Utah State Ranked 21st in College Football Playoff Rankings
By Utah State Athletics |
Utah State is ranked 21st in the fourth College Football Playoff (CFP) Rankings of the 2018 season, it was announced Tuesday night on ESPN. USU was ranked 23rd in last week's CFP rankings, marking its first-ever appearance.
Utah State is one of two teams from the Mountain West in the CFP poll this week, along with Boise State at No. 23, and is the second-highest ranked team from the Group of Five, trailing UCF at No. 9.
Utah State is also currently ranked 14th in The Associated Press poll with 667 votes and 15th in the Coaches poll with 704 votes.
Utah State's 10-1 start to the season is the best in school history, topping Merlin Olsen's 1961 team that finished with a 9-1-1 record. USU has also won 10 straight games for the first time in school history, topping Olsen's 1960 team that won its first nine games. Overall, this year marks just the third time in school history that USU has won 10 games, along with the 2012 (11) and 2014 (10) teams. USU's 10-game winning streak is also tied for the fifth-longest active streak in the nation.
Utah State is also 7-0 in the Mountain West and its seven conference wins are tied with the 2013 team for the most in school history. Furthermore, USU's seven-game conference winning streak is tied for the sixth-longest active streak in the nation.
During its current 10-game winning streak, Utah State is averaging 51.1 points and 514.1 yards per game (278.4 passing, 235.7 rushing), while converting 45.9 percent of its third downs (62-135) and committing just 13 turnovers (11 fumbles, 2 interceptions). Defensively, USU is allowing 20.5 points and 365.9 yards (228.4 passing, 137.5 rushing), while limiting its opponents to just 50-of-165 (.303) on third downs and forcing 26 turnovers (17 interceptions, 9 fumbles).
On the season, Utah State one of seven teams in the nation with 10 wins, one of 10 teams with one or fewer losses, and one of seven teams without a conference loss.
Utah State ranks among the top 10 teams in the nation in 17 statistical categories and leads the nation in five of those, including scoring drives under one minute (24), kickoff returns (29.96 yards per return), passes intercepted (18), non-offensive touchdowns (10) and defensive touchdowns (6). USU is also second in the nation in scoring (49.3 points per game) and turnovers forced (28).
Utah State has already set school records this season with its 69 touchdowns and 542 points scored, bettering the previous marks of 60 touchdowns in 2011 and 454 points scored in 2012. The Mountain West record for points scored in a season is 608 by BYU in 2001. USU is also the only team in the nation to have 704 or more yards of total offense twice this season and its average margin of victory of 27.2 points (542-243) is the third-highest in the nation.
Utah State (10-1, 7-0 MW) will wrap up the regular season with a road game at Boise State (9-2, 6-1) on Saturday, Nov. 24, at Albertsons Stadium. The game, which is set for an 8:15 p.m. kickoff, will be televised live on ESPN, and determine the Mountain Division champion in the Mountain West. The winner will host Fresno State in the MW Championship game on Saturday, Dec. 1, with kickoff scheduled for 5:45 p.m. on ESPN.
Utah State is bowl eligible for the seventh time in the last eight years. Sign up to receive bowl game and ticket updates at utahstateaggies.com/postseasoninfo18.
Fans can follow the Aggie football program at twitter.com/USUFootball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.
How to Follow the CFP Rankings
The College Football Playoff selection committee will continue to reveal its weekly rankings, each Tuesday, with each episode beginning at 5 p.m. MT from the network's Bristol, Conn., studios. The College Football Playoff selection committee weekly rankings will build momentum toward Sunday, Dec. 2, when the committee will reveal its final rankings, College Football Playoff matchups and the New Year's Six participants. ESPN will have complete coverage of the sport's Selection Day, including the exclusive announcement beginning at 10 a.m. MT.
2018-19 Selection Committee: Rob Mullens (Chair), Frank Beamer, Paola Boivin, Jeff Bower, Joe Castiglione, Herb Deromedi, Ken Hatfield, Chris Howard, Bobby Johnson, Ronnie Lott, Gene Smith, Todd Stansbury and Scott Stricklin.
