USA Today Gives Passing Grades To BYU, Utah, Utah State
Jan 9, 2019, 4:27 PM | Updated: 8:12 pm
Courtesy USU Athletics
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The USA Today handed out grades to each of the 130 NCAA FBS football programs and the local college teams in the Beehive State scored high marks for their success this season.
All three programs; Utah, Utah State and BYU received passing grades for having winning records in 2018.
Aggies Among The Head Of The Class
Utah State was one of nine schools to receive an “A” grade for its 2018 season performance. The Aggies finished with a 11-2 record and a victory in the New Mexico Bowl over North Texas.
Utah State’s season also included a 10-game winning streak.
Number of schools in Utah, ranked in the final Top 25 polls?
1️⃣#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/tIaBZcwkKk
— USU Football (@USUFootball) January 9, 2019
Unfortunately they suffered an early-season loss to Michigan State and a defeat in the final game of the regular against Boise State that would have sent them to the Mountain West Conference championship game.
Head coach Matt Wells was the engineer of the Aggies’ success, which was largely due to having one of the top offenses in the country. He departed for the same position at Texas Tech just before Utah State’s bowl game.
Utes Receive High Grade
Who’s ready for the 2019 season? 🤩https://t.co/bUUVl5gc4l #goutes
— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) January 7, 2019
Utah was the next highest rated local school. They received a “B+” in the rankings after a 9-5 record which ended with a loss in the Holiday Bowl against Northwestern.
The Utes’ season featured a thrilling comeback victory over BYU as well as the program’s first ever appearance in the Pac-12 Championship Game after clinching the Pac-12 South Division for the first time ever.
Cougars Season Was Above Average
2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣9️⃣ 🎉🎊
Happy New Year!!#BYUFOOTBALL #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/UyEVGaghcg
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) January 1, 2019
BYU was given a “B-“ after a 7-6 season that concluded with a dominating 49-18 win over Western Michigan.
The Cougars also defeated No. 6 Wisconsin on the road for a signature win, but were defeated by in-state foes Utah State and Utah.
