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

A week after a crushing loss to UNLV which would have gotten it to bowl eligibility, Utah State must pick itself up by the bootstraps and do it all over again. And this week’s opponent, Fresno State, is hardly any easier of a challenge. Plus it’s yet another road game, and the Aggies remain a winless 0-5 in games played away from the comforts of Merlin Olsen Field. With bowl eligibility still on the line, and technically the smallest fractions of hope for a berth in the Mountain West championship game, here’s all the information you’ll need. From basic game info to player availability, along with predictions from Cache Valley Media Group staff. Game Info: Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. (Mountain Time) Location: Valley Children’s Stadium (Fresno, CA) TV Broadcast/Stream: CBS Sports Network Radio: KVNU (102.1 FM, 610 AM), kvnutalk.com, KVNU mobile app KVNU Aggie Gameday pregame show with Stockton Jewkes and J.D. Walker: Begins at 6:30 KVNU Aggie Call Postgame: Will begin immediately following Coach Bronco Mendenhall’s postgame comments Text (435) 554-1175 or call (435) 753-5868 during the pregame or postgame show to give your thoughts and reactions for the game. Availability Report The following is the official availability report submitted by both Utah State and UNLV earlier