Utah State is one of two teams from the Mountain West in the CFP poll this week, along with Boise State at No. 23, and is the second-highest ranked team from the Group of Five, trailing UCF at No. 9.
Utah State is also currently ranked 14th in The Associated Press poll with 667 votes and 15th in the Coaches poll with 704 votes.
Utah State's 10-1 start to the season is the best in school history, topping Merlin Olsen's 1961 team that finished with a 9-1-1 record. USU has also won 10 straight games for the first time in school history, topping Olsen's 1960 team that won its first nine games. Overall, this year marks just the third time in school history that USU has won 10 games, along with the 2012 (11) and 2014 (10) teams. USU's 10-game winning streak is also tied for the fifth-longest active streak in the nation.
Utah State is also 7-0 in the Mountain West and its seven conference wins are tied with the 2013 team for the most in school history. Furthermore, USU's seven-game conference winning streak is tied for the sixth-longest active streak in the nation.
During its current 10-game winning streak, Utah State is averaging 51.1 points and 514.1 yards per game (278.4 passing, 235.7 rushing), while converting 45.9 percent of its third downs (62-135) and committing just 13 turnovers (11 fumbles, 2 interceptions). Defensively, USU is allowing 20.5 points and 365.9 yards (228.4 passing, 137.5 rushing), while limiting its opponents to just 50-of-165 (.303) on third downs and forcing 26 turnovers (17 interceptions, 9 fumbles).
On the season, Utah State one of seven teams in the nation with 10 wins, one of 10 teams with one or fewer losses, and one of seven teams without a conference loss.
Utah State ranks among the top 10 teams in the nation in 17 statistical categories and leads the nation in five of those, including scoring drives under one minute (24), kickoff returns (29.96 yards per return), passes intercepted (18), non-offensive touchdowns (10) and defensive touchdowns (6). USU is also second in the nation in scoring (49.3 points per game) and turnovers forced (28).
Utah State has already set school records this season with its 69 touchdowns and 542 points scored, bettering the previous marks of 60 touchdowns in 2011 and 454 points scored in 2012. The Mountain West record for points scored in a season is 608 by BYU in 2001. USU is also the only team in the nation to have 704 or more yards of total offense twice this season and its average margin of victory of 27.2 points (542-243) is the third-highest in the nation.
Utah State (10-1, 7-0 MW) will wrap up the regular season with a road game at Boise State (9-2, 6-1) on Saturday, Nov. 24, at Albertsons Stadium. The game, which is set for an 8:15 p.m. kickoff, will be televised live on ESPN, and determine the Mountain Division champion in the Mountain West. The winner will host Fresno State in the MW Championship game on Saturday, Dec. 1, with kickoff scheduled for 5:45 p.m. on ESPN.
Utah State is bowl eligible for the seventh time in the last eight years. Sign up to receive bowl game and ticket updates at utahstateaggies.com/postseasoninfo18.
Fans can follow the Aggie football program at twitter.com/USUFootball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.
How to Follow the CFP Rankings
The College Football Playoff selection committee will continue to reveal its weekly rankings, each Tuesday, with each episode beginning at 5 p.m. MT from the network's Bristol, Conn., studios. The College Football Playoff selection committee weekly rankings will build momentum toward Sunday, Dec. 2, when the committee will reveal its final rankings, College Football Playoff matchups and the New Year's Six participants. ESPN will have complete coverage of the sport's Selection Day, including the exclusive announcement beginning at 10 a.m. MT.
2018-19 Selection Committee: Rob Mullens (Chair), Frank Beamer, Paola Boivin, Jeff Bower, Joe Castiglione, Herb Deromedi, Ken Hatfield, Chris Howard, Bobby Johnson, Ronnie Lott, Gene Smith, Todd Stansbury and Scott Stricklin.
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