of Ohio (predicted by The Sporting News) Location: Camping World Stadium (Orlando, FL) Date/Time: Wednesday, Dec. 17 (3 p.m.) Bowl Tie-In: CUSA vs MAC Projected Payout: $573,125 This is the

The end-of-season all-conference awards were announced today and 10 Utah State football players saw their names among those honored by the Mountain West for their performance in the 2025 gridiron season. Barden Pegan, John Miller and Noah Avinger received First Team All-Mountain West honors with Bryson Barnes and Miles Davis being named Second Team All-MW. Five Aggies were named as honorable mention, including wide receiver Brady Boyd, safety Brevin Hamblin, defensive tackle Gabriel Iniguez, safety Ike Larsen and linebacker Bronson Olevao Jr. Although quarterback Bryson Barnes had been touted as a top candidate for the Offensive Player of the Year candidate by no less than three coaches in the Mountain West, Barnes did not receive the honor. UNLV quarterback Anthony Colandrea was tabbed for that award as the leader of the offense which topped the Mountain West in both points per game and total offense. The Mountain West’s Coach of the Year award went to New Mexico’s Jason Eck, with his son, Jaxton Eck, earning the league’s co-Defensive Player of the Year award. San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson was named alongside Eck as the other co-DPOY. Special Teams Player of the Year was Hawaii kicker Kansei Matsuzawa, and Freshman of

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The Mountain West announced on Sunday that Boise State will host UNLV in the conference championship game on Friday, making this the third straight season the Broncos and Rebels will meet for the title. Boise State, New Mexico, San Diego State and UNLV all finished with 6-2 records in conference play. Because all four teams did not meet this season, the tie was broken by a composite average of nationally recognized metrics: Connelly SP+, ESPN SOR, KPI and SportSource rankings. UNLV and Boise State had the two best composite average scores. With the two participants determined, the tiebreaker reverted to head-to-head to determine the host. The Broncos earned the right to host because of their 56-31 win over the Rebels on Oct. 18. San Diego State finished third in the metrics followed by New Mexico. UNLV will be appearing in its third Mountain West championship game and is seeking its first title. Boise State will be playing in the championship game for the fourth straight season and is seeking its third straight title. The Broncos are in the title game for the ninth time overall and are looking for their sixth championship. Under first-year head

Utah State graduate quarterback Bryson Barnes willed his team to a 28-17 victory over Fresno State last week that featured 21 unanswered points by the Aggies. After the game, and earlier this week, coaches around the Mountain West have taken notice of Barnes’ talent and especially toughness. Some are on the verge of declaring him to be the deserving candidate for the conference’s offensive player of the year award. Some are outright saying it. In the post-game press conference directly following USU’s win, during which Barnes amassed 266 all-purpose yards (151 passing, 113 rushing and two receiving) with one touchdown, Aggies’ head coach Bronco Mendenhall was asked about whether his quarterback deserved to win the offensive player of the year award. Mendenhall’s answer was quick, direct and bold. “It’s Bryson Barnes every day, all day, every vote.” Just a few days later, two more head coaches within the league were voicing their support for Barnes’ OPOY candidacy. One of those being Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson, the Aggies’ upcoming opponent, and Fresno State head coach Matt Entz, who had the pleasure of watching Barnes slowly dismantle his defense in the second half on Saturday. The case for Bryson Barnes

You don’t catch Bronco Mendenhall smiling all that often while he’s working. Perhaps it’s an emulation of his coaching predecessor, the Utah State graduate (and also BYU coach for a few years) LaVell Edwards. But on Saturday evening you couldn’t peel the smile off Mendenhall’s face as he celebrated with his Aggie squad following their win over Fresno State that pushed them over the line for bowl eligibility. Screenshot from a video of Mendenhall celebrating Utah State’s win over Fresno State (via @USUFootball on X) The only bummer of his post-game experience was being dragged, metaphorically if not physically, to speak with the media after the game. “I didn’t want to come. Doug, dragged me. I love being with my team. They’re amazing. And to see them happy is the greatest reward for any parent or coach,” Mendenhall said after the game. “When you have a chance to be in that environment and soak it up with people you care about and love. No offense to you guys but I wish I was still in there.” A few weeks ago, Utah State’s odds at bowl eligibility appeared slim. After taking losses against Hawaii and New Mexico, the task of beating