BYU football: How good is Utah State?

BYU football is looking to turn their season around Friday against Utah State. The Aggies represent a lynchpin game for the Cougars. But it’s it tough say exactly how good they are.

BYU football and USU football have one thing in common for this season.

When they were expected to win, they won, and when they were expected to lose, they lost. And handily. Unlike the Cougars, the Aggies divided their first four games more evenly between P5 teams and glorified roadkill lesser opponents. 

USU: A schedule of dichotomy

USU started strong against Wisconsin in the season opener. Then the Badgers shoved 59-straight points down the Aggies’ throats. They shot out of Madison with their butts on fire.

But you can’t count that against Utah State football too much. At least, BYU fans certainly can’t. Not when they’re still trying to stop, drop, and roll from their own encounter Wisconsin’s B1G firepower.

But USU’s other loss… well, everyone knows not all P5 schools are created equal. Such is the case with Wake Forest.

While the Demon Deacons are known to play some mean ball on the hardwood, on the gridiron they’re more hit and miss. They have a losing record all time (442–648–33), and have only gone to 11 bowl games, ever. 

Add to that, though WF is 4-0 on the young season, with such luminaries on their schedule as Presbyterian, Boston College, and App State (who they only squeaked by on a last second blocked field goal), it’s tough to say if the Demon Deacons are really that formidable.  

But they drilled the Aggies 46-10.

As for Utah State’s wins, well… between “don’t sleep on” Idaho State, who decided it’s safer in the FCS, and an SJSU team that was clearly looking to make some moves on this week’s college bottom 25, the blowout wins aren’t exactly awe inducing.

Next: What To Know For BYU vs Utah State

The Spartans were falling all over themselves to turn the ball over in their game against the Aggies. Between that and a veritable hurricane of injures, San Jose State just didn’t have much to offer besides a pick-six against the backup QB with the game well out of hand.

You can pen in that win for BYU at home later in the season. At least that one won’t be broadcast live in uninterrupted AwkwardVision on Facebook.

(Seriously, what was that broadcast crew’s obsession with tubas?)

So how good are the Aggies?

Their season taken altogether, probably not that great.

But neither is BYU, so far, even though the Cougar’s have had just one cupcake game to Utah State’s two. Other than that, both teams looked essentially equally incapable of beating top tier opponents.

The question these teams answer Friday night may not which is the better squad, but which one is worse.

From the eye test, and in the gaze of history, this is a game that BYU football should win. The only natural advantage Utah State will enjoy is playing in their home gas station stadium.

Athlete per athlete, especially in the trenches, this matchup favors the Y.

One thing is for sure: this game is vital for the Cougars. If losing to the Utes was a dramatic shift to how fans view the season, then losing to the Aggies will feel like the final plank giving way under their feet.

No matter how close, no matter how ugly, BYU football must win.