This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Logan • In college football's era of conference realignment, scheduling chaos and contrived rivalries, it's nice to know one game will be played when it makes a lot of sense.

Utah State and BYU kick off for the 85th time in the long-running series Saturday at Maverik Stadium. It's the final regular season game for both teams and Aggie coach Matt Wells couldn't be more excited for 1:30 p.m. to arrive.

"It's Thanksgiving week [and] an in-state rivalry," he said. "There are families involved, friends involved, cousins involved, high school teammates involved — all that kind of stuff.

"It's pretty neat, to me, to be able to play this on Thanksgiving weekend. It's a huge game for our program and us. Our guys are excited about it … We're ready to roll."

BYU senior Mitch Mathews knows what Wells is saying. He has aunts and uncles who live in Logan. They will attend the game and presumably cheer for the Cougars.

"Luckily, we wear the same colors as Utah State," Mathews said. "But who knows what their shirts underneath will say. Hopefully, it says BYU."

The Aggies and the Cougars are already bowl-eligible, though Utah State has more at stake in regard to the postseason than BYU.

The Aggies are 6-5 and will likely play in a bowl game. The Mountain West Conference could end up with two more bowl-eligible teams than available berths, however, so there's a chance Utah State could be left out — especially if it loses to the Cougars and finishes 6-6.

BYU, on the other hand, is 8-3 overall and headed to the Las Vegas Bowl or the Hawaii Bowl. The Cougars, who started 2-2, need a win to maintain the momentum the program has built behind the play of freshman quarterback Tanner Mangum.

"They are a very good opponent and we have respect for them," said Utah State nose guard David Moala. "They always have a high-powered offense, they have a tremendous quarterback and very big receivers.

"They also have a very stout offensive line that can get off the ball. It's another challenge for the defensive line to get pressure on the quarterback and stop the run."

Utah State is expected to start senior Chuckie Keeton at quarterback.

When sophomore Kent Myers was injured on the first play of last week's 31-27 win over Nevada, Keeton stepped in.

Despite playing only three snaps since Sept. 19 because of a sprained knee, he led the Aggies to a comeback victory.

"[Keeton] helped build that program," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "I have a lot of respect for that. He's thrown his heart and soul into that program.

He's seen some of the hard things and he's seen some of the great things, and he's been right at the epicenter of all of that. … It seems like a pretty fitting ending to me."

Once a sure-win on BYU's schedule, the Aggies have improved to the point where the game has again become a rivalry.

The Cougars went 21-1 against Utah State between 1983 and 2009, but that's changed over the past five years. BYU is 3-2 in those games, including 27-24 and 6-3 victories.

BYU is a three-point favorite this year.

"Utah State has improved their program," Mendenhall said. "Early on, when I became the head coach, Utah State wasn't competitive within their league or on a yearly basis. There's been a significant change to that and I think that's great for the state of Utah. … They're really well coached and a really good team."

Twitter: @sluhm —

BYU vs. Utah State

P At Maverik Stadium, Logan

Kickoff • 1:30 p.m.

TV • CBS Sports Network

Radio • 610 AM, 1160 AM, 1280 AM, 95.9 AM, 102.1 FM, 102.7-FM, Sirrus XM 143

Records • BYU 9-3, Utah State 6-5

Series • BYU, 46-35-3

Last meeting • Utah State, 35-20 (2014)

About the Cougars • They have won six of their last seven games. … They are 3-0 against Mountain West Conference opponents, including wins over Boise State (35-24), San Jose State (17-16) and Fresno State (52-10). … They average 477.8 yards per game of total offense. … They lead the nation in red zone scoring (95.3 percent), just ahead of San Diego State.

About the Aggies • They have won 14 straight home games, going back to 2013. The school record is 17, set from 1959-63. … They haven't won back-to-back games against BYU since 1973-74. … They rank fourth in the Mountain West in scoring defense (24.8) and total defense (334.7). … Junior LB Nick Vigil leads the league in tackles (11.9).