The Utah State Aggies football team represents Utah State University (USU) in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Aggies compete in the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12). Established in 1892, Utah State is one of the oldest football programs in the western United States and has played its home games at Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium in Logan, Utah since 1968.

Utah State has won thirteen conference championships across four different leagues, most recently in 2021. It has produced multiple All-Americans, a Professional Football Hall of Fame inductee Merlin Olsen, and numerous NFL players. The program's modern era has been marked by periods of national recognition, including Top-25 finishes, division titles, and bowl victories in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, and 2021.

On July 2, 2024, defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling was named interim head coach after head coach Blake Anderson was placed on administrative leave and subsequently terminated for alleged violations of reporting requirements. In December 2024, Utah State hired former BYU and Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall to lead the program, signing him to a six-year, $12.9 million contract beginning with the 2025 season.

The Aggies have appeared in eighteen bowl games, winning six: the 2021 LA Bowl against the Oregon State Beavers, the 2018 and 2014 New Mexico Bowls, the 2013 Poinsettia Bowl, the 2012 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, and the 1993 Las Vegas Bowl against the Ball State Cardinals.

History

Early history

The first intercollegiate athletic event in Utah State University's history took place on November 25, 1892, when the Agriculturalists defeated the football team from the University of Utah, 12–0. The game was played on what is now the quad, and it was the only game until 1896. The Aggies enjoyed early regional dominance, notching their first perfect season (7–0) in 1907. In 1911, under head coach Clayton Teetzel, the team again finished undefeated, even shutting out each of its five opponents by a collective score of 164–0. Hall of Fame. The makeshift field on the quad continued to serve the team until 1913, when football was moved to Adams Field, two blocks west of campus, where Adams Park now sits. The new field represented an improvement, but the facilities remained meager, a fact that became more apparent with the success of Coach E. L. "Dick" Romney, who came to Logan in 1918. Romney, for whom the current football stadium is named, led the team to its first-ever conference championship in 1921 and compiled a 128–91–16 record over 29 seasons.

Recent history The program continued a rich legacy throughout the early and mid-20th century, when the program produced a large number of athletes who went on to play in the NFL, including the legendary brothers and consensus All-Americans Merlin Olsen and Phil Olsen, who played for the Aggies. It was during this time that Utah State finished two seasons with year-end Top 25 rankings: No. 10 in 1961 and No. 19 in 1972.

Following the great heights of the 1960s and 70s, Aggie football fell upon hard times. Many longtime Aggie supporters attribute the decline to administrators at both Utah and BYU freezing then-superior USU out of the newly forming WAC. However, other factors cited as leading to the decline include a failure to upgrade facilities until recently, a lack of donors to athletics, complacency of past athletics directors, and instability in conferences.

After continual failed attempts to join the WAC, the program played as an independent program from 1962 to 1977 (until joining the PCAA/Big West in 1978). The program again played as an independent from 2001 to 2002 before joining the geographically distant Sun Belt Conference after the Big West Conference, which had housed the Aggies since 1978, elected to stop sponsoring football in 2001. USU's other teams remained in that conference until the school was finally invited to join the WAC in 2005. Despite having lobbied for years to join its in-state rivals Utah and BYU in the WAC, the Aggies gained membership only after the two other schools had left to form the Mountain West Conference. Later on, Utah State joined the Mountain West Conference in July 2013, again following departures by Utah and BYU.

Gary Andersen era (2009–2012) In December 2008, Gary Andersen became the head coach of the Aggies, replacing Brent Guy following the unsuccessful 2008 season. Andersen would lead the team to new heights. In 2011, he led the team to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl and the team's first winning season since 1997. The 2012 team found far greater success, notching the school's first double-digit win season, the first outright conference championship since 1936, a return to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl for the first bowl win in 19 years, and a national Top 25 ranking in three major ranking systems: the AP poll, the ESPN/USA Today poll, and the BCS.

Andersen left the program following the 2012 season to become the new head coach for the University of Wisconsin.

