During those unhappy years, Utah State never won more than five games in a season — and the Aggies did that once. Their combined record of 43-106 made bowling seem more like an unreachable dream than a realistic possibility.
Of course, everything's changed.
Utah State makes its fifth consecutive bowl appearance Tuesday, when the Aggies play Akron in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. They are 43-23 over the last five seasons, including 25-5 at home.
Of the field, the success in football has impacted far-flung corners of the university, from enrollment to facility improvement to gift-giving.