Athletics

Utah State Football Ranked 24th in Latest BCS Standings

After being ranked 20th in the Associated Press Poll and 22nd in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll this week [Nov. 25], Utah State [University] made more history Sunday as it appeared in its first-ever Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings, coming in at No. 24 following its 45-9 win against Idaho this past weekend in its home and season finale.

The BCS system, which has been in place since 1998, relies on a combination of polls and computer selection methods to determine relative team rankings. Joining Utah State in this week's BCS Standings is Western Athletic Conference foe San Jose State (10-2, 5-1). Overall, the Aggies and Spartans are the 89th and 90th Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs to appear in the BCS standings.

Utah State (10-2, 6-0 WAC) just completed its most successful regular season in school history as it set single-season records for wins (10) and home wins (6), while recording its first outright league championship since 1936 and its 11th in school history as it became the first team in USU history to post a 6-0 conference record.

Utah State, who officially joins the Mountain West Conference July 1, 2013, concludes WAC play with an 11-game winning streak. Overall, USU has won each of its last six games this year to rank tied for the fifth-longest winning streak in school history and tied for the sixth-longest active winning streak in the nation. In all, Utah State has now won 15 of its last 18 games to rank as the best 18-game stretch in school history since the 1962-64 teams also won 15 of 18 games.

Nationally, Utah State is one of just 18 teams with 10 or more wins on the season and USU is one of just four teams across the country that has not lost a league game, joining Ohio State (8-0) from the Big Ten and Kent State (8-0) and Northern Illinois (8-0) from the Mid-American Conference.

Utah State will conclude its 2012 season at the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Saturday, Dec. 15, at 2:30 p.m. (MT) against a team yet to be announced from the Mid-American Conference. USU, who also played in the 2011 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, is appearing in back-to-back bowl games for just the third time in school history, joining the 1946 Raisin Bowl and 1947 Grape Bowl teams, and the 1960 Sun Bowl and 1961 Gotham Bowl teams. Overall, it is USU's eighth bowl appearance in school history.

Tickets for the 2012 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl are available at www.Idahotickets.com, by phone at (208) 426-4737, or at the Bronco Stadium ticket office.

For USU football ticket information, contact the USU Ticket Office at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, or by phone by calling 1-888-USTATE-1 or (435) 797-0305. Tickets can also be purchased 24 hours a day at www.UtahStateAggies.com.

Fans can follow the Aggie football program on Twitter. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.

Additional Aggie sports news is available at the Athletics website.

USU football coach Gary Andersen on the field

After being ranked 20th in the Associated Press Poll and 22nd in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, Utah State made more history Sunday appearing in its first-ever Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings at No. 24. (photo from Athletics website)

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