Matt Wells era (2013–2018) In December 2012, Matt Wells, Andersen's former offensive coordinator, was hired as the new head coach of the Utah State Aggies. Wells coached the Aggies in their inaugural year as members of the Mountain West Conference. Despite multiple injuries to offensive starters, the Aggies earned a berth in the first Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game, which they lost to Fresno State by a score of 17–24. Coach Wells was awarded the Mountain West Coach of the Year award and the Aggies defeated Northern Illinois in the Poinsettia Bowl by a score of 21–14. At the conclusion of the 2018 regular season, Matt Wells left to accept the head coaching job at Texas Tech University.

Return of Gary Andersen (2019–2020)

After Matt Wells left for Texas Tech following the 2018 season, Gary Andersen returned as head coach of the Utah State Aggies, beginning his second stint as Utah State's head coach in 2019. On November 7, 2020, Andersen and Utah State agreed to part ways after starting 0–3 during the 2020 season. Defensive coordinator Frank Maile was named the interim head coach of the Utah State Aggies for the remainder of the season.

Blake Anderson era (2021–2024) On December 12, 2020, Blake Anderson was hired as the head coach of the Utah State Aggies football team, replacing Gary Andersen following an unsuccessful 2020 season. In his first season at the helm, Anderson guided the team to a 9–3 regular season record, good for the Mountain Division championship, as well as the conference championship with a victory over San Diego State. On July 2, 2024, it was announced that Anderson was placed on administrative leave with intent to fire and was unlikely to return due to alleged noncompliance with Title IX policies. Nate Dreiling was named interim head coach.

Conference affiliations Utah State has been affiliated with multiple conferences and played as an independent. Independent (1892–1901) Colorado Football Association (1902–1908) Unknown (1909–1913) Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (1914–1937) Mountain States Conference (1938–1961) University Division Independent (1962–1972) Division I Independent (1973–1977) Pacific Coast Athletic Association / Big West Conference (1978–2000) Division I-A Independent (2001–2002) Sun Belt Conference (2003–2004) Western Athletic Conference (2005–2012) Mountain West Conference (2013–2025) Pac-12 Conference (2026–present)

Season-by-season results Since first fielding a team in 1892, Utah State has completed more than 130 seasons of intercollegiate football across multiple conferences, including the Rocky Mountain Conference, Mountain States Conference, Big West, Sun Belt, Western Athletic Conference, Mountain West Conference, and beginning in 2026, the Pac-12 Conference. The Aggies' season-by-season results, including head coaches, overall and conference records, and postseason appearances, are listed below. Data are drawn from the Utah State University Football Media Guide and NCAA records.

