Utah State was college football’s version of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde last season. The Aggies’ offense produced more than its fair share of highlight moments, but the defense couldn’t stop anyone.
The Aggies ranked No. 2 in the Mountain West with 30.9 points a game and No. 3 in the conference with 409.5 yards a game. They also ranked last in the league in total defense (440 YPG) and near the bottom against the run and pass.
Year No. 2 under head coach Bronco Mendenhall comes with a multitude of challenges, including introducing a new but familiar offensive coordinator and a new starting quarterback and relying on a host of transfers to fill immediate roles.
But 2026 also comes with a lot of promise for Utah State, which joins Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Colorado State, Oregon State, Washington State and Texas State in the new Pac-12.
The Aggies haven’t won more than six games in a season since they went 11-3 and won the Mountain West title in 2021, but they’ve been to four bowl games in five seasons.
Will Utah State compete for a title in the first season of the Pac-12’s new era?
Utah State Season Preview
The Aggies have no shortage of holes to fill on their roster this year, including their starting quarterback, top receiver and leading tackler.
Hillstead Leads Rebuilt Passing Attack
The Aggies have question marks all over the depth chart, but starting quarterback isn’t one of them. Mendenhall wasted little time naming junior McCae Hillstead the starter shortly after spring practice ended. He’s replacing Bryson Barnes, who led the team in rushing yards and scored 28 total touchdowns last season.
Hillstead spent the past two seasons at BYU, where he redshirted in 2024 and played in five games last fall. This is his second stint at Utah State. He began his career with the Aggies in 2023, starting four games and set the program’s freshman record with 399 passing yards against James Madison.
Utah State’s leading receiver, Braden Pagen, left for in-state rival Utah, and the Aggies turned to the transfer portal to find his replacement.
Javon Robinson should get plenty of work in the slot after hauling in 58 passes and four touchdowns for Georgia State last season. Eli Wood played in 35 games in four seasons at Virginia. Demick Starling also spent four seasons at Virginia and one at Western Kentucky before missing last year with an injury, and LJ Johnson Jr. is a former four-star recruit who began his career at Texas Tech and spent last season at Texas State.
A Familiar Name Is Running The Offense
Mendenhall named Robert Anae Utah State’s offensive coordinator in January. Anae was previously his offensive coordinator during two stints at BYU and during Mendenhall’s six seasons at Virginia.
In 2021, Anae’s offense at Virginia ranked No. 3 nationally with 515.8 yards a game and set a program record with 396.2 passing yards a game.
Anae was the offensive coordinator at Syracuse in 2022 and at North Carolina State in 2023 and 2024.
A Plug-And-Play Defense?
The defense was porous at best last season, but the Aggies have some pieces to build around.
Safety Brevin Hamblin is back after posting 114 tackles and an interception, as is linebacker Bronson Olevao Jr., who put up 90 tackles and four sacks last season. He should get some help from Cal transfer Harrison Taggart and Jeremiah Holmes, who posted 55 tackles and 4.5 sacks at The Citadel last year.
Reinforcements are coming for Hamblin, too. The Aggies added former Texas Tech safety Chapman Lewis and former North Dakota State cornerback Antonio Bluiett. They’ll join forces with cornerback D’Angelo Mayes and nickel Bryson Taylor, both of whom saw a lot of snaps last fall.
Utah State also has a pair of returning defensive tackles to build around in Carson Tujagua and Tyree Morris.
Utah State’s Breakout Candidate
RB Javen Jacobs – Jacobs didn’t get a lot of carries last season, but he averaged 6.6 yards per attempt and finished the year with 429 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Jacobs showed a real explosiveness late in the season, posting 92 yards and a touchdown on five carries against Boise State and 68 yards and two TDs on eight carries against Fresno State.
Utah State’s Pac-12 Championship Betting Odds
Utah’s State’s college football betting odds to win the Pac-12 championship are +1400, making the Aggies the least likely team to win the title, according to BetMGM. Boise State is the favorite at +135.
Utah State’s Betting Odds & Over/Under Win Total
- Utah State’s Over/Under win total is 4.5 games.
- The Over is at -160.
- The Under is at +130.
2026 Utah State Schedule
Sept. 5 vs. Idaho State
Sept. 12 at Washington
Sept. 19 at Utah
Sept. 26 vs. Troy
Oct. 3 at Boise State
Oct. 9 vs. Washington State
Oct. 24 at Texas State
Oct. 31 vs. Colorado State
Nov. 7 vs. Fresno State
Nov. 14 at San Diego State
Nov. 21 at Oregon State
Nov. 28 Flex game
Bold indicates Pac-12 games
Utah State Season Prediction
I predict Utah State won’t win the Pac-12 championship and the Aggies will go Under 4.5 wins.
The Aggies are just explosive enough to sneak up on anybody. Just ask the Broncos and the Rebels, both of whom were an eyelash from suffering major upsets at the hands of Utah State last season. But almost doesn’t count in the real world, and Utah State has to find a way to win on the big stage because the rest of the Pac-12 isn’t slowing down.
There are foundational pieces on defense, despite last season’s atrocious stats, but questions abound on offense. Will Hillstead display the kind of grit Barnes showed to keep Utah State in games? Who will emerge in the passing game? Can the offensive line keep Hillstead upright after giving up 42 sacks last season?
The schedule makers didn’t do the Aggies any favors. They have a brutal early stretch that includes games at Washington, Utah and Boise State, and they have to travel to Texas State, San Diego State and Oregon State.
