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LAS VEGAS — Official projections for the Aggies’ upcoming football season are in — and it will start with a climb.
Utah State was picked to finish fourth in the Mountain division, the league’s panel of voters announced Tuesday at the league’s media summit in Las Vegas.
The Aggies return 18 starters from the 2017 squad that finished 6-7 with a loss to New Mexico State in the Arizona Bowl. With nine returning starters each on offense and defense, Utah State is the third-most experienced team in the nation behind Florida and Michigan State (19 returning starters each).
Among those returning standouts is junior tight end Dax Raymond, who was selected to the all-Mountain West preseason first team along with kicker Dominik Eberle.
It’s Eberle’s second-straight season on the all-Mountain West first team.
🗣➡️ @CoachWellsUSUFB on junior tight end @dax_raymond.#AggiesAllTheWay#MWFBpic.twitter.com/G9SegeusAQ
— USU Football (@USUFootball) July 24, 2018
Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien was named the preseason offensive player of the year, and Wyoming defensive back Andrew Wingard was named preseason defensive player of the year.
Boise State and Fresno State were projected to top the Mountain and West divisions, respectively, by the conference’s panel Tuesday. The Broncos have been predicted to win the Mountain division for the past five seasons and finished 7-1 in 2017 before a win over Fresno State in the Mountain West title game.
Likewise, Fresno State is an overwhelming favorite in the West division, garnering 16 first-place votes. But the Bulldogs haven’t been favored to win their division since 2014, and are coming off a win over Houston in the Hawai’i Bowl to end the 2017 season.
Wyoming was tabbed the Mountain division runner-up, its highest pick since the league moved to the two-division format in 2013.
