Fantasy Matchup: Aggies vs Utes in the Las Vegas Bowl

Featured image courtesy of Deseret News

By: Daniel Olsen

October 6, 2018

Three years ago the bowl selection committee did something to tick off Ute fans. They matched them against BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl despite them going out of their way to not play their rival during the season.

The Utes got the last laugh in this one, but after four straight wins, it’s looking like the little brother could give the big brother a run for their money.

David James’ take:

The Utes last scheduled the Aggies in 2015 and won 24-14. Despite beating BYU in the last 7 matchups, the Utes haven’t always won the Beehive Boot (an award given to the college football program in Utah with the best in-state record). Due to not scheduling Utah State every year, if the Aggies beat the Cougars then it comes to the media vote and the media tends to award the Aggies for playing both teams in the state. The Aggies still have a ways to go to catch up to their big brothers in this rivalry. Utah State has won the award 9 times while Utah has won 15 and BYU 22. However, the media members haven’t voted on the ties the last two years when the Aggies beat the Cougars.

So what would happen if the Aggies played the Utes in the Las Vegas Bowl? Here are five things:

1. There would be a Wells sighting at a Poker Table in Caesar’s Palace: USU Coach Matt Wells has a pretty good poker face. On the field he often looks so focused his face appears stone. Other times he is pumped up but, like every coach, he suffers from RBF (resting Bronco face). If he has the winning hand in a game, you can bet he won’t fold. The team could be getting a buffet on Wells if he wins big in Vegas.

2. There will be some chirping going on: Just like there is a lot of “tweeting” on Twitter between the fan bases, there was PLENTY of chirping going on between the Utes and Cougars when they squared up in the 2015 Las Vegas Bowl. A few notables:

“BYU, you a good team but you also a dirty team! Don’t start nothin’ won’t be nothin!” –Seni Fauonuku

“It’s Utah’s world and BYU’s living in it.” – Tom Hackett

In a matchup between the Utes and Aggies, expect a lot of “little brother” shots at the expense of the smaller agricultural school up north. Hopefully the Utes would not resort to their rival BYU’s tactics and joke about USU being in Ogden. It’s a joke that only BYU fans seem to get. One thing is for sure: A war of words is bound to take place in Sin City.

3. DJ Nelson will be seen taking pictures with showgirls: Ok, this sounds downright ridiculous but as the Holder Of The Year candidate would we expect anything less than for him to hold some beauties in his arms in Sin City?

DJ Nelson is an eligible bachelor so expect him to take full advantage of this opportunity if the Aggies go bowling in Sin City.

4. Ok, time for a football take: Las Vegas is fun and everything but it’s time for a hot take. Utah State will pass a lot and the Utes will run a lot. There, that’s the hottest take in this article. Not really but hey, sarcasm is a lost art.

5. The stadium will have more blue than red: Ok, the Utes seem to have a bigger fan base as they are a bigger school, but the Aggies have a very passionate fan base. They chant “I believe that we will win!” even in years when their team sucks. This year the Aggies do NOT suck. They are 4-1 and coming off a big win in Provo.

If the Cougar faithful has had enough time to lick their wounds some just might show up at the game to cheer against the Utes. The Finals are over so Vegas is the perfect place to go. They have the same shade of blue as the Aggies in some of their uniforms. Whether they rep the navy Aggie blue or are “loyal to the royal” or are just avid college football fans in search of a good game, it’s the right time to hop on the Aggie bandwagon.

Some of these might be hot takes but it would be cool to see what would happen if this became a thing.

Final Score Prediction: We will wait and see what happens if this actually becomes a thing. As of right now it looks like the Aggies would win but it would be low scoring. Nobody has been able to hold the Aggies under 30 points yet but the Utes have a good defense so maybe the game would be interesting if the Utes could keep the Aggies under 30. The Utes have to make a bowl game first. So do the Aggies but they are already just two games away in a weaker conference.

With the Cougars and Utes currently trending downward and the Aggies trending upward it will be interesting to see if these trends continue or if something spikes a regression to the mean.