BYU Football: 3 takeaways from disappointing loss to Utah State

1. Utah State is a legitimate Mountain West contender in 2018

Utah State, however, doesn’t need to wait for a year or two to contend in the Mountain West and even to threaten to earn the Group of Five’s spot in the New Year’s Six. With an offense that continues to produce at a high rate, and a defense that proved itself up to the challenge of beating a skilled offense, the Aggies look ready to challenge Boise State this year in the MWC Mountain.

Entering the season, it seemed like there was nobody in the division who might really step up and present a formidable challenge to the hegemony of the Broncos. But Utah State has done just that, pouncing on their opportunities against BYU to a fourth straight win after falling by a single touchdown in the opener at Michigan State.

Now that they have won in the Old Wagon Wheel rivalry for the second straight year — the first time a Utah State team has done that since a run of four straight wins between 1971 and 1974. By taking down their non-conference rival, the Aggies ensured that they are a team to watch this year.

UNLV, Wyoming, and New Mexico all present winnable opportunities for the conference title game in the rest of the October schedule. Things really don’t get tough again for Utah State until November, when they take on Hawaii, Colorado State, and Boise State all on the road. If they can get to that month without any stumbles, and then get through November with only one loss still on the record, a New Year’s Six chance would not be out of the question.

The meeting on the Smurf Turf on November 24 in what looks likely to be a de facto MWC Mountain title game.