Top 25 speculation

It’s a virtual certainty that Utah State will find itself in the Top 25 when the next coaches poll is released Monday — after all, the Aggies were No. 27 if you count those also receiving votes.

What’s uncertain is where the Aggies will land in the Associated Press poll that also comes out on Monday — USU was just 35th in the eyes of the media voters.

Moving up two spots in the coaches poll won’t be much of a stretch this week. Utah State’s 16-game win streak is getting a little love on ESPN and in the national press.

Jumping all the way from No. 35 will be a huge leap — so don’t count on it — but not impossible.

After not quite making it into the Top 25 last week, many Aggie fans started looking at the teams USU is fighting for to get votes. They’ll be happy to know this has been a very good week for Utah State and not just in the games featuring the Aggies.

The teams ranked from No. 22-25 by the Associated Press — the ones USU is hoping to leapfrog in the rankings — lost a combined seven games. No. 22 St. Mary’s, who many see as USU main competition for the mid-major vote in the western half of the country, lost twice and appears to be in a tailspin after losing its best player to an injury. That’s a lot of votes they will no long go to the Gaels.

Likewise, No. 23 Washington lost a game and has five losses. No. 24 Kentucky lost twice and now has six losses and No. 25 Georgetown dropped a pair of games and sits with eight losses.

In the coaches poll you can add No. 22 Notre Dame as a two-time loser this week with eight losses overall.

There will be a lot of teams ranked from No. 20-35 losing votes. Utah State won’t be one of them.

So a newly-ranked Utah State team will take to the Spectrum court on Thursday against a hungry New Mexico State team.

And, as USU coach Stew Morrill will point out, it will only take one loss for all the momentum and positive national attention to disappear.

But in the meantime, Utah State will be ranked — that much I feel pretty confident about — and while Morrill might not enjoy that fact in some regards, Aggie fans will certainly be on cloud nine.