Utah State football has a schedule to be envious of in 2024 if you are a fan of Group of Five teams playing up, i.e. battling Power conference opponents.
Within the first three weeks of the season, the Aggies will play more Power teams than the majority of other Mountain West Conference teams will in the entire season — barring any postseason bowl matchups — and the Aggies will arguably face the hardest collection of Power opponents, too, in USC and Utah.
USU travels to Los Angeles to take on the Trojans in Week 2 and then hosts the in-state rival Utes Week 3.
It is an early season schedule that would test any team, but especially the Aggies, given they are now led by interim head coach Nate Dreiling following the termination of Blake Anderson.
The renewal of the rivalry with the Utes, aka “The Battle of the Brothers,” has been a long time coming, and Dreiling admitted that even he is energized for the Sept. 14 matchup between Utah and Utah State.
“There is going to be a week long campout just to get into the place (Maverik Stadium),” Dreiling said Thursday during Mountain West Conference media days. “It is going to be one of the most electric atmospheres in all of college football that week. Maybe even all season.”
He continued: “It (Utah vs. Utah State) is a rivalry that never gets played. And there are two fan bases that are always in each other’s ears. Our kids are going to be fired up, as well as them. It is going to be a battle, but man, we are awfully excited.”
Dreiling made certain to note that the Aggies aren’t looking ahead to the Week 3 matchup, though — not with a trip to the Coliseum awaiting USU in Week 2, plus the season opener in Logan against Robert Morris Week 1.
“Even before that (Utah vs. Utah State), it is going day-by-day and making sure we handle Robert Morris and make sure we get better,” Dreiling said. “Ultimately it isn’t about who you play, it is about how you are progressing as the season goes along so that when the time comes you can make the play.”
Still, Dreiling and the Aggies know they have a challenge ahead of them. One that pits them against some of the best and most notable college football programs in the West, if not the entire country.
“The schedule is a blast,” Dreiling said. “And early on there are a bunch of heavy hitters. It’ll be fun.”