USU football: WAC slaps Aggies on last-place pick
But they also still have only six total wins over the past three seasons. And that fact, coupled with the loss of several impact players on offense, means Utah State's football team is back where it's accustomed to being — last in the Western Athletic Conference preseason polls.
The Aggies were predicted by both the WAC coaches and the media covering the conference to finish ninth. The conference is holding its football preview meetings at the Salt Lake City Airport Hilton, and much as in recent years, Utah State is expected to struggle.
"It's just motivation for the football team and the coaching staff," USU coach Brent Guy said Wednesday morning after the polls were released. "I guess they see where we've been and see that we lost two NFL draft picks, and everybody thinks that we've got to be down."
Boise State, which got 25 first-place votes, was selected by the media as the favorite to win the conference crown, while Fresno State, with seven first-place votes, earned the top spot in the coaches poll. The Broncos were second in the coaches poll, and the Bulldogs were second in the media balloting.
Still, the last-place showing in the preseason polls carries a little bit of a punch to the ego.
"It's just an opinion," Guy said. "Everybody's entitled to an opinion. It's where we are in November that matters most."
Also announced at the meetings were the preseason selections for conference offensive and defensive players of the year.
Boise State running back Ian Johnson was tabbed as the top offensive player. The senior returns with 3,417 rushing yards and 46 touchdowns to his name but had an injury-plagued junior year when the Broncos finished 10-3. He is 12 rushing touchdowns shy of breaking the WAC record of 57 set by San Diego State's Marshall Faulk from 1991-93.
Hawaii linebacker Solomon Elimimian is the choice for defensive player of the year. The senior led the Warriors with 141 tackles last year.
BULLDOGS THINKING BIG: Boise State and Hawaii have seemingly had a stranglehold on the WAC championship trophy for the past few seasons. That might change this year, however, as Fresno State found itself on top of the coaches poll by a healthy margin over the Broncos.
"Our expectation levels are always high," Fresno State coach Pat Hill said, noting undefeated seasons are fast becoming the standard for success in the WAC. "We've had high demands before, like in 2001, we went 11-2 and didn't finish it."
Recent comments
Not that it will make any difference in the outcome but USU plays...
To: "Games USU will win" | July 24, 2008 at 5:12 p.m.
USU owns NMSU, only losing to them every now and again. Even when...
SoCalAggie | July 24, 2008 at 11:09 a.m.
I just hope that USU will be alive after the pounding that they will...
KP | July 24, 2008 at 9:33 a.m.
