Monday’s 34-21 loss to Washington State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl marked the end of Bronco Mendenhall’s first year in Logan. It was also the end of the collegiate road for many of Utah State’s top contributors, including quarterback Bryson Barnes.

Washington State Cougars face off against the Utah State Aggies in the 2025 edition of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

Mendenhall arrived from New Mexico in December, transformed Utah State’s roster with 69 new players and gave the keys to the offense to quarterback Bryson Barnes. It was enough to get Utah State bowling for the first time since 2022.

Winners of five straight games and one of the top offensive teams in the nation coming into the conference opener for both teams, Colorado State (9-3 overall, 0-1 in the Mountain West) shot just 26.1% in the first half and 36.7% for the game while being crushed on the boards by a 40-20 margin.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/boise-state as Utah State takes command of Mountain West men’s basketball power rankings. Utah State is the clear favorite in the Mountain West after pummeling Colorado State in its conference opener.

Utah State's men's basketball team rolled Colorado State in what was billed as a big Mountain West showdown. Here are takeaways from the game.