Season Head coach Overall 1892 None 1–0 1893 — — 1894 — — 1895 — — 1896 Mayo 0–1 1897 — — 1898 Dunning 0–1 1899 Langton 1–0 1900 Langton 0–1 1901 Richards 3–2–1 1902 Campbell 0–4 1903 Campbell 3–0 1904 Campbell 4–8 1905 Campbell 2–2–1 1906 Campbell 3–1 1907 Walker 7–0 1908 Walker 4–2 1909 Teezel 2–2–1 1910 Teetzel 5–2 1911 Teetzel 5–0 1912 Teetzel 4–2–1 1913 Teetzel 3–3 1914 Teetzel 2–5 1915 Teetzel 3–4 1916 Watson 1–5–1 1917 Watson 7–0–1 1918 Pickering — 1919 Romney 5–2 1920 Romney 4–2–1 1921 Romney 7–1 1922 Romney 5–4 1923 Romney 5–2 1924 Romney 4–2–1 1925 Romney 6–1 1926 Romney 5–1–2 1927 Romney 3–4–1 1928 Romney 5–3–1 1929 Romney 3–4 1930 Romney 3–5–1 1931 Romney 6–2 1932 Romney 4–4 1933 Romney 4–4 1934 Romney 5–1–1 1935 Romney 5–2–1 1936 Romney 7–0–1 1937 Romney 2–4–2 1938 Romney 4–4 1939 Romney 3–4–1 1940 Romney 2–5–1 1941 Romney 0–8 1942 Romney 6–3–1 1943 — — 1944 Romney 3–3 1945 Romney 4–3 1946 Romney 7–2–1 1947 Romney 6–5 1948 Romney 5–6 1949 Melinkovich 3–7 1950 Melinkovich 2–9 1951 Roning 3–5–1 1952 Roning 3–7–1 1953 Roning 8–3 1954 Roning 4–6 1955 Faunce 4–6 1956 Faunce 6–4 1957 Faunce 2–7–1 1958 Faunce 3–7 1959 Ralston 5–6 1960 Ralston 9–2 1961 Ralston 9–1–1 1962 Ralston 8–2 1963 Knap 8–2 1964 Knap 5–4–1 1965 Knap 8–2 1966 Knap 4–6 1967 Mills 7–2–1 1968 Mills 7–3 1969 Mills 3–7 1970 Mills 5–5 1971 Mills 8–3 1972 Mills 9–2 1973 Krueger 7–4 1974 Krueger 8–3 1975 Krueger 6–5 1976 Snyder 3–8 1977 Snyder 4–7 1978 Snyder 7–4 1979 Snyder 7–3–1 1980 Snyder 6–5 1981 Snyder 5–5–1 1982 Snyder 5–6 1983 Pella 5–6 1984 Pella 1–10 1985 Pella 3–8 1986 Shelton 3–8 1987 Shelton 5–6 1988 Shelton 4–7 1989 Shelton 4–7 1990 Shelton 5–5–1 1991 Shelton 5–6 1992 Weatherbie 5–6 1993 Weatherbie 7–5 1994 Weatherbie 3–8 1995 Smith 4–7 1996 Smith 6–5 1997 Smith 6–6 1998 Arslanian 3–8 1999 Arslanian 4–7 2000 Dennehy 5–6 2001 Dennehy 4–7 2002 Dennehy 4–7 2003 Dennehy 3–9 2004 Dennehy 3–8 2005 Guy 3–8 2006 Guy 1–11 2007 Guy 2–10 2008 Guy 3–9 2009 G. Andersen 4–8 2010 G. Andersen 4–8 2011 G. Andersen 7–6 2012 G. Andersen 11–2 2013 Wells 9–5 2014 Wells 10–4 2015 Wells 6–7 2016 Wells 3–9 2017 Wells 6–7 2018 Wells 10–2 2019 G. Andersen 7–6 2020 G. Andersen 1–5 2021 B. Anderson 11–3 2022 B. Anderson 6–7 2023 B. Anderson 6–7 2024 Dreiling (Interim) 4–82025Mendenhall6–7

Championships Conference championships The Aggies have won 13 conference championships in their history, most recently winning the Mountain West championship (2021).

1921 Dick Romney Rocky Mountain Conference 7–1 4–0 1935† 5–2–1 5–1–1 1936 7–0–1 6–0–1 1946† Big Seven Conference 7–2–1 4–1–1 1960† John Ralston Skyline Conference 9–2 6–1 1961† 9–1–1 5–0–1 1978† Bruce Snyder Pacific Coast Athletic Association 7–4 3–1 1979 8–2–1 4–0–1 1993† Charlie Weatherbie Big West Conference 7–5 5–1 1996† John L. Smith 6–5 4–1 1997† 6–6 4–1 2012 Gary Andersen Western Athletic Conference 11–2 6–0 2021 Blake Anderson Mountain West Conference 10–3 6–2 † Co-champions

Division championships The Aggies were in the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference starting in the 2013 season, their inaugural season in the conference.

2013 Mountain West Conference Mountain Division Matt Wells Fresno State L 17–24 2021 Blake Anderson San Diego State W 46–13

Bowl games The Utah State Aggies have played in 18 bowl games (17 NCAA-sanctioned) with a record of 6–12.