It has been three seasons now since Utah State football was numbered among the best teams in the Group of Five.
In 2021, the Aggies caught lightning in a bottle and pulled off one of the most impressive season-to-season turnarounds in recent memory, capping it off with the program’s first Mountain West Conference title.
Since then, though, USU has been nothing if not mediocre. Sometimes worse than that.
Last year, albeit amid considerable turmoil, the Aggies were one of the worst Group of Five programs in the country — and programs in general — with just four total wins. Only one of those wins came against a team that finished the year with a winning record (Robert Morris, which finished 7-5 at the FCS level).
The Aggies were competitive for a good portion of conference play in 2024, but competitive didn’t lead to many wins.
Given that, it isn’t a surprise that Utah State isn’t considered by many to be one of the better teams at the Group of Five level ahead of the 2025 season — or even a Group of Five program worth being mentioned.
Earlier this month, ESPN ranked the top 10 G5 programs. The ones that are believed will be at the top of the proverbial heap in 2025.
Listed in order from the least likely to earn a College Football Playoff berth to the most likely, those 10 teams are:
UTSA (American Athletic Conference).Army (AAC).Louisiana (Sun Belt).Liberty (Conference USA).Memphis (AAC).James Madison (Sun Belt).Navy (AAC).Tulane (AAC).UNLV (MW)Boise State (MW).
Noticeably and quite understandably absent was Utah State.
Few expect much of anything out of the Aggies next year, who are certainly not positioned among the best teams at the Group of Five level.
Which begs the question, just how far away are the Aggies?
How Utah State football compares
By the end of the 2024 season, by almost every metric, Utah State…
Source link : https://www.deseret.com/sports/2025/05/25/how-far-away-is-utah-state-football-from-top-group-of-five/
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Publish date : 2025-05-26 00:30:00
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