Looking for bright spots regarding Utah State football? Here are a few

Utah State wide receiver Otto Tia (5) catches a pass for a touchdown as New Mexico safety Bryson Taylor (13) defends in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Logan, Utah. | Eli Lucero

Ultimately, college football is about the final results.

Wins and losses almost exclusively (unless the College Football Playoff committee is involved but this isn’t the story for that conversation).

And as far as wins and losses go, Utah State football is in a rough way right now.

Following the Aggies’ loss at home Saturday against New Mexico, USU is now 1-6 on the season and 0-3 in Mountain West Conference play.

Although bowl eligibility is still technically possible — were they to win out to close out the season — it is a long shot at best.

Contention for the conference championship is gone for Utah State, barring an absurd final month and a half of the season throughout the MW.

And the odds are that Nate Dreiling and much, if not all, of the current coaching staff won’t be around next season.

As The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman wrote last week, the Aggies are all but certain to “be starting over this winter.”

Starting over in the current landscape of college football can be daunting given the NCAA transfer portal and importance of NIL, which make predicting which players will be suiting up Utah State next season a near impossibility.

Given all that, it would be forgivable to not be all that excited about Utah State football right now. And that is before you think about standout seasons that are happening in Boise and Provo.

And yet, there are reasons for optimism still.

Not about this year’s team. That ship has all but sailed.

But about the future of football in Logan. Even with the threat of transfer portal defections.

One of those bright spots is true freshman running back Herschel…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/looking-bright-spots-regarding-utah-013756922.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2024-10-21 01:37:56

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