Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
Editor's note: Read the schedule preview for Robert Morris and USC in Part 1 here, and for Utah and Temple in Part 2 here.
LOGAN — This is Part 3 of the weekly series breaking down every Utah State football opponent leading up to the start of the 2024 season. It marks the official start of the conference season, and it's against the teams that finished in the top two last year.
Boise State Broncos
Date: Saturday, Oct. 5, TBA
Location: Albertsons Stadium; Boise, ID
2023 record: 8-6 (6-2 Mountain West)
Final AP ranking: N/A
Last meeting: Nov. 18, 2023; Aggies lost 45-10
The Aggies will start their Mountain West schedule against 2023 conference champion Boise State. It'll be a tough test right out of the gate.
The Broncos were picked to win back-to-back conference titles in a recently released preseason media poll; Utah State was picked to finish seventh. If the poll is any indicator of things to come, the Aggies could come away with a blowout loss to a longtime rival.
Even without the predictions, history isn't on Utah State's side. The Aggies have lost eight consecutive games to the Broncos; their last win was in 2015.
One big reason the Broncos are expected to have another stellar season is quarterback Malachi Nelson, who transferred to Boise State from USC after just one season. He was listed at No. 15 in the country among quarterback transfers by 247Sports.
Boise State finished third in the conference in both offense and defense, where it averaged 34.4 points per game and allowed just 22.0 points.
Broncos coach Spencer Danielson is entering his first full season at the helm after he was named the interim coach at the end of last season. He led the team to three straight wins, including the title game against UNLV.
Danielson was formerly the team's defensive coordinator. It stands to reason Boise State will continue on its path toward being difficult to score on with a full preseason to incorporate everything Danielson wants as head coach.
One of Boise State's best defenders last year was defensive Ahmed Hassanein, who is a senior this year. He led the conference with 12.5 sacks and was seventh in the country in that category.
The team's top rusher, Ashton Jeanty, returns after having a stellar 2023 season. He finished with 1,347 rushing yards, which ranked 11th in the country; however, he wasn't named the conference's preseason offensive player of the year. The university is campaigning quite aggressively to get Jeanty in consideration for the Heisman Trophy.
UNLV Rebels
Date: Saturday, Oct. 11, 7 p.m. MDT
Location: Maverik Stadium; Logan, UT
2023 record: 9-5 (6-2 MWC)
Final AP ranking: N/A
Last meeting: Sept. 24, 2022; Aggies lost 34-24
Despite losing the last three games of the 2023 season, the Rebels are still in prime position to make a run at the conference championship this year. But they'll have to do it while navigating some signification roster turnover.
Star quarterback Jayden Maiava, who threw for more than 3,000 yards in 2023, transferred to USC. His replacement, Matthew Sluka, had a stellar senior year at Holy Cross, but that's at the FCS level. He passed for 1,728 yards and 20 touchdowns, and also rushed for 1,247 yards and nine TDs last year.
Also gone is last season's leading rusher, Vincent Davis Jr., who amassed 760 rushing yards. Thought Davis left, second-leading rusher Jai'Den Thomas is still on the team. He added 503 rushing yards and had the most touchdowns (12).
In all, the Rebels lost nearly 20 players since December, according to a transfer portal tracker on 247Sports.
UNLV was able to keep wide receiver Ricky White; he had 88 catches, 1,483 yards and eight touchdowns last year. The Rebels also held onto receiver Jacob De Jesus.
Barry Odom is entering his second season as head coach. In 2023, he led the Rebels to their first winning season since 2013.
UNLV's offense was its calling card in 2023. It led the Mountain West at 36.3 points per game. And while it was in the middle of the pack defensively, that could improve in 2024.
The Aggies will be at home, so that's an advantage. But the Rebels, at least on paper, may be the better team.
