And a packed house at Romney Stadium could be the best thing that's happened to the Aggies' program in a few years.

It's widely expected that this game won't be close. It's expected that the Cougars will be playing their second and third string by the start of the fourth quarter.

But as long as the crowd reaches 25,000, which is maximum seating, this could be considered a victory for a USU program that needs more big wins like the one over Idaho almost two weeks ago.

The NCAA mandates a 15,000 average in fan attendance over rolling two-year periods in order to have continued full-fledged status in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Failure to do so could result in noncompliance, which could result in restricted membership.

This isn't the first dance for the Aggies in this regard. USU received a "courtesy" letter from the NCAA at the beginning of the 2006 season as one of 12 schools that didn't meet the requirement in 2005.

And the numbers haven't been that encouraging this season, which is a compliance year for USU. With a little over 19,000 against Utah and a bit over 10,000 against Idaho, the Aggies are just under the limit heading into Friday.

That's a huge reason for USU wanting to see the turnstiles spinning on a regular basis.

"We're aware that this is our compliance year and we have our eyes open on the issue," Utah State Athletics Director Scott Barnes said. "I've been encouraged by the number of tickets we've sold before the game. We're definitely keeping our eye on the ball, but we're not concerned."

The Aggies know that winning is the one thing that will equate to ticket sales. The BYU game will be sold out because the Cougars' fan base is strong and because there will be plenty of BYU graduates in town due to the LDS Church's General Conference.

But fan interest for the remainder of the season will be performance-based. After the BYU matchup, a two-game road trip ensues at San Jose State and Nevada. Playing at home against Fresno State is expected to generate interest because of homecoming, but there are no guarantees after that.

The Idaho game, a 42-17 win, does help because for one game, Utah State showed that it can be explosive against similar competition. And if the Aggies show promise, the fans will be more apt to turn out at remaining games. Should Utah State go the other way, it would take the gigantic risk of running afoul of the NCAA.

And that's something nobody in the Aggies program wants to think about.

"A sellout against BYU would be a wonderful statement," Barnes said. "The signs are very encouraging. The season tickets sold are much higher this year compared to last year. So there is excitement around the program."

tjones@sltrib.com

BYU at USU

Friday, 6 p.m., KJZZ, BYUTV